One of New York City’s five main boroughs, Queens is an unassuming place situated across the East River from Manhattan. Though lacking the glitzy pizazz of Manhattan, Queens is worth exploring. This eclectic borough is home to the New York Mets baseball team and the US Open tennis championship. Tourists can grab great Greek food in Astoria and genuine Asian cuisine in Flushing. Nature lovers can revel in the beautiful plant life found at Queens Botanical Garden. A great way to discover this culturally diverse section of New York is via its many local community events. To help out, we’ve assembled this list of popular festivals in Queens, New York!
1. Annual Queens County Fair
Held on the Queens County Farm Museum grounds, the annual Queens County Fair brings a few small-town and farmland delights to the big city. A highly anticipated tradition in this New York borough, the fair offers a full range of simple pleasures such as messy pie-eating contests, competitions to name the best corn-husking champion, fun hayrides, thrilling carnival rides and midway games, hilarious pig races, and more. This fair exudes a truly jubilant atmosphere with expert jugglers, magicians, and acrobats on hand to entertain both the young and old.
Annual Queens County Fair
Address: 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy, Queens, NY 11004
Website: Annual Queens County Fair
Takes place: September
2. Halloween Harvest Festival
Posted by Socrates Sculpture Park on Tuesday, 2 April 2019
Held at lovely Socrates Sculpture Park, Halloween Harvest Festival is a seasonal favorite for Queens residents and curious tourists. This festival features divine sweet treats from top local vendors, fun costume-making activities, and an interesting lantern workshop led by a professional artist. Kids can get their face painted in dazzling colors and there’s even a doggie-costume contest so your furry friend can get in on the fun. From circus-led action one year to Haitian-inspired cultural events the next, this fall festival always offers a surprising experience that never disappoints.
Halloween Harvest Festival
Address: 32-01 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11106
Website: Halloween Harvest Festival
Takes place: October
Price: Free entry
3. Lunar New Year Parade
One of many celebrations found throughout the greater New York City area’s Chinatown neighborhoods, the Queens’ Lunar New Year Parade is by far the most popular. Boasting the first and biggest Chinatown neighborhood in the New York metropolitan area, it’s only fitting that this Queens’ festival is a cut above. Oozing with an exuberant air, this event is filled with jaw-dropping dragon dancers and other mesmerizing performances. The ultimate street party replete with firecrackers, the Lunar New Year Parade features every imaginable vendor providing an array of delicious food and, of course, there’s the main attraction: a fantastic colorful procession of fanciful floats and energetic dancing to welcome the new year.
Lunar New Year Parade
Address: St. George’s Episcopal Church, 13532 38th Ave, Flushing, NY, United States
Website: Lunar New Year Parade
Takes place: January or February
Price: Free entry
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4. Poseidon's Parade
What a day. THANK YOU to everyone who marched, dressed up, danced, rolled their beautiful floats or came out to cheer...
Posted by Poseidon's Parade on Saturday, 19 September 2015
Embracing plenty of artistic expressions is the dazzling, family-friendly Poseidon’s Parade. Held every year at the breezy Rockaway Beach boardwalk, this one-of-a-kind art parade features great live music, a wonderful display of artwork, brightly costumed parade participants, vibrant floats, raucous dancing, and an expert DJ keeping the festivities humming. Spectators of Poseidon’s Parade can admire everyone from grizzled pirates to handsome Greek gods to flirty mermaids aboard snazzy floats. At the conclusion of the parade, a winner is chosen so if you’re participating flash your best smile.
Poseidon's Parade
Address: Rockaway Beach, Queens, NY
Website: Poseidon’s Parade
Takes place: September
Price: Free entry
5. Astoria Alive Street Festival
Posted by Meteor Festivals on Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Astoria Alive Street Festival offers a splendid gathering filled with lots of community spirit. Held in the charming Astoria downtown area, Astoria Alive Street Festival lines the streets with top-notch arts and crafts booths and an army of food vendors ready to serve you a wide range of scrumptious grub. When you’re feeling depleted after an afternoon of exciting carnival games, fun-inducing rides, and captivating face painting, sample one of the myriads of sweet goodies and treats available to give just enough of a sugar rush to keep you going a little longer.
