The second Queens International Night Market, modeled after Taiwan’s popular open-air night markets, opened on Saturday in the parking lot of the New York Hall of Science and attracted nearly 10,000 people, event organizer John Wang (王榮光) said.
Given the positive response at last year’s event, which featured Taiwanese food among others, Wang said he decided to expand this year’s event to include a wider variety of foods.
A total of 53 food vendors participated on the opening night, up from 25 last year.
The offerings ranged from Taiwanese braised pork buns, pearl milk tea to fiery lamb kebabs, spicy crawfish, fried ice cream, Hong Kong snacks and Korean rice cakes, Wang said.
Another three dozen vendors were there selling art and other merchandise, and an outdoor beer parlor was set up giving visitors a chance to enjoy a beer and snacks while listening to live music.
Wang, a second-generation Taiwanese American, said he was very fond of visiting night markets whenever he returned to Taiwan during summer when he was small, and always wanted to organize a night market of his own.
Three years ago, he resigned from his job as a lawyer and embarked on a tour of night markets around the world. Last year, he launched the inaugural version of the international night market in New York, attracting more than 6,000 people on its opening night.
The Queens night market is open every Saturday from 6pm to midnight until Aug. 27.
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