Ditmars Boulevard Open Street Is Revived By Local Business Owners

ASTORIA, QUEENS — After a multi-month hiatus, pedestrians and restaurant seating will soon fill Ditmars Boulevard again thanks to the revival of a popular open street along the thoroughfare.

The Ditmars open street will return this Saturday and continue every weekend from noon-10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through the rest of the year. It will be one block longer than the previous iteration, blocking all vehicle traffic along three blocks from 33rd to 37th streets.

Festivities kick off from 2-9 p.m. Saturday, with a "1st Birthday Celebration" by Dave's Lesbian Bar — the envisioned community space that has taken Astoria by storm since last summer.

From its launch in 2020 through last summer, the Ditmars open street was overseen by the restaurant Nino's AQ. But the difficulties of organizing weekly programming caused it to falter near the end of last year, and Ditmars was absent from the list of this summer's open streets when the city announced them in April.

Now, Ditmars has been resurrected — thanks largely to Nicole Panettieri, owner of the boutique The Brass Owl and its sister shop The Tiny Owl. Panettieri had long wanted the old open street to extend as far as her shop on 37th Street, and decided to organize "a new and improved version" for this season.

Partnering with Antonia Joannides, owner of the Queen's Room cafe-restaurant, Panettieri secured permits to restore and extend the car-free street.

"We have a collective of all the businesses who are on board and excited about it," Panettieri told Patch — mentioning the owners of Rivercrest and The Bier & Cheese Collective as some of the open street's biggest supporters. Eateries along Ditmars are excited to once again expand their seating into the street — especially to accommodate customers who might feel uncomfortable eating indoors, Panettieri said.

Along with the open street, Panettieri has also revived the Ditmars Boulevard Instagram — a once-dormant account that she controls, which will now help promote events along the business corridor.

Meanwhile, Panettieri and Joannides have been working with organizers of the popular 31st Avenue Open Street for inspiration on logistics and events — aiming to have a packed schedule for the rest of the year.

As of now, however, the calendar is empty past this weekend — and Panettieri asks anyone who wants to plan an event on the open street to email ditmarsboulevard@gmail.com.

"The calendar is wide open and waiting to be filled," she said.