Pumpkins, live music, a trackless train and dozens of vendors will take over Beach 116th Street on Sunday, October 4, as the fourth annual Fall Fest returns!
The Beach 116th Fall Fest will take place Sunday, October 4, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., bringing an afternoon of family-friendly activities, shopping, food and entertainment to the commercial corridor. Children’s activities will run from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The festival is presented by Councilwoman Joann Ariola, the Rockaway Civic Association, the Beach 116th Merchants Association, Queens Culture & Arts Network and NYC Parks.
Many Fall Fest favorites will return, including pumpkin picking, face painting, crafts, games and seasonal treats such as cotton candy, candy apples and popcorn. But Councilwoman Ariola says there will also be some new additions this year.
“We have a trackless train, which is really very cute,” Ariola said. The NYPD will also bring its game truck, and possibly their rock-climbing wall, weather permitting.
The library bus, FDNY and other agencies will also be on hand, along with a DJ and live music. New to the festival this year is Bulletproof Angel, a band playing a mix of pop, pop-rock and punk spanning the 1980s through today, including songs from artists such as Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams.
The festival is also shaping up to be its largest yet, when it comes to vendors. “People have come to know that this is a widely attended event, and they want to be a part of it. I think this is the most ever that we’ve had. We’re up to 56 vendors,” Ariola said.
Beach 116th Street merchants will set up tables outside their businesses, while additional vendors will offer food, clothing, novelties, candles, jewelry and more. “I’m quite sure there’ll be a zeppole or two,” Ariola said with a laugh.
Ariola said Fall Fest has continued to expand each year, attracting not only more vendors but visitors from beyond the peninsula.
“Every time we’ve done this event, it has grown,” she said. “Whether it’s grown with vendors or it’s grown with people coming from all over the city to attend it, it’s just grown exponentially over the years, and we’re so happy.”
That growth, she said, reflects continued efforts to revitalize Beach 116th Street, which has weathered challenges ranging from Hurricane Sandy to disruptions caused by beach resiliency construction. Businesses that shuttered after Sandy have reopened, while new businesses have filled some formerly vacant storefronts, including some soon-to-come stores at the long-empty MTA property next to Last Stop.
“We just want people to realize that 116th Street is alive, it’s vibrant,” Ariola said, pointing to the variety of shops and eateries along the street, like The Gift is Love.
She added that her office, the NYPD, local civic groups and the Merchants Association regularly work together to keep the commercial strip clean and safe, noting that NYPD foot patrols were added along Beach 116th Street for the summer, and the 100th Precinct recently rolled out a panhandling enforcement program, resulting in two arrests and three summonses.
And after a rainy end to summer and a nor’easter ushering in the fall, Ariola said Sunday offers Rockaway a chance to enjoy itself.
“We’re gonna have a good time,” Ariola said. “We haven’t had nothing but rain from the end of our summer, right into the fall season, then we just survived a nor’easter, and it’s about time we get out there and have a good time together as a community!”
