#InTheLoop | Queens Comes Back! Celebrate Local Renaissance with Food, Drink + Fun on Oct. 9

The borough is open for business!

Queens Economic Development Corporation and Queens Tourism Council are celebrating with Queens Comes Back!, a huge party in a unique venue with local vendors selling great food, drinks, and novelty items while artists provide top-notch entertainment.

And everybody is invited! Please register here.

Kaufman Astoria Studios will host  Queens Comes Back! in its Backlot on Saturday, Oct. 9, from noon to 4 pm. This first-ever banquet will feature several dozen vendors of everything from main dishes to desserts to hot sauces. Alewife Brewing, which is located in Sunnyside, will pour suds, Jackson Heights-based QNSY Sparkling Cocktails will peddle mixed drinks in cans, and The Wine Room of Forest Hills will offer spirits.

At some spots, members of Made in Queens, a QEDC program that promotes local manufacturers and crafters, will sell their products, which range from shirts to jewelry to handmade soaps and candles. Representatives from Queensboro FC, a professional soccer team that will begin competing in 2022, will be there too with uniforms, soccer balls, and other sports paraphernalia.

It’s not all dining and shopping, though. Four Queensboro Dance Festival member troupes — Gotham Dance Theater, Chieh Hsiung, Manhatitlan Mexican Folkloric Dance Group, and Fanike African Dance Troupe — will perform throughout the day on a mini outdoor stage.

There’s no admission charge, and attendees will simply bounce from table to table. (QEDC will follow government guidelines as to Covid safety and all attendees must present proof of vaccination, such as the Excelsior Pass, NYC Covid SAFE app, or a physical card.)

Things might change, but here’s the most current list of participants: Althea’s Tropical Delights; Booze Scoops (Liquor-infused frozen treats); Culiraw (Raw, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free desserts); Dough (NYC’s best doughnuts); Julia’s Kountry Kitchen (Jamaican Cuisine); La Adelita de Woodside (Mexican); La’Maoli (Caribbean); Made Fresh Organic (green juices); MumsKitchen NYC (West Indian treats); NYC Cooking Club; Paulista Avenue Bakery & Café (Brazilian savory and sweet treats); Pudding Pan Desserts (plant-based desserts); Quiaufa’s Kitchen (vegan soul food); Sala Astoria (food from Spain); Salutco (infusions for cocktails and mocktails made with all-natural ingredients and zero added sugar); Superfine Confections (small-batch, handmade, artisan chocolates, and confections); Sweet and Salty Queens; The Nourish Spot; The Soup Lady (vegan, vegetarian, and chicken soups made from scratch); and Tre Lune Dolci (Gelato); Twister Cake Bakery (Romanian sweets).

Some of the non-food vendors include Cards N Crafts NYC, Connection Jewelry and Harmony Connections, Juliette Isabel Design, Helium Image Inc. (Balloon decorations), Lavender Works, My Works of Art LLC, Paige’s Candle Company, Queens Thread, R + D (3D-printed jewelry), Rebecca Hervas Paintings, Sathe (apparel), Scent By Heaven (candles and air-fresheners), and Terrart NYC (terrariums).

The center of its campus, KAS’s Backlot is located in the heart of the Kaufman Arts District in the vicinity of 36th Street and 34th Avenue. The Backlot is a controlled, outdoor venue that is used by the film industry for outdoor scenes. First opening its doors in 1920, KAS has been making entertainment history and continues to support its surrounding community. Along with the Museum of the Moving Image and the Queens Council on the Arts, KAS founded the Kaufman Arts District – Queens’ first cultural district – to advocate for and promote arts in the neighborhood.

Top image: La Adelita de Woodside: middle image: Dough