New York City Summer 2012 Street Fairs

Tracy's Pop & Shop loves street fairs and that's were you'll find me on most seasonal Saturdays browsing for bargain bracelets and noshing on $3 Vegetable Pad Thai. So you can join me, here's a listing from NYCTourist.com of weekend street fairs in New York City this summer.

Scene from the Dance Africa street fair in Brooklyn./Photo by Tracy E. Hopkins

Sat. June 23	Sixth Avenue SummerFest - 6th Ave. from 34th St. to 42nd St. 10am-6pm
Sun. June 24	Times Square Block Party - 46th St. from Broadway to 8th Ave. 10am-6pm
Sat. June 30	Avenue of the Americas SummerFest - 6th Ave. from 42nd St. to 56th St. 10am-6pm
Sun. July 1	Central Park Precinct Community Block Party - 60th St. from Madison to 5th Ave. 10am-5pm
Wed. July 4	The Great 4th of July Festival - Water St. from Fulton St. to Broad St. 11am-6pm
Sat. July 7	NYC Unfolds Street Fair - Broadway from Houston St. to Grand St. 10am-6pm
Sun. July 8	Celebration of Nations Festival - Madison Avenue from 42nd to 57th Sts. 10am-6pm
Fri. July 13	Bowling Green Park Fair - Broadway and Wenthall St. 9am-6pm
Sat. July 14	Times Square Summer Fair - Broadway from 47th to 57th Sts. 10am-6pm
Sat. July 15	Lexington Ave. Summer Spectacular - Lexington Ave from 23rd to 24th Sts. 10am-6pm
Sat. July 21	Herald Square Earth Awareness Fair - Broadway from 25th to 29th Sts. 10am-6pm
Sun. July 22	Tribeca Fair - West Broadway from Barclay to Chambers St.
Fri. July 27	Grand Central Carnival - 41st Street from Lexington to 3rd Ave.
Sat. July 28	Festival of the Americas - 6th Ave. from 42nd to 56th Sts.
Sun. July 29	Madison Avenue Summer Fair - Madison Ave. from 42nd to 57th Sts.

Hester Street Fair Presents "Hester Nights" at the Eventi Hotel

Foodies and street fair goers should flock to the acclaimed Hester Street Fair's "Hester Nights," a weekly event that brings popular food vendors and New York City’s biggest culinary influencers and tastemakers to the outdoor space behind Eventi, A Kimpton Hotel. 

Every Thursday evening, the Hester Street Fair makes its way from the Lower East Side to Eventi’s Plaza from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. through October 25th.

Tracy's Pop & Shop checked out the scene one Thursday and we enjoyed the eclectic assortment of predominantly female food vendors. To indulge our sweet tooth, we sampled gluten-free treats from Kitty Lee Thomas Sweets, gourmet Mexican ice pops from La Newyorkina and Peruvian cookies (alfajores) from Jessy's Pastries. We were also pleased to find plenty of vegetarian options including kale, sweet potato and quoinoa and chickpea sandwiches at Bombay Sandwich Co.

Other foodie favorites include Mimi & Coco's Teriyaki balls, Williamsburg’s Pies ‘n’ Thighs' American comfort food, La Sonrisa’s savory empanadas and Little Muenster’s fancy grilled cheese sandwiches. More savory sweets include  Macaron Parlour's wide range of traditional and inventive macaroons (a bestselling flavor is candied bacon with maple cream cheese); Prohibition Bakery's "boozy cupcakes"; and Melt Bakery's creative, ice cream cookie sandwiches.

Photos by Tracy E. Hopkins