The best NYC street fairs

Twice a year, this outdoor bonanza brings buzzworthy munchies from the city’s best restaurants to Worth Square in the Flatiron District. When the foodie fete officially opens May 13, stuff your face with Roberta’s famous pizza, cheesesteaks by the Truffleist and Hawaiian cuisine by Gotham Poké. This one-stop shop for the tastiest grub in town is open every day until June 9, so consider your lunch and dinner plans set for the next month. (When you go, don’t forget to wear your stretchy pants.)

There’s a major block party happening in Long Island City on Saturday 6, and you don’t want to miss a single minute of it. The jam-packed six-hour affair along Vernon Boulevard is loaded with activities for adults and little ones, including art- and sculpture-making lessons, fitness classes and eating contests. You can fill your tummy, work up a good sweat and get crafty, in one place! Less interactive entertainment, such as live music and dance performances, are also on the lineup. Vernon Boulevard between 50th Ave & 46th Ave.

Immerse yourself in the cultural delights of the Jewish, Chinese and Puerto Rican communities of Chinatown and the Lower East Side at this block party. While Peking Opera performers and klezmer bands take the outdoor stage, you can catch free language lessons, master your mah-jongg game and, best of all, learn how to prepare empanadas, Chinese dumplings and kreplachandchallah bread. Endless grub will be available for sale. 

This festival is back for its 39th year, which turns Fifth Avenue into the city’s largest block party. Live music and entertainment flood the streets while museums open their doors to the public at no charge. This year’s participants include Museum of the City of New York, the Jewish Museum, Cooper Hewitt, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Neue Galerie New York and more. Fifth Ave between 82nd and 105th Sts. 

After spending nearly a year getting sequins and glitter out of their bedsheets, NYC’s mermaids and seamen are ready to undo all their hard work. Join a packed crowd on Coney Island’s streets for an epic procession of wild floats, barely clad revelers and beachside celebrating. Now in its 35th year, the world’s largest arts parade welcomes partyers of all ages to rejoice in kitsch, camp and craft, but those who are serious about their scales can register to win iconic titles, including best sea creature, best motorized float, King Neptune and Queen Mermaid. 

Arts group Figment takes over Governors Island with its usual hodgepodge of mind-bending, genre-crossing projects. For its opening weekend, wander through more than 300 projects, which include live performances. Two installations will be up all summer long: a minigolf course and a Pavilion titled “Cast and Place.”