The biggest attraction in New York City is the people who live here. In New York, there is a place for everyone. People who feel “different” in their native land can feel good in New York. And this is a really cool feeling: no matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, here you can be fully yourself.

Today we went for a walk in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. It was a cold winter day, almost 32° with high winds. Probably that is why the park was almost empty. Walking down the lawn we stumbled upon …… a group of picnickers conducting full blown picnics with blankets and baskets.

Turns out that this is a relatively new tradition. Every January, a winter picnic is organized in New York. This is no a regular picnic; it is also a contest: Competitive Winter Picnicking.

Participants are judged in several categories, including “Best Decorated Table” and “Most Interesting Clothes. “ You can also bribe the jury by offering them treats from your picnic table. Moreover, bribes, sampling and swaying of the judges is encouraged.

The winner gets $ 39.00, a cake and a bottle of whiskey. The second place winner gets $27.50 and a trophy, and third place prize is $ 27.00 and a blue ribbon.
There is also an award for “Most Valiant Attempt” and “The Big Fail ” for the best loser.

The Winter Picnic organizer is Mark Kravchuk, from the Ukraine. Who else would dream up picnicking in the snow? He is also the “brain ” of many equally absurd projects such as ” The Supermarket Carriage Race ” to be held next week. The exact location of the race is currently confidential.

When asked why a picnic in the winter, participants said winter picnics are the best, because you need not worry about ants or the lack of ice for drinks . Well it’s hard to disagree. 🙂

Mark Krawczuk, the head judge during of the jury deliberations. Mark holds 60% say in all award votes. Yes, this is a dictatorship, but all judges get a share of bribes.

There was also a competition for tossing pancakes on a griddle . Pancakes that landed on the ground, went to the “Pancakes Cemetery” as shown on the picture below.