A street fair on Columbus Avenue. Photo by Bill Calamita.
If you’re like me, you’re running out of tube stocks and are thus excited for the new street fair season, which debuts next month on the Upper West Side.
(Update: Check out 2016 street fairs here.)
Check out the full list below, via Community Board 7. Check here for details on who is sponsoring each street fair and how your organization can apply to run a fair in the future.
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Yay, tubesocks!
Yay!! Boy do I love the street fairs. Tube socks and scissors aside, the last few that I went to had a much more varied selection of food vendors, with some delicious eats. See you there, WSR!
It has been a long Winter with no funnel cakes or Walmart quality underwear. Soon my hibernation will end and I will enjoy 12 hour grilled chicken. No health grades anywhere in sight. This is the real thing. Maybe a Gyro or two with Tzatziki aged in the summer sun. And I am all out of pipe cleaners and 3 armed t-shirts. So many street fairs and so little to see in so much time.
I know as a New Yorker, I’m supposed to hate the street fairs, but I can’t. I kind of love them.
I hate them.
Agreed. Helen Rosenthal, if you’re reading this, if you ever support street fairs, I will never vote for you.
excited about, not excited for
I for one am waiting the $17 sausage sandwich and $90 mozzareppa
that list.
that is a lot of street fairs.
They are extremely disruptive.
too many.
Mmmmmm, Roasted corn!
Yay!!! Always waiting for the street fairs. 🙂
i confess, i hate what they hawk but love to sit on my fire escape, above it all, with a cigar, a campari and soda, basking in the warmth, listening to the women screaming “empanadas! empanadas!” all day.
that’s the key—above it all.
I don’t particularly like them. The food is mostly garbage and so are the vendors, but if they want to have a few, fine. But the month of May and early June is ridiculous. Can people that live on Broadway between 72nd and 86th not walk over to Amsterdam between 77th and 89th the weekend before? Or better yet, look at the end of May and Early June, we are going to have it three weekends in a row on Broadway. I’d love these if they had something unique and interesting.
these things are TRASHY
There are times when they are ok at beginning of spring. But they are too big and have the same stuff at every one. I remember Block Parties to get to know you’re neighbors and raise money for the block. Now it’s a conglomeration money making machine for… Just that… To make money for themselves. I miss the neighborly feel of the block parties.
these fairs should be phased out as they create noise, traffic congestion, and bad odors while providing little civic good; I would love to see a financial accounting some time, as I am sure that the overtime costs of police and sanitation more than outweigh any donations to “education” or even the tax revenues. I write this as a private individual and NOT a local business owner, although that class also suffers from these awful events.
Honest question: What IS the benefit to the community?
Does the area get a check? a portion of proceeds? Who gets the funds? Who is authorizing this?
Who pays for the clean up, extra police and sanitation?
you live in NYC- a city with an excess of noise, bad odors and traffic congestion. it’s not being created by street fairs, it’s being created by the 8.4 million people that live here and the 20k+ restaurants and bars. street fairs are great for kids and create a sense of community in this big city. if noise, traffic and bad smells bother you, you should probably move.
completely agree. i actually like them and seeing streets shut down for people to walk around!
As others have noted, street fairs originated as individual block parties, had a neighborly feel.
Have read that the people making money on current street fairs are the “sponsoring” company, Mort and Ray Productions…?
Street fairs are also a problem for people using buses. Buses get re-routed. Even worse when there is weekend subway maintenance – no subway service and non-accessible bus due to street fair.
Coming over from Scotland to visit on May 1st. Delighted to see that there are 2 Street Fairs on during our time on the UWS. Love them!
Street fairs could be so awesome. Turn them into “taste of” events catered by local restaurants. Burgers from Shake Shack, meatballs/house salad from Carmine’s, hot dogs/pastrami from Artie’s, carnitas from Noche, bagels from Absolute. My sense is there’s some mob-run aspect of these fairs that keeps local retailers out of it. It really is such garbage. Boycott.
Don’t just boycott – complain. CB7 (212-362-4008), City Council member Helen Rosenthal (212-873-0282), and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (212-669-8300).
