hester street fair
Photograph: Courtesy Hester Street Fair
Photograph: Courtesy Hester Street Fair

The best street fairs NYC has to offer

Soak up the sun while attending these street fairs NYC offers with live music, great grub and vintage shopping.

Rossilynne Skena Culgan
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If you need another reason to get outside this summer, NYC street fairs take over various blocks in all five boroughs when the weather gets warmer. While frolicking along the city's sidwalks, snack on sensational eats from the best restaurants in NYC and score stellar throwback wares and antiques as you would find at our city’s finest vintage clothing stores.

As enjoyable as eating and shopping can be, there are many more things to do outside, from rocking out at outdoor concerts to peeping at some street art. Take advantage of the beautiful weather, including awesome free things to do, while the streets are full of fun.

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to things to do in the summer in NYC

Best street fairs in NYC

If you’ve ever encountered a random street fair while wandering the city, chances it's Pop Up New York's doing. The brand hosts numerous outdoor bonanzas while giving back to local non-profits. From the end of April to late October, the company hosts a new wave of bazaars featuring up-and-coming restaurants, designers and musicians in trendy neighborhoods. Check out the full lineup of upcoming events online.

  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs

Shop 'til you drop at FAD Market, a curated fashion, art and design pop-up marketplace, which is back for 2024. Expect to see your favorite makers plus brand new creatives to help you live smarter, gift better and support local businesses. 

FAD—which stands for Fashion, Art and Design—takes over different venues with a horde of independent vendors and creators. Admission is free and dogs are welcome!

Here's the full schedule of upcoming markets in Brooklyn and on Governors Island.

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  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs

Grand Bazaar is one of NYC’s oldest and largest marketplaces where you can buy vintage treasures, antiques, clothing and more goodies from more than 100 local merchants. Photographers, jewelers and furniture designers sell their best on Sundays between 10am and 5pm on the Upper West Side (77th Street at Columbus Avenue). 

Each week offers a different theme, from women-owned businesses to handmade items to international wares. The market runs both indoors and outdoors each week all year long.

  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs

The Brooklyn Flea is undoubtedly one of the most popular flea markets to hit in NYC if you're looking for the best selection of throwback wares and records.

Find Brooklyn Flea in DUMBO on the cobblestone streets of Pearl Plaza, where it spotlights roughly more than 40 vendors who display their goods beneath the Manhattan Bridge. Brookyn Flea operates on Saturday and Sundays, April through December. Brooklyn Flea also operates in Chelsea year-round on Saturdays and Sundays.

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At this massive grub hub, there’s only one rule: Come hungry. 

Founded by Brooklyn Flea’s Eric Demby and Jonathan Butler, the culinary extravaganza typically spotlights more than 70 vendors. Vendors this year will serve up fragrant Ethiopian stews, Hawaii-style street comforts, explosive pani puri, potato puff poutine, and lots more. Smorgasburg WTC runs on Fridays; Williamsburg is on Saturdays; and Prospect Park is on Sundays. Each location is open from 11am-6pm and operates weekly through October. 

Our pro tip? Make sure you peruse the lineup before you go—those mouthwatering scents and the bevy of choices can make you dizzy (and the dense crowds can make you hangry).

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Eat your way through Japan without ever leaving New York City at JAPAN Fes, the massive foodie festival, which is back and bigger than ever for 2024. The organization is hosting 30 outdoor events this year stretching through November in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Event organizers say it's the largest Japanese food festival in the world, attracting 300,000 visitors and featuring 1,000 vendors every year.

Expect dishes including takoyaki, ramen, matcha sweets, yakisoba, karaage, okonomiyaki, and lots more. They're even hosting a ramen contest and a konamon contest this year to crown the best of the bunch. Vendors hail from New York City, as well as other states and other countries. 

Here's the full list of dates and neighborhoods.

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  • Eating

One of New York City's largest celebrations of Chinese food, culture and heritage is back, and it's firing up an even bigger calendar of events for 2024. After Dragon Fest’s successful run in 2023, where it attracted 200,000 attendees across five events, the festival is back with an expanded lineup of 16 events across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens running through fall.

Attendees can explore culinary traditions from nearly every province of China, with over 100 different Chinese dishes on offer, from slurp-ready soup dumplings to sugar-coated chestnuts, lotus root sandwiches to grilled cold noodles. Among the 2024 food vendors are Haidilao, Maobao, Na Tart, Jixiang BBQ, and dim sum classic Nom Wah.

Check all the dates and locations here.

Ready to do some outdoor day-drinking?

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