Car-Free Summer Streets Event Expands To Vernon Boulevard

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Residents in Queens are getting ready to head to Vernon Boulevard this weekend for the annual open street fanfare.

Summer Streets will close the streets to cars this Saturday and fill them with performances, food, and stands from boroughwide groups, and more starting at 7:15 a.m. on Vernon Boulevard between 44th Drive and 30th Road.

Festivities start early on July 29 with several yoga and dancing sessions from groups including 2nd Story, The Afro-Latineers, and Priya Dance Academy on 41st Avenue.

This is the first time the event, which will close 20 miles of streets for cars across the city, is held in Queens.

“Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have already enjoyed Summer Streets in Manhattan, so there is clearly sufficient demand to expand the program to Queens and throughout the city,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are also paying a visit to Vernon ahead of the Aug. 2 release of their movie by Paramount.

Rest Stops will be located on 41 Avenue between Vernon Boulevard and 10 Street and on 30th Road and Vernon Boulevard.

For biking enthusiasts, Bike New York will be offering workshops for people who want to learn to ride a bike. Free bike rentals will also be available.

Cayena Press will be providing bilingual children's book readings, while members of the Astoria Film Festival be offering zoetropes and storyboard workshops.

The annual event will be celebrated on open streets across all five boroughs. Also on July 29, New Yorkers can head to Staten Island, on Richmond Terrace between York Avenue and Bard Avenue, for their Summer Streets event.

Summer Streets in Brooklyn and The Bronx will take place on Aug. 26, while the event will kick off in Manhattan every Saturday from Aug. 5 to Aug. 12.