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San Gennaro Fest and More Great Food Festivals in NYC for Families

The Queens International Night Market is a large, family-friendly, open-air night market in Queens, featuring vendors selling merchandise, art, and food! Photo by Sharon Medina for the Queens Night Market
The Queens International Night Market is a large, family-friendly, open-air night market in Queens, featuring vendors selling merchandise, art, and food! Photo by Sharon Medina for the Queens Night Market
9/12/24 - By Drew Kristofik

New York City is one of the world's great foodie destinations and boasts some great food festivals. No matter the season, there's always something good cooking up in the melting pot that is NYC.

We're rounding up some of our favorite annual food festivals in NYC, including autumn's Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, the summertime Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas on the Lower East Side, and Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, which covers three long seasons of eats!

So, pack an appetite and read on for our top picks for food festivals in NYC.

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Best Food Festivals in NYC for Families

Smorgasburg in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
April through October
Load up on food from your favorite local vendors at Prospect Park's annual summer "smorg." READ MORE

Queens Night Market

Flushing, Queens
April through October
The Queens International Night Market is a large, family-friendly, open-air night market in Queens, featuring up to 100 independent vendors selling merchandise, art, and food, plus small-scale cultural performances celebrating the rich cultural diversity and heritage of NYC and Queens. READ MORE

Japan Day Parade and Street Fair on Central Park West

Upper West Side
May
Japan Day is celebrated with a parade and street fair. Watch the parade march down Central Park West before enjoying the festive street fair along 72nd Street.  READ MORE

Ninth Avenue International Food Festival

Hell's Kitchen
May
Enjoy cuisines from different countries, including Poland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Japan, Thailand, and more. From open to close, visitors can browse the offerings along 15 city blocks of gourmet food and beverages. READ MORE

Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Festival

Lower East Side
June
The Museum at Eldridge Street presents the annual Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Festival, a joyous celebration of the diverse ethnic communities of the museum's Lower East Side neighborhood. READ MORE

NYC Restaurant Week

Citywide
Late July-early August
New York Restaurant Week actually runs a full month and encourages foodies to discover delicious finds throughout the five boroughs, with 2-course lunches and 3-course dinners at $30, $45 and $60. READ MORE

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Flushing, Queens
August
This annual sporting and multicultural event is held to celebrate the fifth moon (or the fifth month) of the lunar calendar. In addition to providing audiences with traditional Chinese foods and performances, the festival hosts dragon boat teams from across North America. READ MORE

Hudson River Park's Blues Barbecue at Pier 76

Midtown West
August
The 25th annual Hudson River Park Blues Barbecue Festival returns to Pier 76 for a day filled with smoky goodness and great music. Pit powerhouses like Blue Smoke, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Jase’s BBQ, Kimchi Smoke, and Big Papa Smokem fire up their smokers while you take in live blues and roots performances. READ MORE

Corn Fest at the Queens County Farm Museum

Floral Park, Queens
September
The Queens County Farm Museum hosts an all-new Corn Fest to celebrate the grand opening of the 2025 Amazing Maize Maze. The event is jam-packed with a-maize-ing activities, games, and food.  READ MORE

Dragon Fest at Astor Place

Astor Place
September
An annual outdoor Chinese food and culture festival, Dragon Fest includes experiential activities, tastings, and market fairs showcasing the vibrant food, art, and cultural traditions of China. READ MORE

Ferragosto 2025 in the Bronx

Belmont, the Bronx
September
The Belmont section of the Bronx hosts the annual Ferragosto festival in the original Little Italy: Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street. READ MORE

Taste of Times Square 2024

Midtown West
September
This year’s Taste of Times Square features more than 25 participating restaurants, ranging from Mexican to Caribbean, Argentinian, Italian, Indian, American, and beyond.   READ MORE

99th Annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy

Little Italy
September
2024 festival opens Thursday, September 12
The Feast of San Gennaro honors Italian Americans in professional baseball this year with its blocks-long street festival dubbed the "Feast of all Feasts!" Enjoy food, entertainment, and vendors along Mulberry Street from Houston to Canal. Food Network star Anne Burrell serves as grand marshal. READ MORE

New York Latin Food Festival

Midtown East
September
Friday, September 13-Saturday, 14, 2024
The two-day New York Latin Food Festival sambas into town with incredible Latin and Caribbean food, live performances featuring salsa, reggae, rumba, jazz, Latin pop, and hip-hop. While you're there, enjoy a selection of family-friendly activities, art installations, and more.  READ MORE

China Institute Mid-Autumn Family Festival

Financial District
September
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Celebrate the fall harvest by participating in unique mid-autumn festivities, flavors, and activities for the entire family. Discover shadow puppetry, mooncakes, traditional Han garments, sugar paintings, and much more. READ MORE

Oktoberfest Block Party at The Standard

Greenwich Village
September and October
Saturday, September 21-Saturday, October 5, 2024
The Standard High Line celebrates Oktoberfest with an incredible array of activities over a two-week run. Biergarten regulars and Oktoberfest fans alike can enjoy activities like flower-crown making, cookie decorating, beer tastings, carnival games, and more. The festivities kick off with a day-long block party on Saturday, September 21, complete with a Ferris wheel, an oompah band, pretzels, bratwurst, and more. READ MORE

Sunnyside Gardens Park Annual Oktoberfest

Sunnyside, Queens
October
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Sunnyside Gardens Park transforms its picnic grove into an authentic biergarten with German-style beer, traditional German food, and live music and entertainment for the whole family. READ MORE

Manhattan West Food Festival

Midtown West
October
Wednesday, October 16-Thursday, October 17, 2024
A vibrant food festival celebrates the exceptional culinary talent of Manhattan West’s renowned restaurant partners, complete with drinks and live DJ performances. READ MORE

Red Hook Harvest Festival

Red Hook, Brooklyn
October
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Join the Red Hook Community Farm for the annual Red Hook Harvest Festival, a celebration of urban farming, youth empowerment, community connections, and a bountiful fall harvest. READ MORE

EEEEEats Con at Forest Hills Stadium

Forest Hills, Queens
October
Saturday, October 12-Sunday, October 13
EEEEEATSCON is a two-day food experience built in the spirit of a music festival, but with restaurants as the headliners and designed for people who want more from a food festival than just tasting-sized portions and cooking demonstrations. READ MORE

Hearth & Harvest Festival in Historic Richmond Town

Richmond, Staten Island
November
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Celebrate Native American culture and traditional 19th-century harvest activities through food, dance, storytelling, and crafts during this special program at Historic Richmond Town. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Hudson River Park - Pier 76

About the Author

Drew Kristofik
Drew Kristofik’s career took a twist from editing teen magazines to a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a long run at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick Online and Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com. A founding member of the Webby Award-winning GoCityKids, she’s written for Family Fun, Vanity Fair, and New York. Her middle school novel, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. Drew keeps the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar spot-on and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.
Recent Articles By Drew Kristofik:
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