After three years the Floral Park street fair returned Friday with hundreds flocking to Tulip Avenue to enjoy the sights and sounds the village has to offer. 

Residents enjoyed a party-like atmosphere from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., dancing and trying food from the nearly 50 vendors that came for the event. 

“We didn’t know exactly what to expect, but it really was a great success,” event chairman Billy Barry said to Blank Slate Media. “The number of people that came out to support the event and every vendor I spoke to said they enjoyed Friday night and that it was a huge benefit to come.”

The Friday night time for the event was the first change in the event’s schedule in 11 years, when previous fairs were held on the Sunday of the Belmont Stakes. Last year the fair had to be canceled due to inclement weather and because of COVID-19 the previous two years. 

While one side of the fair was bookended with live performances throughout the night, the corner of Plainfield and Tulip Avenue featured the light blue gates used in the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes, won by Arcangelo. In between was either a food station, face station or DJ that had no shortage of attendees. 

It was not inclement weather that might have jeopardized the fair for a fourth year in a row, but the orange skies and smoke from wildfires in Canada that clouded the tri-state area earlier in the week. 

“The wildfires were not in the playbook at all,” Barry, who owns Uptown Taco on Tulip, joked. 

When Barry opened Uptown Taco in 2020, he had to close his dining room just nine days later due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pivot to a takeout-only model. Friday night was one of the first chances he got to see as a business owner the full potential the fair has to offer.

“It definitely felt that we were back,” Barry said. “We got to see old businesses return and new ones that have really embraced themselves to the neighborhood. Seeing that many people on the street and enjoying themselves, of all age groups, was special to have.”

Barry also thanked the New York Racing Association, which sponsored the event and helped the chamber get the event off, he said. 

“I think it got the community excited,” Barry said. “They’re already talking about doing it again.”