Formula E celebrates our neighborhood, by Nathan Weiser

Formula E, which is the only all EV race car series, was at the Cruise Terminal in Red Hook for the fifth time with the Statue of Liberty in the background and they were a positive impact with many in the community again.
Formula E races in cities all around the world including Mexico City, Jakarta, London, Berlin, Rome and Seoul. You might say it is like NASCAR on batteries.
The E Village is a fan zone adjacent to the track with food and entertainment. Formula E has again partnered with Red Hook establishments to supply food and refreshments during the two-day event.
Red Hook Lobster Pound and Jam’It Bistro are back again this year. The Lobster Pound has been with Formula E each of the previous four years (there was no event in 2020) and Jam’It Bistro joined for the first time last year, according to Michael Hopper, who is with Advance Brand Consulting which handles local relations with Formula E all over the country.
La Newyorkina, which sells homemade cold treats of authentic Mexican tradition over on Commerce Street, will be at the event for the first time. Lobster Pound will have their food truck, Jam’It Bistro will have their own stand and La Newyorkina will have their pushcart with their frozen creamy popsicles.
The catering at the event that takes place at Red Hook’s Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is through a New York based company called Krisp that hires predominantly Brooklyn residents to be the waiters and chefs.
They worked hard to recruit locals to work during event weekend. Hopper’s team put up flyers all over Red Hook.
“They let us know any previous experience they have with our events, and then we went through and made phone calls and put our team together,” Hopper said. “Our first people started last Friday in the credential center and then we have added more team members as the week has gone on and then race weekend is when 200 people will be working.”
Formula E works with the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and the New York City Parks Department to do tree plantings in Red Hook in the vicinity of the race track.
“There will be tree plantings with our partner DHL taking place at Valentino Pier,” Hopper said. “There is a triangle on Columbia Street by PS 676 that the Parks Department oversees. There will be tree plantings in each of those locations and then we are also going to do a tree planting on Imlay near Pioneer Street.”
They are planting 10 bigger trees and 40 smaller trees in collaboration with DHL to improve the local area.
They worked directly with the Parks Department and the chosen trees are native to New York and ones that will help with rain water uptake and C02.
Goodie bags at Cora
Formula E will be giving out goodie bags to worthy places this year, one in Red Hook and one outside of Red Hook. A portion of the goodie bags went to The Brooklyn Children’s Hospital and on July 14 there was a party at Cora Dance where the gave out the rest of them.
“The goodie bags had miniature Formula E cars and as well as hats or t-shirts,”
Formula E was one of the title sponsors of Cora Dance’s Red Hook Prom this year and they try to do a lot with that organization.
Susan Saunders of NY Printing and Graphics, located at 481 Van Brunt Street, informs us that they silkscreened some Formula E Vest, and embroidered some hats, as well as printing some post cards.
Formula E continued their community ticket donation program this year providing over 1,000 complimentary E Village passes to community residents.
They worked with local organizations including Red Hook BIZ, (a new business coalition) Red Hook Initiative, Red Hook Art Project and Portside. These organizations publicized the link that had information about obtaining the complimentary passes for residents to enjoy.
A new and exciting feature of the E Village this year was a raised viewing platform so that the people in the E Village can get an elevated position to see the race. This improved view of the race was not available to people with E Village tickets in years past.
“We are really improving that experience for anybody that is going to be in the E Village this year,” Hopper said.
Another new addition for fans to partake in is a feature called inside the garage where they recreated what a Formula E team garage looks like. Fans got to go inside and get that unique experience.
Besides those aspects of the E Village, the fan zone featured live entertainment with a DJ playing music, the gaming area with driving simulators where fans can test their skills on a virtual Red Hook Formula E racetrack and lots of activities for kids to challenge their imagination and encourage their curiosity around sustainability.
Formula E and UNICEF.
“We have a global partnership with UNICEF on all of their global climate related work,” Hopper said. “We started the partnership with UNICEF 18 months ago but that is something we are really trying to develop especially in the United States market.”
The partnership with UNICEF was showcased throughout the race weekend. There were UNICEF ads that were visible on TV in the attack mode, which is where the drivers could get a power boost.
“It has been designed in partnership with UNICEF children to showcase the partnership and to showcase the importance of climate change and social justice.”

Nathan Weiser