Union Hall to Barbès: A Library, Free Bocce, Then a Backroom Set
One cold-weather night in Park Slope that changes format twice: leather armchairs against a wall of books, a bocce court nobody has to book, then a backroom set fifteen minutes south on foot.
🗺️ Two rooms, one fifteen minute walk
🔥 Start with a free court and a library seat
Union Hall fills a converted warehouse with a stately library, cozy firesides, and two indoor bocce courts. The courts are free, first come, first served, and strictly 21 and up at all times: no children on or around them at any hour, no reservations. League sessions take the courts through the fall season, September 14 to December 6, Sundays at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. and Monday to Thursday at 7 and 8 p.m., so check the league calendar before you count on a game. Conference tournaments are listed for December 7-8 and December 12-13, but the league calls those dates tentative and subject to change, so confirm the dates on the league calendar before you go.
🎺 Walk south for the backroom set
The walk is fifteen minutes and about three quarters of a mile: south on 6th Avenue from Union Street to 9th Street. Barbès has presented music nightly for 24 years in a backroom the size of a living room. None of the shows are actually free: some run on donation, others charge a fixed admission at the door, paid online ahead or in person. Set times shift with the calendar, so read that night's listing for the cost and the start time.
🧥 Books, court, then music
Keep the night in one line: books, court, then music. Settle into the library end first, while the room is still quiet, and claim a court second — a free court goes to whoever gets there before league play starts. Walk last: fifteen flat minutes to the door, and carry a physical ID, since the courts are 21 and up at every hour and every show checks one.
