The Great Neck Plaza AutoFest/Street Festival is an opportunity for local businesses to reach a new audience, according to Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender.
“It’s a way to introduce our downtown to people who may not have been here before and give them a reason to come back,” Celendar said.
The street fair, which is in its 29th year and is hosted by the Village of Great Neck Business Improvement District, will take place on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. and is expected to draw about 30,000 people.
“Historically it was started as a give-back to the residents to say thank you for supporting our downtown,” Celender said. “It’s a day of fun to come out and stroll along a closed Middle Neck Road and side streets to just be able to interact with family and friends and have activities for the kids.”
Great Neck Plaza BID Vice President and Events Committee Chairperson Jay Corn said the fair is designed to benefit businesses by increasing street traffic and exposure to people who otherwise might not shop in Great Neck plaza.
“When you have twenty, thirty thousand people walking through town, chances are they’re going to see a restaurant or a dress in the window or something that attracts them, and they’ll come back at a later date,” Corn said.
The auto show, Corn said, is a key part of that strategy. Corn said he worked to introduce the autofest in 1990 after a period of declining attendance, and that it showed immediate results.
“It was a tremendous traffic draw and a lot of other villages and towns are doing the same thing,” Corn said.
In addition to outdoor dining and kid-friendly activities, the fair will also feature a 1926 Stutz Speedster as part of the auto show. The car show, a part of the fair for decades, has proved a popular attraction, Celender said.
“That’s been a big draw, so much so that other car shows have drawn people away from our activities,” Celender said. “People like that. It gives you something to look at while you’re strolling the street.”
But not all merchants take part in the day’s festivities.
Some shop owners who would otherwise take Sunday off are unwilling to open for the extra day, Celender said. She encouraged merchants to take a long view of the festival as a way to draw repeat customers, rather than focusing on day-of sales or the inconvenience of staying open.
“I think too many of our merchants want to have the day translate to cash in the register and it may not be something that will translate that day, but over time people will come back,” Celender said. “They should take advantage of it. They should be open that day – we have some merchants that are, and we have others that say hey, that’s my day off and I’m not going to do it.”
Above all, Celender said, the street fair is a good time for residents and visitors.
“I always look forward to it,” Celender said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
More than 100 vintage cars are scheduled to appear at the autofest, including Model A Fords, Camaros, Matadors and Corvette, according to a press release.
The autofest and street fair will also include music, carnival games and a petting zoo.
The event touts itself as Long Island’s largest one-day car festival.
