The inaugural New York Korea Fest comes to Culture Lab at LIC this Sunday

Source: Korea Fest/Culture Lab

September 3, 2024 Author: Shane O’Brien

This Sunday, Culture Lab LIC will host New York City’s first Korea Fest, which will feature over 20 food stalls at the performing arts venue.

The inaugural Korea Fest will take place on Sunday, September 8 from 2:00-9:00 p.m. at the Culture Lab located at 5-25 46th Ave.

The event will feature Korean food stalls from across New York City, as well as K-pop music and Korean dancing.

Dawn DeVito, director of events and marketing at Culture Lab, said it was an honor for the 1,100-square-meter performing arts venue to host the inaugural Korea Fest.

DeVito expects about 600 or 700 people to attend the festival over the course of seven hours, saying the event is open to families and pets. The event is free, but anyone interested in attending is advised to reserve a free spot through Eventbrite or by clicking here.

DeVito said she hopes the event will be the first in an annual Korea Fest series at Culture Lab, adding that the venue already hosts festivals focused on Venezuelan, Taiwanese and halal culture. She also hopes the success of Korea Fest will inspire other cultural organizations to use Culture Lab for annual festivals.

We hope to make it a regular thing,” DeVito said. “Next year, we’d like to have two days of live music on the weekends, and then one day for another festival.”

“We’re open to embracing all different communities. I don’t like to use that term, but we’re in the district of the world and we want to show that here.”

DeVito said the event also helps promote and celebrate the growing Asian community in Long Island City, after it was reported last year that the borough is home to the fastest-growing Asian population in New York City.

“We think (celebrating LIC’s Asian community) is really important, especially since a lot of what we’ve been doing lately is very much focused on the different Asian cultures in the area. We had an exhibition of Himalayan art, and at the beginning of the year, as usual, we celebrated the Lunar New Year.

“Korea Fest is a great opportunity to celebrate the growing community in our area and enrich the diversity of Asian cultures in the area.”

While the event is intended to celebrate Korean culture and heritage, DeVito said she also expects a large number of “food lovers” on Sunday who will want to try the different Korean dishes on offer.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of the cultural festivals we do attract young people who are foodies. They really want to come and try all the different foods they have to offer.

“We’re expecting a large crowd, which is great – more people will have the opportunity to experience Korean culture.”