El Sol Brillante

Bokashi Workshop - Part 1 - Bokashi Gardening
2025-06-21 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
An intro to the basics of bokashi gardening and soil care (towards creating a living soil—see postscript below).
Learn the two main ways to make the basic bokashi ferments:
a. the bokashi sprinkle with wheat bran (aka bokashi bran)
b. the bokashi spray (a liquid bokashi ferment, aka Activated EM).
We will also make EM•5 foliar spray (another type of liquid bokashi ferment with garlic and hot peppers) which is used to spray on plants and trees, as well as treat the soil.

These bokashi ferments will take at least 2 weeks to ferment before they’re ready to use.

What is living soil? Soil that’s full of life (microbes, worms, insects) and is self-sustaining and self-balancing.

Self-sustaining: as in a forest, no one feeds a forest, microbes break down organic matter at all stages (from freshly dead to fully decomposed plant matter and all other organisms) providing a full range of nutrients.

Self-balancing: when microbial life is dense in the soil in population and diversity, they keep pathogens (disease-causing microbes, but which have their ecological role) in check and can perhaps function beneficially (for example, in the human gut, E. coli, a pathogen, naturally exists, and when our body, their environment, is healthy, i.e., with a healthy gut microbiome, they actually produce vitamin K and anti-pathogens against other pathogens; when we’re sick, esp. from food poisoning, their population explodes and change function producing toxins).

Soil can be made into living soil by various methods. The bokashi method is one way to facilitate building and maintaining living soil (or close to living soil).

At its very basic, bokashi is about applying microbes and organic matter.
The bokashi method, however, involves using microbes to ferment organic matter.
During fermentation, all kinds of microbes multiply and produce metabolites.

Metabolites are both 1) necessary for the microbes metabolism and 2) byproducts of the microbes metabolism.
One group of microbes may use one set of metabolites to produce other kinds of metabolites which are then used by other microbes.
Metabolites includes nutrients (micronutrients and macronutrients) and other beneficial substances.
On average, a microbe can produce 50 unique metabolites and anywhere from 3,700 to 16,000 metabolites in total depending on species.

Metabolites, when in abundance, can give foods vibrant colors, enhanced flavors and aromas.

June 2025 Garden Meeting
2025-06-28 11:00 - 12:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
Our next meeting will take place on June 28th at 11 AM. All are welcome, including prospective members. Please email any other points of discussion you wish to raise beforehand so we can add it to the agenda.

Isle of Klezbos: Full Blossom Concert
2025-07-13 16:00 - 18:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
NYC-based ISLE of KLEZBOS approaches tradition with playful irreverence and deepest respect. Now celebrating a quarter century together, the soulful, fun-loving powerhouse all-gal klezmer sextet has toured from Vienna to Vancouver since 1998. Band repertoire ranges from rambunctious to entrancing: Neo-traditional folk dance, mystical melodies, Yiddish swing & retro tango, re-grooved standards, and genre-defying originals.
Isle of Klezbos sextet performs at El Sol Brillante Garden original music & classic klezmer, al fresco concert! Free to the public w/ special guest & MC: poet Irena Klepfisz, bringing our KlezBiGay Pride tradition back to beloved, eclectic, exuberant neighborhood roots.
(Rain location: Sixth Street Synagogue)

Bokashi Workshop - Part 2 - Bokashi Ferments
2025-07-19 11:00 - 14:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
The two bokashi ferments (bokashi sprinkle and bokashi spray) made in part 1 will now be ready to use.
We will use them as follows:
• To compost plant clippings and branches with the bokashi spray (non-food waste composting).
• To amend soil with the bokashi sprinkle and bokashi spray.
• To make bokashi FPE (Fermented Plant Extract) from fresh cut weeds using the bokashi spray (takes 2 weeks to ferment).
• To treat food waste to make bokashi food waste (what we’ve been doing since 2009) either using the sprinkle or the spray (takes 2 weeks to ferment).

Bokashi Workshop - Part 3 - Bokashi & Soil
2025-08-09 11:00 - 13:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
In this workshop, the bokashi food waste and bokashi FPE (fermented plant extract) that were made in Part 2 will be ready to use. We will apply them to the soil, as well as apply the EM•5 that was made in Part 1.

August 2025 Garden Meeting
2025-08-14 19:00 - 19:30 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
Our next meeting will take place on Thursday, August 14th at 7 PM. All are welcome, including prospective members. Please email any points of discussion you wish to raise beforehand so we can add it to the agenda.

Jazz in the Garden: Pablo Rosario and his Latin Jazz Messengers
2025-08-27 17:30 - 18:30 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
*Postponed until the 27th due to weather *
Join us as El Sol Brillante once again hosts the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival.
Percussionist Pablo Rosario is held in high regard for his versatility and his accomplished career. In addition to having worked closely with many of the great bands of Latin music, including those of Mongo Santamaria, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, and Batacumbele, “El Indio” had a long run as a freelance NYC session musician. Best known for his many appearances on David Bowie’s albums, also a natural educator and mentor, his small-group performances have, in recent years, centered the legacies of Santamaria, Colon and Cal Tjader, here supplemented by the work of Charlie Parker.
This event is free and open to all.

