Merrick Fall Festival Returns Friday

MERRICK, N.Y. — A beloved annual event is back this weekend as the Merrick Fall Festival returns.

The Fall Festival will start on Merrick Avenue at the Merrick Long Island Railroad station overpass and run for five blocks, according to Merrick Chamber of Commerce Administrator Christine Mooney. That portion of Merrick Avenue will be closed to traffic during the festival.

Speaking with Patch, Mooney said the festival will give attendees plenty of options, with a combination of Merrick Avenue businesses and out-of-towners setting up shop along the road.

“We have food trucks, we have music, magicians, but a lot of the vendors, some of them are the residents. They’re the brick and mortar right there, their shop is right there, so they open their doors,” Mooney said. “And we have other ones who sell books, jewelry, and other people are there just to give out literature.”

While the festival will also feature rides, Mooney specified that those rides will operate on a slightly different schedule than the rest of the street fair.

“Friday is just rides," she said. "On Saturday and Sunday is the street fair, plus the rides. The street fair is five blocks long. We close up Merrick Avenue and we have over 300 vendors.”

The Fall Festival is free to attend, but Chamber of Commerce President Ira Reiter said ride tickets will be paid. The festival rides open at 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, while the closed street fair will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Merrick Chamber of Commerce’s website.