The Queens Night Market Will Return To Flushing Meadows In April

QUEENS, NY — The Queens Night Market is returning to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park next month.

Following its busiest year on record, the beloved international food festival is starting small, with two "sneak preview" events on April 16th and 23rd, which will be ticketed in an attempt to alleviate opening night traffic and capacity issues from previous years, organizers said.

The event will be made free and open to the public starting on May 7th.

Tickets for the "sneak preview" events, which can be purchased online, are $5 per-person (children under 12 are free); any that remain unsold online will be sold at the door for $8 apiece.

As was the case last year, when the Night Market first experimented with ticketed entry, a portion of net ticket proceeds will be donated to an as-yet-determined charity that is important to New Yorkers (the event is taking suggestions).

The Night Market helped raise nearly $30,000 for Queens charities last year, providing relief for locals impacted by the pandemic and Hurricane Ida flooding.

"There’s so much to worry about these days. We’re still grappling with the pandemic, there’s an unsettling rise in hate crimes, and there’s the terrifying threat of a world war breaking out any day," said John Wang, founder of the Queens Night Market on his choice to donate 20 percent of ticket proceeds.

"Amidst all that bad, hopefully the return of the Queens Night Market will represent some good, albeit small, news for New Yorkers," he said.

Now in its seventh season, the Night Market has welcomed over two million visitors, with its promise of international fare at affordable prices — all of which will remain the same this year, according to Wang.

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."

The event's vendor lineup already includes (but is not limited to) Afghan, Indonesian, Korean, Peruvian, Belizean, Ukrainian, Greek, and Taiwanese food. Plus, they're still accepting food vendor applications.

There will also be art vendors, several live performances each night that showcase an array of cultural traditions, and kids' games (based on the current COVID numbers).

While the event is excited to welcome guests to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park — about 15,000 of whom came on average per night in 2021 — organizers are warning guests about parking, which became congested and prompted illegal parking concerns last year.

Instead, organizers encourage visitors to take public transportation, adding that the Night Market doesn't control the adjacent parking lot so visitors may risk parking fees.

Wang said he is apprehensive about how inflation is going to squeeze the vendors' already-thin margins, but is committed to keeping prices and vendor fees low (the event doesn't profit from vendor fees) for the community.

"Our mission to be NYC’s most affordable, diverse, and welcoming community event has remained unchanged since we launched back in 2015," he said.

Get tickets to the Night Market "sneak previews" in April here, and get updates about the event from the Night Market website or social media.