Guided Meditation in the Garden
2025-09-14 15:00 - 16:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
Please join us in El Sol Brillante community garden for a 30-minute guided meditation, led by a certified meditation teacher from East Village’s beloved Three Jewels Enlightenment Studio. Seated among plant life, we’ll focus on our breath and love and kindness for all beings, using comfortable stillness and visualization techniques. It’s a free event and open to all (including first-time meditators)! We will begin promptly at 3:00 PM, so please arrive a few minutes early to find your seat. We’ll have benches and chairs, but you might like to bring a blanket to sit on in case it fills up. We hope to see you there and enjoy this beautiful moment of peace together.

Insect Creature Creation Lab
2025-09-20 12:00 - 16:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
As part of the annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival, El Sol Brillante will be hosting an Insect Creature Creation Lab. Using natural materials such as leaves, twigs, dried berries, seed pods, and flowers, guests will design and build their own imaginative insect creatures. It’s a hands-on way to celebrate creativity, nature, and community.

The event is open to all ages and backgrounds, with the goal of bringing people together to make something beautiful out of simple materials from our surroundings. We welcome everyone to stop by and participate, or just enjoy the lively atmosphere.

September 2025 Garden Meeting
2025-09-21 11:00 - 12:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
Our next meeting will take place on Sunday, September 21st at 11 AM. All are welcome, including prospective members. Please email any points of discussion you wish to raise beforehand so we can add it to the agenda.

2025 Fall Fundraiser Party & Concert
2025-10-11 12:00 - 18:30 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
Join us for our annual Fall Fundraiser on October 11th. Don’t miss one of the biggest neighborhood celebrations of the season. Our all-day party will feature live music, delicious food and beverages donated by our volunteers and local businesses, and craft areas for all ages. Garden T-Shirts will be available to purchase as well. There will be a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food options. All proceeds go towards supporting the garden and its various programs. The event is free and open to the public.
Food and beverages will be available for a suggested donation. Additionally, guests may purchase an unlimited food and drink option that includes $5 off one t-shirt. To purchase in advance, click here.
Performers will include:
Solo V
Pinc Louds
The Mat Vaz Band
Kolker
…and more!

Final Meeting of 2025
2025-11-01 11:00 - 12:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
Join us for our last garden meeting of 2025. All are welcome, including prospective members. Please email any points of discussion you wish to raise beforehand so we can add it to the agenda.

First Meeting of 2026
2026-03-14 12:00 - 13:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
Join us for our first garden meeting of the 2026 season! All are welcome. This is a great opportunity for new members to start becoming part of the community.
Please email any points of discussion you wish to raise beforehand so we can add it to the agenda.

April 2026 Garden Meeting
2026-04-26 08:00 - 17:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
Our next meeting will take place on Sunday, April 26th at noon. All are welcome! We will be holding our biennial board elections, sharing updates on the various projects happening in the garden, and scheduling upcoming events. Prospective members are highly encouraged to attend!
All board positions are up for election every two years at the second meeting of the season. Often board members will serve multiple terms in a row (we don’t have term limits) but must run for reelection every two years. There are a number of official board positions that must be filled BUT there is not a limit to the number of board members we can have. So additional, untitled, board members are welcome and encouraged! Additional board members don’t have predetermined duties but often discover areas that they are most interested in assisting with.

Spring Awakening 2026
2026-05-09 12:00 - 16:00 | Lower East Side
*Postponed to May 9th*
Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) is proud to present the annual Spring Awakening parade and festival. This is a neighborhood wide celebration of Earth Day, and the opening of the community gardens. All Festivities are FREE and include a parade, pony rides, music, kids’ activities, art, environmental and educational workshops and a Special Garden Tour with Magali Regis.
The parade will start outside El Sol Brillante at Noon and feature Batala, our Tree Goddess, and Le Velo Rouge. It will continue East on 12th to Loisaida Avenue and turn South. Then it will return West across 7th, go through Tompkins Square Park, and finish on 9th and B. Following the parade, there will be pony rides on Avenue B between 7th & 8th streets., a puppet making workshop, seed give away, and music from Martini X, with Arturo Martinez, Jeff Ellenberger, Sylvain Leroux, and Marta Gaia.
For more information on all of the day’s events, check out the LUNGS website here.

Spring Fundraiser Concert & Party 2026
2026-06-06 12:00 - 18:00
Join us for El Sol Brillante’s annual spring fundraiser! Featuring a lineup of incredible local bands, a raffle, delicious food and treats, and craft tables! Bring a shirt to tie dye or purchase one of ours! A fun day for the whole family.
Music starts at 1 PM and will feature:
V.
Proper Tea
Raindogg
Momentum

Isle of Klezbos - In Bloom
2026-06-23 17:00 - 19:00 | El Sol Brillante, 522 E 12th St.
Join us for a performance by the Isle of Klezbos Sextet featuring a reading by Irena Klepfisz and tap dancers Laraine Goodman an Margaret Morrison.
ISLE OF KLEZBOS approaches Yiddish musical traditions with loving irreverence and profound respect. Soulful, fun-loving powerhouse all-gal klezmer sextet has toured from Vienna to Vancouver since 1998. Blending neo-folkloric tunes, reimagined classics, and a sound all their own, the band’s “cutting-edge klezmer” is acclaimed as “rapturous and rollicking”.
