Long Island City Partnership Showcases 100+ Local Businesses and Organizations as Part of Revamped ‘Springs!’ Festival, LIC Springs to Summer!, June 14-20, 2021
The popular annual street festival transitions to a neighborhood-wide format with scores of activities and offers ranging from kids events to art installations and dining deals
Long Island City, New York (June 10, 2022) – Long Island City Partnership’s (LICP) signature festival, LIC Springs!, returns Monday, June 14 through Sunday, June 20, featuring 100+ local businesses and organizations, including many of the community’s marquee arts and dining establishments. The annual event has been reimagined as LIC Springs to Summer!, a play on its new dates at the convergence of the seasons. The 8th annual program is the first time that it will not take place along Vernon Boulevard as a single-day street festival; instead the new iteration is a week-long celebration, showcasing happenings, promotions, and performances across Long Island City. Kid-friendly experiences are highlighted, along with events that recognize Juneteenth (June 19). Many of the events also offer complimentary admission.
“It has been a delight for us to bring the ‘Springs!’ program back and offer it in a new and exciting way that encourages participants to explore all parts of Long Island City,” said Elizabeth Lusskin, President of Long Island City Partnership. “We have an exciting cross-section of businesses ranging from restaurants to yoga studios to dance companies, reflecting the diverse offerings LIC serves up every day to our diverse community.”
LIC Springs to Summer! is one of New York City’s first community-wide festivals to emerge from the pandemic and is a testament to how small businesses and organizations are ready to welcome new and return customers and visitors. LICP anticipated that around 50 businesses would register for the event with its truncated production timeline, however more than 100 applied.
For the 7th year in a row, New York City Council Member and Cultural Affairs Chair Jimmy Van Bramer has helped to underwrite the event.
“Long Island City is a dynamic, thriving, and growing community that is back in business,” said Councilman Van Bramer. “I’m so proud to have sponsored this event which brings residents, customers, businesses and visitors together to celebrate all that there is to do in LIC. I’m excited to spring to summer with so many friends and neighbors and can’t wait for this celebration of all that there is in Long Island City.”
LIC Springs to Summer! is complemented with the LIC Passport. This guidebook includes details on all of the week’s experiences (art installations, fitness classes, tours and more), maps, and a host of offerings ranging from personal services to dinner deals from top eateries. The LIC Passport showcases what makes Long Island City a diverse destination to enjoy a rebounding NYC this summer and year-round. It will be available at select locations in Long Island City starting June 10.
A few notable participants include Adda Indian Canteen, Centro Pizza Bar & Italian Kitchen, Chairman Sun, Culture Lab LIC, Dance Entropy, Flux Factory, Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, ICONYC Brewing, Kuku Chicken, LEVANTE, LIC Beer Project, Long Island City School of Ballet, Manducatis Rustica VIG, MoMA PS1, Museum of the Moving Image, QED, SAPPS, SculptureCenter, SHI, Sweet Chick, Tacombi, The Chocolate Factory Theater and The Noguchi Museum.
“We are thrilled to introduce audiences to Flux Factory and the vibrant arts community that exists in Long Island City. We're excited to invite people into our gallery safely as New York city begins to reopen, and share the new and innovative work of emerging artists,” said Maya Suess, managing director of Flux Factory. “We look forward to meeting new friends and community members who learn about us through this year’s LIC Springs events.”
“This is the first year that the Springs festival has transitioned to one that takes place all throughout LIC and as a business located on the Sunnyside border of the community we couldn’t be more pleased to take part. Our offer includes a complimentary vegetable samosa with the purchase of an entrée,” said Roni Mazumdar, owner of Adda Indian Canteen.
"We opened the doors of our taqueria on May 28 and are thrilled to now be serving the Long Island City community! Our aim has always been to create a welcoming space where people can meet, share and discover authentic Mexican taco culture, and we are excited and grateful to be a part of the LIC Springs to Summer! festival,” said Ali DiEmidio, director of communications at Tacombi. “We look forward to greeting and hosting our new neighbors and Springs! goers, and for them to enjoy a complimentary Corn Esquites alongside their selection of tacos, Mexican snacks and refreshing cocktails when they dine in or order directly at Tacombi LIC."
“Museum of the Moving Image (MoMi) reopened our building in Astoria/LIC on April 30 after being closed for over a year. We are thrilled to participate in The LIC Springs to Summer! festival and welcome our local community back to our building,” said Tomoko Kawamoto, director of public relations at MoMi. “With festival passport in hand, visitors can receive 20% off Museum admission. They can explore Jim Henson's creations or take an in-depth look at the making of the sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, or get a discount on select screenings in our majestic Redstone Theater, including the films Street Gang and Miss Juneteenth.”
The full participant list can be viewed here.
LIC Springs to Summer! is organized by Long Island City Partnership and the Long Island City Business Improvement District, with support from NYC Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. Event partners include i2 Print, Patch.com, QNS.com/BORO Magazine and LinkNYC.
Please contact Sierra Brown at sbrown@licpartnership.org you have any questions, are interested in interviewing LICP staff/festival participants or require any additional assets. A photo bank of related images can be found here.
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About Long Island City Partnership:
Long Island City Partnership (LICP) is the neighborhood development organization for Long Island City. LICP’s mission is to advocate for economic development that benefits the area’s industrial, commercial, tech, cultural, tourism, and residential sectors. The goal is to attract new businesses to LIC, retain those already here, welcome new residents and visitors, and promote a vibrant and authentic mixed-use community. LICP also operates the LIC Business Improvement District and LIC Industrial Business Zone (LIC IBZ), providing business services and assistance.
About The Long Island City Business Improvement District:
The Long Island City Business Improvement District (LIC BID) serves a diverse and growing community. Created in 2005, the original LIC BID encompassed the commercial corridors along Queens Plaza and Jackson Avenue to Court Square. In 2017 the BID expanded to include the commercial corridors continuing along Jackson Avenue, Vernon Boulevard, and 44th Drive. Managed by the Long Island City Partnership, the BID provides supplementary sanitation, horticulture and visitor services within the District, and carries out community development and marketing initiatives that benefit the neighborhood.