Can this schedule possibly be correct? On 5/24, the fair is on Broadway from 72 – 86. Two weeks later on 6/7, the fair is on Broadway from 73 – 86. This is basically the same fair in the same location within two weeks. And don’t tell me that one fair is on the east side of Broadway and the other is on the west side of Broadway. One fair on the asme group of blocks is enough for one year. Where can I lodge my complaint? I;ve already left a message with CB7…
Correction – My post should have read:
One fair on the same group of blocks is enough for one year.
Stuart, Couldnt agree with you more. There are way too many street fairs, all the same block radius, the vendors are the same week to week, year to year, so boring, the music lacks sensitivity, so, so loud. Please let us rest on Sunday from working hard all week. The music is way, way too loud. Please. Listen to our complaints. Enough already! Especially the street fair today, stop the music already. I live on 96 and west End. Ive called 311 three times today, and the precinct several times, and theyve done nothing to lower or minimize the music. CB7, most of us want a break.
There are just too many of them and all the same overpriced, who needs it junk. One street fair on one Ave (preferably Amsterdam – nice & wide) running from 72nd – to about 110th. More varied musical entertainment and art….less tube socks and funnel cakes. The food is too expensive. Street fairs are no bargains anymore. Sorry venders but show us something different & unique….otherwise ho…hum…yawn.
Bloomberg should be required to attend EVERY ONE of these street fairs and required to stay the entire day……….also, I’ve never seen a street fair that looks like the one pictured…….
Are you aware that Bloomberg isn’t the mayor anymore?
LOL! That IS a good idea…
People keep asking what good are these street fairs. These fairs are always overflowing with very happy people who seem to be in a festive mood as they stroll from block to block. Isn’t that enough?
i personally love them. it’s an excuse to get outside and check out the festivities, eat some food that you normally wouldn’t eat, and talk to some people that you normally wouldn’t talk to.
Just don’t buy the 300 thread count sheets. I did one year and when I opened them they were two single beds sheets sewn together to make a queen AND the sheets were stained. That being said, I’m a sucker for the fried dough, but last couple years I can never find them and/or have to walk a mile to get one. Meanwhile, every block has grilled corn. Come on fried dough people, step up and represent.
I truly hope the Street Fair Detractors here represent a small minority. For me and my family, it’s a wonderful thing to be able to walk out the door, not worry about getting hit by a car, do some fun people watching, rub elbows with neighbors and strangers alike, and feel like, I don’t know, New Yorkers! All for free! That is, unless we splurge on a funnel cake or two.
I really would call a 20 block street fair, getting to know your neighbors. Strangers, yes. Neighbors, few and far between.
I meant ” I really wouldn’t…”
I said “rub elbows” with neighbors, not get to know them! Either way, I still love street fairs. And I must have been under a rock all these years as I thought everyone else did too.
I love these street fairs. I especially love when they have them on my street. Not because of socks or sunglasses but I like to just walk down the middle of the street without traffic.
how disappointing was that!!! Hardly any vendors , spaced so far from each other that this could have been condensed to half the size. Same food on every street, no crafts to speak of and honestly one of the most ho him fairs I have ever been to in 55 yrs on the planet. If you want grilled corn, vegan wallets and cheap sunglasses then this is Mecca
Hello, I work at an assisted living building on 86th street and we are interested in securing a table at the June 7th fair. How do we put in an application? I can be reached at 212-712-0200 ext 315.
Looking forward! Diana
Hi, I am interested in securing a table at the June 7th fair, I own a daycare center on 87th. and Columbus Ave. How do I put in an application, is there any number I can call?. I can be reached at 917-962-6353, Sorry for the last minute request.
From time to time I enjoy these fairs. But as I live over Broadway (and they NEVER change the location of the music (live bands AND prerecorded stuff on a sound stage) I am forced to deal with this for 6-8 hours at a time. I work at home. YES, EVEN ON A SUNDAY, (and am a musician so I have to study/practice/see clients) while trying to contend with this sound pollution. This is not my civic responsibility. Why can’t they stagger the location of the sound stage each season so that it would be only on or near my block once every 8 to 10 years or seasons…… would not be hard to organize this. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. Yes, I’d go and patronize the vendors, when I can, but I cannot see why on onslaught of loud recorded sound has to be so unrelenting in the same place year after year.
Please stop this horribly loud music, enough already, it’s Sunday. Please at lower the music!!!!!!!!!
Enough!!! Let us rest. we’ve worked hard all week. Stop the music, please, please!!!!!!!!!!