The “public” pavilion area in the triangle was pretty good. It did have a casual street fair feel, and I did in fact run into a neighbor. Though I didn't have a ticket, you could still buy food from the half-dozen or so restaurants that staffed the booths. In fact my friend and I notice more than a few unhappy ticket holders who were outraged that the $50 ticket only entitled them to Costco sized sample of a specific dish. Several of the booths were offering samples to everyone anyway. We weren't quite sure what exactly the tickets were good for, though we didn't get to check out the archway area; perhaps the samples were more generous.

I too was surprised they were allowed to block entry to the otherwise public arch. You might want to ping the NYC Street Affairs Permit Office about that, or possibly the Dumbo BID.

Street fairs are supposed to be fun, casual social events where you might run into a neighbor. The tunnel under the bridge was blocked off to the public and was decorated with a dozen security guards. In that respect it did feel more like authentic downtown Seoul than anything New York.

By the way, isn't the tunnel public property? Can it be blocked off from the public by a private entity? Anyone?

The “public” pavilion area in the triangle was pretty good. It did have a casual street fair feel, and I did in fact run into a neighbor. Though I didn't have a ticket, you could still buy food from the half-dozen or so restaurants that staffed the booths. In fact my friend and I notice more than a few unhappy ticket holders who were outraged that the $50 ticket only entitled them to Costco sized sample of a specific dish. Several of the booths were offering samples to everyone anyway. We weren't quite sure what exactly the tickets were good for, though we didn't get to check out the archway area; perhaps the samples were more generous.

I too was surprised they were allowed to block entry to the otherwise public arch. You might want to ping the NYC Street Affairs Permit Office about that, or possibly the Dumbo BID.

Street fairs are supposed to be fun, casual social events where you might run into a neighbor. The tunnel under the bridge was blocked off to the public and was decorated with a dozen security guards. In that respect it did feel more like authentic downtown Seoul than anything New York.

By the way, isn't the tunnel public property? Can it be blocked off from the public by a private entity? Anyone?