Kensington Gardens, a new beer garden sponsored by Kensington Community Food Co-op (KCFC), is set to host its opening event on July 16, from 5-10PM. Nodding Head Brewery will pour beer and Phoebe’s BBQ and Lil Pop Shop will sell food to the hungry attendees 2666-72 Coral Street.  

The beer garden will be open August 13, September 10, and October 1 and 22. Each night of the pop-up garden will feature local food trucks, beer and a chance to learn more about the KCFC and its members.

“Our landlords are connected to Nodding Head Brewery who have the offsite catering licence that we’re using,” said Oren Eisenberg, a KCFC member in charge of the group’s marketing efforts. “The landlord and Nodding Head came to the board and said we’re offering you the legal means to have this type of event if you want to put it on. All of the proceeds will benefit the co-op.”

According to Eisenberg, KCFC is financing at least the first of the five pop-up gardens.

“We are kicking money into it as an initial investment,” Eisenberg said. “We’re talking to some sponsors to potentially cover some of the cost and maybe do themed beer gardens later in the cycle.”

Spirit News reached out to Holly Logan, President of KCFC, for the specific amount invested.

“We don’t have all of our receipts tallied yet,” said Logan. “Most of the funds going to building up the pop-ups are part of the overall co-op improvements and cite beautification and maintenance that we need to do anyway.”

Eager to avoid the licensing issues that closed Heffe’s beer garden, KCFC is making sure to properly file their zoning permits, Eisenberg said. As of June 29, the permits for Kensington Garden had been submitted.

Kensington Gardens, said Eisenberg, will be more than just a beer garden. In addition to beer and a series of food trucks, the garden will feature games and activities for children.

The proposed layout, Eisenberg said, will give visitors plenty of room to relax with their friends and neighbors.

“It’s meant for people of all ages: kids are welcome, dogs are welcome,” Eisenberg said. “You have to be 21 to drink, but that’s part of this being community fun as well. It’s not just an adult thing, it’s not just a millennial thing.”

On July 16, Phoebe’s BBQ and Lil Pop Shop will pull their trucks into the parking lot and serve food to the guests.

The entrance to the garden is on Coral Street. Under the welcoming banner, guests will be ID’d and receive their wristbands. Directly in front of the entrance will be the keg truck and beer servers. Facing the beer tent from the Coral Street entrance, the food trucks will be parked to the left.

Between the food trucks on the left and the KCFC market on the far right, chairs and tables made from reclaimed materials will be scattered to give people the chance to mingle.

Eisenberg said that artists from the Art Department were helping to design the layout of the garden.

Though the beer garden’s opening night is in ten days, Eisenberg provided few details. Despite the dearth of details, Eisenberg was totally confident that the garden will be completed on time.

“We’re planning on building this in the next week. There will be fencing up to make it feel more enclosed,” Eisenberg said.

KCFC’s goal is to transform the parking lot into a much more inviting space that encourages old and new members of the community to come together, Eisenberg said.

“It’s about being bigger than the co-op, bigger than this grocery store but it’s through believing in the same types of ideals of community that the co-op represents.”

For more information on Kensington Gardens, visit www.kgphilly.com.