June 16, 2020 By Christian Murray
The Taste of Sunnyside, which was scheduled to take place in May but was postponed due to COVID-19, is tentatively scheduled to take place on Oct. 4
The event will have a new twist this year, taking on more of a crawl format as opposed to being under a big tent. The Taste is also going to be held on a Sunday as opposed to the traditional Tuesday evening, according to Jaime-Faye Bean, executive director of Sunnyside Shines, which organizes the event.
The event, which typically draws about 600 attendees and about 30 restaurants, has been held in recent years under a large outdoor tent at the P.C. Richards parking lot on Queens Boulevard at 51st Street. In earlier years, it was held in a large tent under the elevated 7 line next to the 46th Street station.
The move to have a crawl is in part inspired by the need for social distancing. However, Bean said that she was thinking of making a change anyway.
“After a decade of this event, it was time to move into a new phase,” Bean said during Sunnyside Shines annual meeting held on Zoom last week.
She said the crawl will help people associate the food with the brick and mortar establishments.
“People will not only be sampling the food from our restaurants but will be familiarizing themselves with the storefronts,” Bean said. “It will be a powerful marketing tool for our restaurants.”
The Taste of Sunnyside is Sunnyside Shines’ best-known event, which promotes the diversity of the neighborhood and its restaurants.