Jan. 25, 2018 By Tara Law
The Queens International Night Market is getting ready for its fourth year at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The market, which is known for offering food, merchandise, art and performances from around the world, will open on April 21 and run until October.
“We’re still holding fast to everything important to us — affordability, accessibility, diversity,” said Night Market founder John Wang. “The only thing we’ve really changed since Day One is that a few dishes are priced at $6, and that’s only where margins are razor thin.”
The Night Market is currently taking applications from food, merchandise and art vendors to participate. Last year, the Market received approximately 600 applications. The market aims to represent as many countries as possible through food and wares.
For the first time, the Night Market has a small budget to pay performers. Nearly 150 musicians, bands, and performance groups— including break dancers, belly dancers, Bollywood bands, and violinists— have appeared in the past, but all performed pro bono.
This year, the New York State Council on the Arts’s and the Queens Council on the Arts are providing grants to select performers.
The Night Market is also seeking organizations and community leaders who would like to partner in the market’s charitable efforts. Last year, the Night Market raised nearly $40,000 for immigration advocacy, NYPD and FDNY family survivor funds, NYC Parks, breast cancer research, and disaster relief in Puerto Rico and Mexico.
The Night Market is also seeking sponsors so it can keep costs down and ensure the $5 food cap doesn’t have to be raised, Wang said.
“Companies can engage directly with hundreds of thousands of people, while also demonstrating a highly visible commitment to our core values– cultural and ethnic diversity, accessibility, and small businesses,” said Wang.
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