Food festivals are part community gathering, part cultural celebration, and mostly an unapologetic excuse to eat as much as humanly possible. And this summer is shaping up to be a particularly delicious one for New Yorkers.
Beyond the hundreds of NYC restaurants and bars serving $26 dining deals for the World Cup, the city’s festival calendar is packed with reasons to loosen your belt. From oxtail showdowns and oyster feasts to empanada extravaganzas and one very special steak festival built for serious carnivores, here are 11 food fests worth adding to your summer menu.
June 6: Tacos and Tequila
Williamsburg’s favorite excuse to day-drink is back. Now in its fourth year, the New York Taco & Tequila Festival takes over the al fresco BK Backyard Bar (151 Banker St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn) for its first-ever summer edition, with two sessions in the morning and afternoon.
Expect tacos from beloved spots like Tacos Del Barrio, La Esquina and Birria Landia and under-the-radar vendors like Wah Gwaan, fusing Jamaican comfort food and hand-pressed tortillas. Plus margaritas, small-batch tequilas, Mexican beer and DJs keeping the energy up. Grab taco tokens in advance or on-site. And if you’re not a tequila person, a full bar has you covered. Tickets start at $49, found here.
June 6: Docks Summer Oyster Festival
There was a time that New York was the oyster capital of the world. Long before pizza and hot dogs the humble bivalve crusted our shorelines and reigned supreme as the quintessential New York City food. These days, you have to know where to find them. And for three hours, Docks Oyster Bar (633 3rd Ave., Midtown) is that place.
A New York institution since 1987, Docks’ annual Summer Oyster Festival brings you all-you-can-eat oysters fresh from Long Island, New England clam chowder, shrimp cocktail, and summer bites, plus chilled cocktails, and free flowing wine, beer, vodka, and tequila. Throw in live music and a photo booth, and you’ve got the kind of Saturday that’s impossible to clam up about. Tickets start at $140, found here.
June 7: The Oxtail Off NYC
What started as a friendly backyard cook-off in Los Angeles has grown to a nationwide celebration of food, culture, and competition. Oxtail Off brings the flavors of the African Diaspora to NYC with top chefs battling for championship bragging rights, Caribbean food trucks serving crowd-pleasing favorites, and a Carnival atmosphere.
Head to 99 Scott Studio (99 Scott Ave., Bushwick, Brooklyn) and expect moko jumbies, live performers, a high-energy fête hour, and plenty of incredible food from oxtail tastings to full plates, depending on your ticket, which starts at $20 each and can be found here. Best of all, a portion of proceeds supports a local nonprofit fighting food insecurity.
June 21: 25th Annual Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Street Festival
A beloved summertime tradition since 2001, this only-in-NY street festival is a vibrant celebration of the Lower East Side and Chinatown diaspora. With the backdrop of the 1887 landmark Eldridge Street Synagogue, expect Chinese opera and acrobats, klezmer melodies, salsa and plena rhythms, Puerto Rican mask making, Hebrew and Chinese scribal art, and, of course, egg rolls, egg creams, and empanadas for sale.
Add in local artisans, stage and street performers, and you’ve got a folklore fest unlike anything else in the city. Or really, the world. Best part, it’s free and located on Eldridge Street between Canal & Division Streets.
June 21: The Great Nosh
The Jewish Food Society’s one-day outdoor picnic extravaganza is back on Governors Island — and the chef collabs alone are worth the $40 ticket. We’re talking Katz’s Deli × Santo Taco, Russ & Daughters × Bonnie’s, Zabar’s × Van Leeuwen, Dhamaka × Moonrise Bagels, and more, washed down with spritzes or a glass from the Natural Wine Bar by The Four Horsemen.
Every ticket includes a limited-edition picnic blanket and tote bag. Hit a beading workshop, or pull up a chair in the Grandma’s Tent with Gail Simmons and Iron Chef judge Nilou Motamed. There will also be cooking demos from actual Jewish grandmas.
