There’s only one place in New York City where you can find Peruvian ceviche, Polish pierogies, Taiwanese popcorn chicken, and Persian crispy rice all at the same time, and it’s coming back this weekend.
The Queens Night Market returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday for its 11th season.
“I can’t think of anywhere else where there’s like, 10,000 or 20,000 joyous New Yorkers having a good time, not minding lines and just sort of kicking back,” Queens Night Market founder John Wang said.
Wang said the market is maintaining its $6 price cap on all food for one more year before raising the cap next season.
“The fact that we’ve maintained a $6 price cap for seven years, while coffee seems to have gone from $2 to like $6 a cup, I think is important,” Wang said. “Affordability is really the greatest equalizer and the only reason we see such a representative swath of New York City on Saturday nights.”
The Queens Night Market has more than 100 food vendors representing about 70 countries.
You can wander the grounds and try Burmese tea leaf salad, Trinidadian shark sandwiches, Romanian-Hungarian chimney cakes, and Cameroonian jollof rice.
There are stands selling beer and wine scattered throughout the market — as well as vintage clothes, skateboards, small batch soap, candles, gourmet dog treats and handmade jewelry.
Parking in the area is notoriously difficult, and Wang recommends people take the 7 train. The night market’s entrance is just four blocks from the 111th Street station.
This Saturday and April 25 are “sneak preview” events. Tickets are $5 online or $8 at the door. Children under 12 are free. Free admission for everybody starts May 2 and runs through the end of the season in October.
The market opens at 4 p.m. and closes at midnight.