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Have fun while helping others this weekend, as this Saturday's Queens Night Market will raise money for Hurricane Fiona relief.
The popular night market just returned for the season last weekend welcoming dozens of food vendors to Flushing Meadows Corona Park for an open-air feast. As event organizers heard about Hurricane Fiona's destruction, especially in Puerto Rico, they jumped into help.
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The market will donate 33% of its own net proceeds from Saturday’s event to support Hurricane Fiona relief efforts. In addition, nearly 30 vendors will donate part of their profits from the evening's sales (some of those vendors include Arepalicious, Hong Kong Street Food, Sam’s Fried Ice Cream, and Twistercake Bakery). Plus, the event will ask visitors to make a voluntary suggested donation of $5 at the entrance gate to support the fundraiser.
“Political fallouts and geopolitical calamities seem to dominate news cycles in these divisive times, but I hope supporting victims of natural disasters is something we can all get behind," John Wang, founder of the Queens Night Market, said in a press release. "I can’t imagine what the families in Puerto Rico must be going through right now, and during Hispanic Heritage Month no less.”
This isn't the first time the Queens Night Market has sprung into action to help others. In the past, the market fundraised in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the devastating earthquake in Mexico City, and Hurricane Matthew in Haiti. Last year, it raised and donated $16,000 to support victims of Hurricane Ida flooding in Queens. Earlier this year, the market donated $12,000 from its sneak preview ticket sales to Queens Rising, and it also raised and donated $13,000 to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in honor of World Refugee Day.
The beloved market is known for its menu capped at $6 event-wide. Food and drink vendors share the venue with booths for artists, jewelry makers, and crafters. Plus, there's live music, DJ sets, and other performances. The market has welcomed 2 million visitors since it launched seven years ago, and it's helped launch more than 350 new businesses in New York City.
The Queens Night Market is open from 5pm-midnight this Saturday, September 24 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The market operates every Saturday through October 29.