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Heralding back to ancient times, fall has always been the season of bountiful harvests, food-centric holidays (hello, Thanksgiving) and of course, gluttonous festivals of communal eating and drinking. In New York City, autumn is packed to the seams with such bacchanals, reprised in the modern day with celebrity chefs, food trucks and all-out block parties. This weekend, take your pick from offerings like a honey-soaked day at the beach, the world's largest gelato cone in Little Italy and three more gut-sticking things to do.
Honey Week: Join the sweets-loving hive for the last leg of this week-long celebration of bees and their golden elixir. On Saturday, head to Rockaway Beach for the main attraction, Honey Fest, where you can peruse nearly 40 vendors ranging from honey-soaked bites and booze to art and beauty products. Take home some of your own sweets from the likes of Honey Bee Local, Johnston's Honeybee Farm and Andrew's Honey.
New York Oyster Week: Take a dive at this annual, three-week suck-and-slurp extravaganza that kicks off its first weekend with seven different events ranging from tonight's New York Harbor regatta aboard the Hornblower Hybrid to tomorrow's ever popular Oystoberfest—featuring unlimited Blue Point and Penn Cove Select shells, along with 3-6 premium East and West coast varieties that will be selected day-of. This bivalve bash will double as a boozy Oktoberfest celebration, with craft suds from Blue Point Brewing Company on offer.
Pig Island: Go hog wild for this all-day Saturday bash where 25 of the city’s meat-slinging heavyweights fry, roast and ’cue 30 pigs worth of grub. With all-you-can-eat offerings like a Laotian ginger-spiced whole hog by Arrogant Swine chef Tyson Ho and luscious mounds of pulled pork by Matt Fisher of Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbecue, you’ll be fighting to save room for the limitless pours of hops and hooch—at the festival’s first-ever craft whisky tent—from the likes of High West, Van Brunt Stillhouse and Sixpoint Brewery.
San Gennaro: There are just ten days left of this traditional festival taking over the Little Italy 'hood and paying homage to the Patron Saint of Naples. On Saturday, see the traditional statue of San Gennaro parade through the streets, before heading to Ferrara Cafe to witness the debut of the world's largest gelato cone. Still got that sweet tooth? Come back Sunday to celebrate Frank Sinatra's 100th Birthday at the "Frank Sinatra Centennial Birthday Concert" with a cake inspired by the legendary crooner.
Vendy Awards: This Saturday, the Oscars of street food returns for its 11th annual roving-eats smackdown, where nominated food trucks, stalls and pushcarts post up on Governor's Island to compete for your final vote. Go around the world with diverse offerings from this year's contenders—Guandong Cheong Fun's Cantonese rice noodles, Greek skewers from Astoria's Souvlaki Lady and maple-syrup-infused grilled cheeses from 2014 Rookie winner Snowday Food Truck—before casting a ballot to crown the next food truck champ. Think carefully about your choice—though it might be tough with limitless sips from Brooklyn Brewery and Santa Cristina winery.