BCA’s Annual Family Day Carnival celebrates summer on 8th Avenue

Lines were long but spirits were high as the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association (BCA) hosted its annual Family Day Carnival on Friday, July 18, in front of its community center at 5211 8th Avenue.

Children from BCA’s summer camps and early learning centers across Sunset Park were treated to a day of free carnival rides, inflatable slides, and games of skill with prizes.

After 2 p.m., the event opened up to all neighborhood children, with free tickets distributed for the rides and activities.

The midday celebration brought hundreds of families out to enjoy the summer sun, marking one of BCA’s two flagship community events–the other being its Lunar New Year parade, the largest of its kind in Brooklyn, drawing thousands of spectators.

BCA Education Director Gloria Chen said the yearly event gives children the chance to get out into the community and have fun together. "It's nearby and local," she said.

The BCA currently operates eight day care centers serving more than 700 preschoolers through Universal Pre-K, ACS, and Head Start programs. Its after-school and summer offerings serve over 1,000 students daily during the school year and more than 2,000 during the summer months.