You might be familiar with Manhattanhenge. But did you know that Bay Ridge has its very own henge? Multiple in fact! Even more amazing is the fact that Bay Ridge is one of the ONLY neighborhoods in Brooklyn that has a street grid that aligns with the setting sun! Sunset Park streets are angled too sharply to the north, as are Park Slope and Red Hooks streets. Only Brooklyn Heights and Bay Ridge have streets properly angled toward the setting sun, and a waterfront to view it from!

So be sure to pencil in these dates, and poke your head out and enjoy Bay Ridge Henge 2021. Oh, and if you take a photo, be sure to use the #BayRidgeHenge tag on social media!

Tips for enjoying Bay Ridge Henge:

• Scout out your location! While our maps show every single street that aligns with each sunset, that doesn’t mean you’ll actually be able to see the sunset from that location! We have lots of shady trees and hills in the neighborhood. Visit the spot you want to view the henge from beforehand. The closer to the horizon you can see, the better! Step streets, wide avenues, and the top of steep slopes are gonna’ be best.
• Get there a bit early! Sunset isn’t super-precise. You’ll definitely get good shots slightly before the official sunset.
• Check the weather! Hey, we can’t control the clouds. Some days are gonna be better than others. If a henge gets rained out, don’t worry, there’s always next year!
• Try a Golden Hour! There are lots of trees and plants obscuring the horizon in Bay Ridge. Instead of a true “henge”, you can also aim for a Golden Hour, when the sun dips to 6 degrees above the horizon. This should give you much clearer views of the sun as it hovers above the street, and make for some beautiful sunset photos!

79th Henge

Henge Date: August 4th-5th @ 8:06 PM
Golden Hour: July 13th-15th @ 7:45 PM

The first true henge of the summer arrives for 79th Street, which has a jaunty angle west of Colonial Road. It’s flat, wide, and despite the trees, it has a good view of the horizon… all things you want to look for in a henge street.

Streets: 79th St (West of Colonial Rd), 78th St. (West of Narrows Ave)

Pier Henge

Henge Date: August 6th-7th @ 8:04 PM
Golden Hour: July 18th @ 7:43 PM

Between August 6th and 7th, the sun will set in direct alignment with Bay Ridge Avenue and the 69th Street Pier. The sun will also set directly adjacent to 68th street, running along the southern edge of Owls Head Park!

Streets (West of 3rd Ave): 68th St, Bay Ridge Ave,
Streets (West of Ridge Blvd): 67th St, Senator St, 70th St, MacKay Pl.

Bay Ridge Henge

Henge Date: August 19-20th @ 7:47 PM
Golden Hour: August 3rd-4th @ 7:30 PM

This is the big one. On August 19th and 20th most of the street grid in Bay Ridge aligns with the setting sun. However, the vast majority of these streets have heavy tree cover. Your best bets are wide avenues like 86th street or the step streets on 74th and 76th. Because of the tree cover, small residential streets will probably get the best view of the sun during the Golden Hours in early to mid August.

Streets (West of 3rd Ave): Between 71st St and 89th St (except 79th St west of Colonial Rd and 78th St west of Narrows Ave)
Streets (West of Ridge Blvd): Between 90th and 93rd St

Old Glory Henge

Henge Date: August 25-26th @ 7:37 PM
Golden Hour: August 12-13th @ 7:19 PM

Head down to Old Glory Lookout on Shore Road to enjoy this simple henge. The sun will set behind the flagpole, and directly line up with the pedestrian overpass over the Belt Parkway.

Location: Old Glory Lookout and Pedestrian Overpass between 80th & 82nd St.

Verrazzano Henge

Henge Date: November 11-12th @ 4:40 PM
Golden Hour: October 26-27th @ 5:20 PM

The Verrazzano Narrows itself gets its very own henge on November 11th and November 12th. The sun will set over Staten Island directly in line with the bridge itself. If you’re driving over, be sure to wear sunglasses!

Location: The Verrazzano Bridge

90s Henge

Date: November 16-19th @ 4:35 PM
Golden Hour: October 30th-31st @ 5:16 PM

There are a bunch of Shore Road-adjacent streets in the 90’s with a wildly different angle than other local streets. These will get aligned sunsets much later in the year, deep into fall. They also are all at sliiiightly different angles, so there’s a wider range of dates for a perfect henge, depending on the street! Fall foliage and bare trees will make the views a bit more dramatic, as well.

Streets (West of Marine Ave): Oliver St, 93rd St, 94th St, Ridge Blvd, 95th St, 96th St, 97th St, 98th St, 99th St

Overpass Henge

Date: October 5-6th @ 6:30 PM
Golden Hour: September 23-24th @ 6:15 PM

Ok, this one is really niche. But the sun will directly align with the Shore Road Promenade overpass down by 92nd street at 6:30 pm on October 5th. Can you imagine how pretty it would be to walk across the overpass at that exact moment?

Streets: 92nd Street Pedestrian Overpass