Bryant Park Carousel - Carousels on Waymarking.com

The word “carousel” has been traced to twelfth-century Arabian games of horsemanship called “carosellos” or “little wars. The game consisted of riders tossing a small perfumed clay ball from one rider to another. By the 16th century these games spread to France where the events were elaborated; people wore fanciful costumes and engaged in tournaments of drama called “Carrousels.” Eventually the art form became more tactile, as artists began to sculpt crudely shaped horses. In the late nineteenth century American artists broke from European tradition. To the dashing horses, artists added an entire menagerie of elegant animals, often accompanied by flowers, bells, plump cherubs, and flashing mirrors.

Le Carrousel in Bryant Park, specially created to complement the park’s French classical style, is an homage to both European and American traditions. Its fourteen delightful animals, replicas of classic carousel creatures, revolve to the sounds of French cabaret music. The rounding boards, inspired by Bryant Park’s elegant baroque-style torchères along 40th Street, blend into the leafy canopy of the park’s plane trees.

Fabricon Carousel Company, whose artists designed and created Le Carrousel, is based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and has hundreds of other installations as far away as China and as close as Riverbank State Park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

You will find the carousel mid-park on the 40th Street side.

Carousel Location: Neighborhood Park Is the Carousel operational?: Yes Does the Music work?: Yes Cost to ride: One ride: $2.00 Frequent Rider Plan: 10 rides for $15.00 Hours of Operation: Summer Hours Monday-Sunday: 11:30am to 8:00pm Fall hours Monday–Friday: 12:30pm to 6:30pm Saturday–Sunday: 11am to 6:30pm All hours weather permitting. Related Website: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please include a photo of your self at the location or a picture of your favorite animal on that carousel.

If you are lucky enough to take a ride on your visit, tell us what animal you rode.

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