Street Fairs Unlikely for the Rest of 2020 Season But Holiday Markets are a Possibility as per Mayor de Blasio

Update on September 23, 2020

Mayor de Blasio issued an Executive Order today mandating the sorts of events which would not be allowed a permit through the end of 2020. Such events include street fairs. To what extent fairs or markets within a park might be disallowed is still not 100% clear.

Original Posting:

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio last week hinted that street fairs and other such events were unlikely to be allowed for the rest of the season. Yet, holiday markets might have a chance depending upon data and science.

On July 9, the Mayor had announced that events such as Street Fairs and Festivals, those requiring the use of more than a city block, and any others which diminish public use would be denied permits until September 30.

Last month we asked Mr. de Blasio if he would be giving the okay for such events in October.

“I think the likelihood, again, is that we are really trying to focus people away from gatherings. And I also think the vast majority of organizations that host them don’t want to do them in this environment,” said the Mayor.

Last week on September 16, we followed up with some new questions.

We asked: “Regarding street fairs, I spoke with one of the city’s largest organizers the other day, and he backed up that what you said to me a month ago. That is these folks are mostly interested in what’s best for New York City. And that’s a good thing, right? So Mr. Mayor, even though you haven’t specifically referenced it lately, I figured the regular street fairs are a no go at this point? But has any thought been given to the holiday fairs and markets?

Mayor’s response:

“Basically I think you’re right and I’ll check on the latest in terms of our announcements, but in general, as every month has passed we’ve made the decision not to extend the kind of permits that existed in the past, because we can’t have those kinds of gatherings. We need to keep streets clear for a lot of other things that are happening. So, and I think what we’ve seen overwhelmingly is folks who used to do different events, prefer themselves to do something different, something virtual or something alternative, or just to cancel for a year. The vast majority of organizations, their focus is coming back next year, hopefully in a much better environment.

Regarding holiday markets,

“So we will say more on those kinds of holiday markets soon, but I think what’s fair to say is everything is going to be decided based on the data and the science and, you know, health and safety first. And we got to be really careful with anything like that. Go ahead.”

The mere fact that the Mayor didn’t outright shoot down the mention of holiday markets suggests there’s still a chance they’ll take place.

Also, it’s not clear if he’ll be making a more official announcement on Street Fairs at the end of the month.