Queens business leaders came together Thursday to give details about the second annual Flushing Street Festival to be held on Saturday, August 1.
The festival is hosted by the Flushing Business Improvement District, a nonprofit organization that aims to help the community transform Flushing into a “destination of choice” for dining and shopping. While last year’s festival only had 46 booths and vendors, this year is set to be much larger, with space for as many as 100 booths.
Tina Lee, the co-chair of the Flushing Business Improvement District, said that although Flushing is one of New York City’s largest transit hubs, with 100,000 daily commuters, many people do not stop to appreciate the rich offerings of the neighborhood.
“We want more people to come and enjoy all that Flushing has to offer in food and in culture, so we hope that the street festival will help entice them to come to Flushing more,” Lee said.
Many businesses and cultural institutions with Asian backgrounds are expected to participate. Korean food vendors and the Asian American International Film Festival are already involved with the event, and traditional food and dress demonstrations from northwest China will be provided by the America Xinjiang Association.
Ikhwan Rim of the Union Street Business Association said that while many of the participants are of Asian descent, part of the aim of the festival is to unite people of diverse backgrounds.
“It’s not just Chinese or Korean, it’s about Flushing,” Rim said.
Festival organizers are also having a young entrepreneurs contest in conjunction with the event. The contest is open to college and high school students, and entrants will have to submit an application with an idea for a business venture they think could be successful in a booth in the festival. The winners will then be able to use a festival booth free of charge in a high traffic location, and will be allowed to keep any revenue from their efforts.
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