At three o'clock on a December afternoon, the light outside the Carmine Carro Community Center at 3000 Fillmore Avenue is already going soft over Marine Park. Inside, the room is filling with neighbours — families with small children, older residents, people who have walked over from the surrounding blocks — for a Festival of Lights gathering that runs until 4:30 pm. Rabbi Heidi Hoover tells the story of the miracle and the eight-day celebration, and the afternoon turns on holiday festivities and sing-alongs. It is free, it is open to all ages, and it is the kind of hour that makes a long Brooklyn winter feel shorter.
Hear the Hanukkah Story Told at Carmine Carro
The centerpiece of the Marine Park celebration is the telling of the story itself: the miracle, and the eight days that follow. Rabbi Heidi Hoover leads it, and the program pairs the narrative with singing — a room full of voices rather than a silent audience. Come ready to join in on the songs rather than just listen.
- What: Hanukkah in Marine Park, a Festival of Lights program of storytelling and sing-alongs
- When: 12/06/2026, 3:00–4:30 pm ET
- Where: Carmine Carro Community Center, 3000 Fillmore Ave, Marine Park, Brooklyn
- Cost and access: Free, all ages
- Before you go: Call (718) 393-7370 or check the event listing, since dates and times are subject to change
Build the Afternoon Around the Neighborhood
The event sits squarely in Marine Park, a residential stretch of southern Brooklyn, and the 3:00 pm start leaves you a window before and after. Arrive a little early to settle in at the community center, and plan to linger on Fillmore Avenue once the singing ends at 4:30 — December dusk comes early here, and the walk back out into the neighborhood is part of the outing. Because the program is indoors and free, it works equally well for a couple, a group of friends, or a family with children of any age.
Time Your Visit to the Sixth of December
This is a single-afternoon event, so the date is the plan. December 6, 2026 falls on a Sunday, which makes the 3:00–4:30 pm slot an easy anchor for a weekend day in Brooklyn. Keep the timing flexible in your mind: the organizers note that dates and times can shift, so confirm the details against the event website or by phone before you build a day around it. If the schedule holds, you have a mid-afternoon gathering that ends well before dinner — leaving the evening open.
Make a Day of It in Southern Brooklyn
Treat the Carmine Carro program as the fixed point and let the rest of the day arrange itself around it. A free, all-ages event in a community center is a low-commitment way to mark the holiday, and it pairs naturally with a slow Sunday: a morning in the neighborhood, the 3:00 pm storytelling and songs, and a walk afterward as the lights come on. Bring the whole household — the program is explicitly designed for every age, and the sing-along rewards participation.
The Practical Details Worth Writing Down
- Venue address: Carmine Carro Community Center, 3000 Fillmore Ave, Marine Park, Brooklyn, NY
- Phone: (718) 393-7370
- Date and time: 12/06/2026, 3:00–4:30 pm ET
- Admission: Free
- Audience: All ages
December afternoons in Brooklyn fill up quickly, and a free hour of storytelling and song in Marine Park is a simple thing to put on the calendar. Note the date, call ahead to confirm the time, and set aside the sixth of December for a Festival of Lights afternoon at the Carmine Carro Community Center.