LICSprings! (Photo: Long Island City Partnership)
April 30, 2019 By Alexa Beyer
LICSprings! will return to Vernon Blvd. for a sixth year next month.
The popular community block party will take place along the boulevard on Saturday, May 11 from noon to 5 p.m., between 50th and 46th Avenues.
The free event will be packed with local food, live music, dance and theater performances, fitness classes, sculpture-making, and more.
Festival-goers will be able to dine outdoors at many of the restaurants while watching the activities and performances slated for the day.
The Long Island City Partnership, which is the organizer of the event, expects about 15,000 people to attend.
The event takes on a unique flavor since the participating businesses are required to offer an interactive activity.
For instance, local ceramic houses will offer attendees the opportunity to make pottery; fitness studios will provide yoga and Zumba classes; and attendees will also be able to partake in pasta and gelato eating contests put on by local restaurant Manducatis Rustica.
“You want to experience Long Island City. It shouldn’t just be a passive look,” LIC Partnership President Elizabeth Lusskin said.
New this year will be a puppy adoption truck and a virtual makeup try-on stand with Estée Lauder, whose tech division recently came to Long Island City.
The bulk of the block party’s funding comes from the city’s DOT Weekend Walks Program, which sponsors neighborhood street events. The organization also received funds from Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer’s office.
The event aims to both engage the community and showcase the neighborhood to all New Yorkers.
“The big goal is to get people to come back,” Lusskin said.
2 Comments
I want to adopt a puppy!
Cool, I need some tube socks