August 15: Hudson River Park Blues BBQ Festival
The beloved free summer tradition returns to Hudson River Park (Pier 76, 408 12th Ave. West, Hudson Yards), bringing together tasty barbecue, live blues, and riverside energy. The lineup is TBD, but favorites from past years include Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Bark BBQ, and Kimchi Smoke Barbecue’s Korean-American BBQ fusion.
Music spans two stages, including a main stage featuring top-tier blues talent and a second stage presented by the Jazz Foundation of America highlighting a mix of local blues, R&B, and soul artists. In addition to food and music, the Blues Dance Floor offers free drop-in classes between sets. No one leaves hungry — or without a new dance move or two.
Ongoing: Queens Night Market
Behind the New York Hall of Science, over 100 independent vendors descend on Flushing Meadow Corona Park for one of NYC’s most beloved open-air gatherings. This is Queens on a plate, where scents from Moldova to Mexico fill the air, and Filipino dinuguan is served next to Haitian diri ak djon djon next to dumplings, empanadas, Indian street food, and churros.
Part food festival, part neighborhood block party, expect live music, handmade art and merchandise, and small-scale cultural performances. The Queens Night Market takes place Saturdays through August 22 and Sept 19 through Oct 31, from 4 p.m. to midnight at the New York Hall of Science (47-01 111th St., Corona, Queens).
September 10: DiningOut RARE Steak Championship
Calling all carnivores: DiningOut’s legendary steak showdown (yes, run by this magazine’s events side) is coming to New York for the first time ever. Twenty-five of the city’s top steakhouses will fire up the grills and battle for supremacy across two categories, Traditional Steak and Creative Steak, and here, you’re both guest and judge.
Your ticket includes unlimited tastings from all 25 competitors, bottomless signature cocktails crafted by each restaurant, access to premium spirits, live entertainment, and full voting privileges alongside a panel of experts. Come hungry, sip generously, and help crown the winner of the ultimate battle of the beef. Tickets go on sale June 23, and the event takes place at Industry City (220 36th St., Sunset Park, Brooklyn).
September 13: Arthur Avenue’s Ferragosto
Ferragosto is a national Italian holiday dating back to 18 BC, when Emperor Augustus declared August a time for rest and celebration. Just under three decades ago, the merchants of Arthur Avenue brought that tradition to the Bronx. Now, thousands make the trip for roasting pigs, live cigar rolling, traditional Italian music, and a taste of the old country with a New York twist.
Arthur Avenue is home to family-owned restaurants, markets, and bakeries, many run by the same families that founded them over a century ago. Here, in what they’ll tell you is the “Real Little Italy,” soppressata hangs like stalactites, homemade mozzarella is pulled fresh daily, and the menu pushes tradition in the best possible ways. Alongside your cannolis and sausage and peppers sandwiches (and cutouts of the Pope) you’ll find Italian “sushi,” and meatball cones, which are crusty Italian bread stuffed with homemade meatballs, sauce, and melted mozzarella. The free festival takes place at Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street in the Bronx.
September 19 and 20: Latin Food Fest
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at this weekend-long feast at Industry City (220 36th St., Sunset Park, Brooklyn), with culture and comida deliciosa. More than 70 independently-owned vendors will serve everything from tacos, arepas, and birria to mofongo, lechón, and pastelitos, while two stages pulse with salsa, bachata, merengue, reggaeton, and Afro-Caribbean performances.
Beyond the food and music at this free festival, expect chef demos, cultural panels, dance takeovers, and the can’t-miss Abuela-Approved Food Battle. Because if the grandmas aren’t impressed, does it even count?
Smorgasburg
Now in its 16th season, Smorgasburg, the largest open-air food market in the country, is back across Brooklyn and Manhattan with over 70 vendors. The lineup spans the globe: Korean barbecue, Caribbean burgers, Fuzhounese potato balls, Colombian fried plantains, Indian tacos, Brazilian tapioca crepes, and much more, with plenty of vegan and plant-based options always in the mix.
After 16 years of trends, viral moments, and a constantly evolving food scene, the festival remains a vital force for small businesses and a gathering place for visitors and New Yorkers alike to eat their way around the world without leaving the boroughs. The markets are open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at various locations throughout the city.
