Community members are struggling to reach a consensus with the city about where to host its annual street fairs.
Community Board 1 is sponsoring its 14th annual Downtown festival series with more than 100 vendors selling food, art, crafts, antiques, jewelry and other trinkets. The festivals, which typically attract some 25,000 Downtown residents, workers and tourists each, are meant to supplement city funds the board receives each year for its day-to-day operations.
The city’s Street Activity Permit Office and Department of Transportation is placing restrictions on the fairs this year, however, which board members fear will diminish overall revenue.
S.A.P.O., for example, is prohibiting the Downtown fairs from taking place on weekdays this year due to ongoing construction of the 9/11 Memorial, forcing the board to come up with other event dates and locations for some of the fairs.
“Generally you don’t have the same kind of success on the weekend than you do on the weekday,” said C.B. 1 Street Fair Task Force Chair Bill Love of the city’s decision. “We’re going to make a lot less money than we did last year.”
The task force arranged a caucus vote for the Financial District committee for Aug. 6 and Aug. 14 street fairs prior to the Tues., July 26 full-board meeting. The committee will vote on the other discussed fair (scheduled for Sat., Nov. 12) at its September meeting.
