Tikkun BBQ, 31st Ave Open Street and the Astoria Horror Club hosted a summer finale community cookout on 31st Avenue, between 33rd Street and 35th Street in Astoria, on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. There was free barbecue food, live music and a movie showing. Photo by Paul Frangipane.
Aug. 25, 2025 By Ethan Marshall and Paul Frangipane
Tikkun BBQ, in collaboration with the Astoria Horror Club and the 31st Ave Open Street, hosted the finale of their summer 2025 “Community Cookout” series on Saturday, Aug. 23, on 31st Avenue, between 33rd Street and 35th Street in Astoria.
The event featured free barbecue food, including vegan and kosher/halal options, as well as live music, an outdoor screening of the 1999 hit film “The Mummy” and neighborhood fun.
Numerous community members gathered for this event, as reflected by the fact that the line for the free barbecue food extended almost halfway across 35th Street.
Attendees lined up for the free barbecue food. Photo by Paul Frangipane.
Photo by Paul Frangipane.
Many kids on hand decorated 31st Avenue with chalk. Attendees of the event set up lawn chairs or laid out beach towels, granting them places to rest and relax as they enjoyed the live musical performances and the film screening.
Some kids used chalk to decorate 31st Avenue. Photo by Paul Frangipane.
Many of those present for the Community Cookout set places to sit and watch the live musical performances and the film screening. Photo by Paul Frangipane.
A stage was set up for the musical performances and the film screening. Photo by Paul Frangipane.
Tikkun BBQ owner Eli Goldman said the restaurant has been holding these block parties for five years. It originated a few blocks away, when Goldman was giving out barbecue food from his balcony.
Tikkun BBQ Owner Eli Goldman helped prepare barbecue food during the Community Cookout. Photo by Paul Frangipane.
Photo by Paul Frangipane.
“These events are really important not only to myself, but the community. It’s an excuse to get out and meet your neighbor. And I think nowadays, when we’re increasingly isolated and things feel incredibly dark and divisive, any opportunity to get people together is a win,” Goldman said. “We want to provide the space and the means for people to gather in a low-barrier situation. You can walk up here with a dollar, not even, and you are going to be welcomed just like everyone else.”
Live musical performances were among the main highlights of the Community Cookout. Photo by Paul Frangipane.
Photo by Paul Frangipane.
More and more people have turned up for each Community Cookout event, according to Madeline Schoenfeld, one of the lead organizers of 31st Ave Open Street. She noted that she often sees many of the same familiar faces on hand for each week’s event.
Photo by Paul Frangipane.
“It’s really important to have a free, accessible place for people to come and gather and meet people that they might not otherwise meet in their neighborhood,” Schoenfeld said. “It’s really sacred to us that every event that we have is free and open to the public.”
31st Ave Open Street helps in organizing the Community Cookouts by providing the necessary equipment and facilitating the event’s setup.
Photo by Paul Frangipane.
Photo by Paul Frangipane.
“[The Community Cookout] is a great celebration of the community. This last one is really great because it’s celebrating the end of summer. Kids are getting ready to get back to school, so it’s kind of like one last hoorah,” 31st Ave Open Street Board Member Lydia DiLalla said. “Getting to know your neighbors and community and being involved in it is just as simple as walking onto your front porch.”
Photo by Paul Frangipane.
Photo by Paul Frangipane.
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