The Queens Night Market Is Returning To Flushing Meadows In June

FLUSHING, QUEENS — The Queens Night Market is returning to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park every Saturday starting June 19, as the city gradually resumes in-person events amid its slow return to pre-pandemic normalcy.

After cancelling last year’s season in part due to fear of putting vendors in a position where they would likely lose money — since the typical $5 price cap on food means vendors’ profitability depends on volume — The Night Market is introducing ticketed entry for the first time, in order to waive vendor participation fees and maintain attendance restrictions enforced by the state.

Tickets, which will be sold online ahead of time, will cost $5 for everyone above the age of 12 — or $8 at the door, if there are any leftovers — with timed entry of an hour and a half per ticket from 4:00 p.m. to midnight.

The Night Market will donate at least 20% of the tickets net proceeds to causes that promote racial equity and to COVID relief recovery efforts, and will allow free entry to the event once capacity restrictions have been completely lifted.

John Wang, founder of the Queens Night Market, wrote in a news release that he hopes visitors understand why the event chose to require tickets in order to offset the price that vendors usually pay to participate in the outdoor market.

“We just don’t want to hang our vendors out to dry financially after the tough year they’ve had,” he said, alluding to how the pandemic has devastated the restaurant industry and small businesses, which are the cornerstones of this event.

“We estimate that around 75% of the vendors in our network have quit the business for good, given up on their entrepreneurial vision, or hit the pause button indefinitely,” he added, noting that he hopes this year’s Night Market season will “continue to play a small part in lowering the barriers to entry for small businesses.”

Aside from the ticketed entry, Wang is committed to ensuring that The Night Market remains “steadfast in our mission to be NYC’s most affordable, diverse, and welcoming community event.”

In addition to maintaining the event’s $5 price cap on food, with some limited $6 exceptions, The Night Market is already expecting to make good on its promise of featuring a wide-range of traditional foods “made by the people who grew up eating them.”

According to the news release, the event’s vendor lineup includes (but is not limited to!) Afghan, Indonesian, Sudanese, Filipino, Hungarian, Burmese, and Taiwanese food. Plus, they’re still accepting food vendor applicants.

There will also be art vendors and several live performances each night that showcase an array of cultural traditions.

As of now, Night Market visitors need to wear masks while they peruse the vendor booths, but can take them off to eat and drink in the picnic area.

Wang said that he is “mindful of the gravity and tragedy of what we’re coming out of” — especially in the event’s nearby neighborhood of Corona, the former epicenter of the epicenter during New York City’s COVID outbreak — and is hopeful that The Night Market “can represent a celebratory beacon of solidarity and really just a huge, collective sigh of relief.”

You can find tickets to The Night Market here, and get updates about the event from The Queens Night Market website or social media platforms.