Astoria Alive Street Festival
Address: 31st Street Astoria Ditmars Blvd, Queens, NY 11105
Takes place: September
Price: Free entry
6. Bayswater Fall Festival
The Bayswater Fall Festival is the ideal place to escape the big city and relax in slow-paced serenity. A family-oriented celebration of the fall season, Bayswater Fall Festival provides a mix of beloved autumn activities with popular carnival-style diversions. Meander through a lovely pumpkin patch, let the kids take a ride on an adorable pony or enjoy a rare hayride. Children will also love to get their faces painted, bounce around on huge inflatables, and marvel at a wondrous magician. A collection of exciting games and arts and crafts booths will keep them entertained for hours. Plenty of refreshments are on hand when you need to replenish.
Bayswater Fall Festival
Address: Bay 32nd Street and Beach Channel Drive in Bayswater Park, Queens, NY
Website: Bayswater Fall Festival
Takes place: October
Price: Free entry
7. SummerStage
How would you like to see New York’s renowned Metropolitan Opera, a saucy flamenco dance troupe, or an energetic steel pan ensemble all on one stage? You can when you experience the SummerStage festival. A summer music extravaganza staged in several parks throughout Queens, this event showcases vibrant music and dance performances that are equally entertaining and inspiring. The SummerStage series holds music festivals throughout the New York City area and is the biggest, free outdoor performing arts festival in the city. You don’t have to be snarled in traffic or ride a packed subway to the Big Apple to relish great music and cultural entertainment when Queens’ SummerStage contributions mean a great time for the entire family.
SummerStage
Address: 5th Ave, New York, Queens, NY 10021, United States
Website: SummerStage
Takes place: Usually held in June
Price: Free entry
8. Forest Hills Street Fair
Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing
Located in a tranquil residential neighborhood in central Queens, the Forest Hills Street Fair is a great place for any shopaholic looking for uncommon wares. Offering various locally made fine arts, crafts, and unique merchandise, any shopping fiend is sure to find the perfect knickknack to display on their bookshelf, alluring painting to hang in their living room, or pretty bracelet to adorn their wrist. This stellar fair provides over 280 excellent vendor booths to peruse, mouthwatering street-fair food in which to indulge, great carnival rides, body-grooving live music, and so much more.
Forest Hills Street Fair
Address: Austin Street from 69th to 72nd Road, Queens, NY
Takes place: June
Price: Free entry
9. Queens International Night Market
Situated in the New York Hall of Science museum grounds is the Queens International Night Market. An expansive seasonal outdoor market, Queens International Night Market showcases awesome live entertainment, top-tier vendors selling delectable eats, interesting arts and crafts, and more. The big draw for visitors is the wide array of delicious goodies to tempt your taste buds from sweet mochi waffles to savory Hungarian deep-fried dough to flavorsome Indian dosas. Make a point to try the spam musubi, a Hawaiian snack consisting of a slice of grilled spam and packed with flavor.
Queens International Night Market
Address: 4701 111th St, Corona, NY 11368
Website: Queens International Night Market
Takes place: Ausgust
10. Colombian Parade [Last event in 2019]
Posted by Desfile Colombiano en New York on Thursday, 1 August 2019
Colombian Parade is a high-spirited affair celebrating Colombia’s rich culture and legacy. A brash and energetic event displaying decorative splashes of the Colombian flag colors - yellow, blue, and red - in every direction, this delightful festival showcases local folkloric dancers dressed in colorful native costumes as well as great music. The parade is an intriguing procession with an awesome folkloric jeep parade that includes hardworking farming women and mule drivers from Colombia’s world-famous coffee-growing region as participants.
Colombian Parade
Address: Northern Blvd, between 69th and 86th Street, Jackson Heights, Queens, NY
Takes place: July
Price: Free entry
Queens' festival splendor
Want to avoid the crowds and prices of Manhattan, then Queens is a nice alternative. Possessing tantalizing cultures, attractive views, fabulous food, and fantastic festivals, the mood in Queens is always joyful and certain to create some happy memories for eager tourists.
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