This coming Saturday, the Hester Street Fair will kick off its seventh season on the Lower East Side. The 2016 season will bring some new twists, but also a return to the local market’s roots as an entrepreneurial incubator.
As in the past, the fair will offer a mix of design, art, fashion and food. There will also be a new focus on workshops this year, and several special events on Sundays.
On the food front, you’ll be seeing newcomers such as EN Brasserie, the popular Japanese spot in the West Village; Scarr’s Pizza, the new retro slice joint on Orchard Street and Gordo’s Cantina of Brooklyn. Special theme days will include a tomato canning day, an ice cream social and “Watermelon Day.” Plus, the crew is planning a Kosher cook-out, a Vegan Food Festival and a Jamaican Independence Day event.
We mentioned workshops. They’ll include Jaquard Products, offering hands-on marbling and tie-dyeing from artist Daniele Fraizer, shoe-making by Chickpea Kids and a fermenting class with chef Laila Gohar.
There’s a new team behind the scenes at the Hester Street Fair, joining co-founder Ron Castellano. They include Christina Yugai, Elise McMahon and David Komerek. We checked in with them a few days ago to talk about the relaunch of the market for 2016. They told us the goal is to celebrate local businesses (some of which the fair has helped launch over the years), while adding new vendors and programming from throughout the city. There will even be a global bent to some of the new programs. Throughout the season, they hope to celebrate some HSF vets who now have brick-and-mortar locations in the community. A new website will be launching soon.
The 2016 season will run from May 14th to October 29th, with Saturday markets from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and special events on select Sundays. The fair is located at the intersection of Essex and Hester streets.
