Thousands will descend on Long Island City on Saturday for the borough’s most unique block party.
The sixth annual LIC Springs! festival and street fair, taking place from noon to 5 p.m. on Vernon Boulevard, is chock full of memorable goods and innovative art from 50th to 46th avenues. The free event is a celebration of the great things the fastest growing neighborhood in the country has to offer.
“LIC Springs! brings together the best Long Island City has to offer for a day of fun, beautiful art and culture, fantastic food and activities for all ages,” Long Island City Partnership President Elizabeth Lusskin said. “What makes this event so wonderful is that every participating company, restaurant and organization offers an interactive experience; it doesn’t matter if you’re a resident or a visitor; LIC Springs! is sure to delight you and entice you to come back to LIC in the future for even more.”
The block party gives visitors a taste of what they can experience 365 days a year, not just one afternoon. Many of the neighborhood’s best restaurants will offer service at tables on Vernon Boulevard, while other new eateries will operate booths.
“I look forward to seeing who wins the gelato and pasta eating contest at Manducatis Rustica,” Lusskin said.
For the first time, a single block will showcase the cultural institutions in western Queens including MoMA PS1, The Noguchi Museum, Materials for the Arts, the Museum of the Moving Image, the SculptureCenter and Socrates Sculpture Park.
“Amongst other new things at this year’s event is a puppy adoption bus on site through the LIC Veterinary Center, and Estee Lauder will provide a virtual makeup station,” Lusskin said. “Also for the first time Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island is joining us with an interactive photo booth. And Mr. Met will be here after a scheduling conflict last year, so we’re very excited about that.”
LIC Springs! will include a stage with nearly a dozen performances throughout the day from Bringing Education and Art Together (BEAT), Dynasty Breaking NYC, LIC Kids Gymnastics, Queensboro Dance Festival, and Sing LIC. Other activities including massage therapy, yoga and fitness classes with Cosmic Fit Club, pony rides for the kids with support from Douglas Elliman, a giant checkers game for kids offered by Modern Spaces, and quick drying clay projects by BrickHouse Ceramic Art Center just in time for Mother’s Day.
“There’s a variety of things, a lot of different kinds of performances,” Lusskin said. “Outdoor entertainment for people of all ages with no cover charge, and it’s great people watching!”
