Farmingdale Voted Best Downtown On Long Island In 2025: FourLeaf Best Awards

FARMINGDALE, NY — Farmingdale Village was voted Best Downtown on Long Island in the 2025 FourLeaf Best of LI Awards — formerly known as Bethpage Best of LI.

It marks Farmingdale's 10th win in 11 years. Huntington won in 2019, as well as 2010 through 2014. No other downtown has won a Bethpage Best of Long Island award.

"You always look over your shoulder when you’re the frontrunner," Farmingdale Village Mayor Ralph Ekstrand told Patch. "When you win it nine out of 10 times, you say, 'How many times can I win it?' You’re looking over your shoulder. You’re looking for another up-and-coming village to win it. Amityville is doing a lot of revitalization. I know Mayor [Dennis] Siry well. Lindenhurst is doing some revitalization. I’m like, 'Somebody’s going to catch up to me sooner or later,' so I was relieved to win it again."

With Farmingdale remaining ahead of other villages in the court of public opinion, Ekstrand said he has to find ways to keep his municipality in the lead.

"Farmingdale has to continue to be creative and do things other villages do not do," he said.

Ekstrand pointed to seasonal decor for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, autumn, and winter.

"Changing the lighting and decorations on Main Street is one of the things that attracts people to Main Street," he said. "People come in just to take pictures under the Valentine’s hearts and go to dinner. 'Let’s go to Farmingdale, we’ll take a selfie under the hearts and send it to Junior in Florida.'"

The mayor said the village has to remain creative with parades and festivals. He hopes the creativity will bring in Long Islanders from neighboring communities.

Farmingdale Village is set to receive a $4.5 million grant after winning the third round of the NY Forward Program, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday. The village plans to use the funding for a Performing Arts Center, Ekstrand said. A location for the center has not been decided yet.

Joe Garcia, president of the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce, said he is excited about the Performing Arts Center.

"That’s something that people have really wanted to see ... That’s really a unique opportunity for us," Garcia said.

Farmingdale Village has long had lots of dinner options — a stretch of Main Street is officially nicknamed the Culinary Quarter-mile — dessert, coffee and live music, Garcia said. Though he knows many people have asked for more nighttime options before or after meals.

"I think the reason people ask about shopping is, they’re looking for something else to add while they’re here," Garcia said. "They don’t really want to buy a Farmingdale mug or a t-shirt or a key chain. They’re looking for something to make it feel like they went out for the night. Being able to see a show and get dinner is a really unique advantage we’re going to have."

Once the Performing Arts Center is complete, experiences in Farmingdale could be pushed from a 90-minute dinner to a four-hour night out, Garcia said.

"For too long, Long Island has relied on New York City to be our entertainment capital," Garcia said. "It’s long past time for our downtowns to capture that business and that opportunity. I think we’re seeing Farmingdale about to take a giant step forward."

Garcia said the small businesses in Farmingdale provide the "authentic experiences" that people crave.

"As they’re making decisions on how to spend their limited and hard-earned money, they seek those authentic experiences in places like downtowns," he said. "What makes Farmingdale very unique is our lack of chains. We have a really unique situation where a lot of the restaurants are owned by some of the same faces, the same people. They’re here and they’re deeply invested. It’s really cultured an authentic mix of businesses and restaurants. Because of that, it feels more exciting. It feels like going on vacation. When you go to those Cape Cod towns or those little towns upstate and it’s got all the little different businesses, well, that’s nice for a long weekend in the summer. But on a Tuesday afternoon, there’s no place better than Farmingdale Village."

Farmingdale Village, Garcia said, has the right mix of community events that are geared toward many different groups: families, people into art, those who love parades, and fans of live music.

"People come to the downtown for those great events," Garcia said. "They like it, they come back to eat, they come back to shop. I think we do an excellent job of holding our place as the best downtown on Long Island."

Garcia said ideas for entertainment between meals has to come naturally and cannot be forced.

"In a world of AI and a world of digital reality, people are really seeking really authentic experiences when they seek those out offline and in person," he said. "It’s difficult to find the right mix of retail that is appropriate for nighttime shopping, versus your run of the mill every day shopping. Whatever it is would have to be something that is not easily available on Amazon, which tends to be higher end or unique items, which we have here in Farmingdale."

Garcia said Farmingdale also has "very large" buildings that affect what merchants could come to occupy those spaces.

"Very large retail right now is going to stick to shopping malls and strip centers," Garcia said.

Ekstrand complimented the Farmingdale Business Improvement District on its marketing of the village during Christmastime, noting the ads that have appeared on News 12 Long Island.

"I can’t tell you how many people from outside Farmingdale say, 'I saw your village on TV!'" Ekstrand said. "I say, 'Yeah, you’ve got to come down!' You’ve got to advertise. You’ve got to market. The village has Marketing Masters NY, Dave and Joann Saul, to help us market, because we can’t do it ourselves. That’s what helps us win it every year. Our marketing of the town, of the village. Everyone has gotten to know, 'Hey, Farmingdale is a cool place to come.' And our downtown is a five-minute walk from the train station."

The train station stands to be a major transportation hub during the Ryder Cup, a late-September golf tournament that Ekstrand likened to football's big game. Farmingdale Village is set to be the host village for the tournament, slated to be played at the Bethpage State Park Black Course.

Ekstrand said 50K tickets for the final three days of the golf tournament have been sold by the PGA Tour.

The village will be marketing the event come fall, Ekstrand said.

"We’ll try to attract the people to go two-and-a-half blocks to the downtown. We’re hoping when you have that many people coming, you’ve got to get a good amount in downtown. If we get 2,000 people a day from there, I think the merchants will be dancing in the street."

Ekstrand said "teamwork" is the key to Farmingdale's consistent success in the FourLeaf Best of Long Island voting. He thanked the village's board of trustees; village administrator Brian Harty and the rest of the administrative team at Farmingdale Village Hall; the Business Improvement District; the Farmingdale Village Merchants Association; and the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce, spearheaded by Garcia.

"When you combine all these groups together, and they’re all rooting for Farmingdale, you can’t lose," Ekstrand said.