House of Vans NYC Opening Recap

Vans opened its new, state-of-the-art event space, the House of Vans, this past Saturday night in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood. The event played hose to an evening filled with food & drink, highlighted by surprise performances by Mos Def and Public Enemy. The House of Vans is a 25,000 square foot renovated warehouse featuring an indoor concrete bowl & outdoor street course, a permanent stage for concerts and enough space to pretty much do anything the brand’s imaginations allow. John Cardiel and Tony Alva led off the music for the evening with DJ sets as artist Mike Giant began creating a custom piece on the back wall by the bowl. Gilbere Forte followed up with a rap-infused set as the crowd began to grow in anticipation of an appearance by Public Enemy. Mos Def then quietly took to the stage and quickly stole everyone’s attention in a surprise performance. The Blackouts, Atiba and Ako Jefferson, then eased everyone into the night with a reggae-infused mix.