Fairs and festivals make up busy Long Island September

Billy Fitzpatrick

Heading into the final weekend of August, it’s starting to feel as if the summer is winding down. College classes have already begun, the kids are getting ready to go back to school, the temperature has been dropping, and soon enough the color of the leaves will begin to change.

September may be right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of things to do across Long Island. Grab your hoodies, zip up your jackets, and enjoy the outdoors at any of these upcoming fairs and festivals in Nassau and Suffolk counties:

Nassau County

40th Annual Italian Festival – Held the first weekend following Labor Day, Port Washington will be holding its annual, four-day festival from Thursday, Sept. 5, to Sunday, Sept. 8, at North Hempstead Beach Park. The festival includes plenty of rides, games, delicious food, live entertainment, a casino tent and vendors every night. Those in attendance on Saturday, Sept. 7, will get to watch the festival’s fireworks show. For more information, visit www.marinolodge.org or call 516-767-1458.

Merrick Chamber of Commerce 29th Annual Fall Festival – From Friday, Sept. 6, until Sunday, Sept. 8, Merrick Avenue will be taken over by all types of vendors and entertainers for this year’s fall festival. From the Merrick train station, up Merrick Avenue to Loines Avenue, there will be fun for the entire family in the form of rides, crafts, games, magic shows, live entertainment, plus plenty of great food. More information can be found at www.merrickchamber.org.

Holy Trinity Hicksville Greek Fest – If you’re a fan of Greek food, Greek pastries, or any part of Greek culture, you won’t want to miss this year’s Greek Fest, being held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Hicksville. Starting Friday, Sept. 6, and continuing through Sunday, Sept. 8, the Holy Trinity Hicksville Greek Fest will feature a wide variety of Greek cuisine such as gyros, souvlaki, moussaka, pastichio, roasted leg of lamb, tiropita, spanakopita, and Greek salads; Greek beer and wine to drink and for dessert be sure to try the baklava, galaktoboureko and the loukoumades, a hot and fresh fried dough pastry topped with honey syrup. Besides the food, there will be rides, games, raffles, live entertainment and vendors selling Greek clothing and jewelry. Call 516-433-4522 or email holytrinityhicksvillegreekfest@gmail.com for more information.

2019 Village Day Fall Festival – Sands Point is celebrating September and the fall season on Sunday, Sept. 8, this year at its annual Village Day Fall Festival. This year’s fall festival will be fun for children of all ages with a petting zoo, hayrides around the Great Lawn, pony rides with a view of the Long Island Sound, pumpkin painting, and a Green Grocer market with award-winning artisanal cheeses and farm-picked veggies. This year’s festival will be held at 127 Middle Neck Road on the Great Lawn. More information is available by calling 516-571-7901 or by going online to www.sandspointpreserveconservancy.org.

2019 Long Island Pet Expo – All of the furry friends you can imagine will be at one place on Saturday, Sept. 14, and Sunday, Sept. 15, when Tanner Park in Copiague hosts this year’s Long Island Pet Expo. The expo will show off performing show dogs, K9 services, a parade of dog breeds, a parrot exhibit, a canine fashion show, and so much more over the course of two days. The event is free and you can even bring your own pets, as long as they meet the expo’s pet policy. For more information, visit www.familypetshows.com.

Kidstock 2019 – Fifty years after the original Woodstock concert, the Town of North Hempstead is bringing Kidstock to Clark Botanic Garden for children of all ages. An open-air family festival featuring musical entertainment that kids and parents can enjoy together, Kidstock 2019 will take place Saturday, Sept. 14, from noon to 5 p.m. and is free for all to attend. More information can be found at www.northhempsteadny.gov.

Egyptian Festival 2019 – For two consecutive September weekends, St. Mark’s Coptic Church will be hosting Egyptian-themed attractions. From Friday, Sept. 20, through Sunday, Sept. 22, and again the following weekend, those in attendance can indulge in authentic homemade Egyptian dishes, tour parts of Old Egypt, shop the Egyptian Bazaar and let the kids play games and in the bouncers. Visit www.facebook.com/SMCEgyptianFestivalLI/ or call 516-367-1328 for more information on the free event.

Glimmer of Gold – Support the fight against childhood cancer at September’s Glimmer of Gold event taking place at Manorhaven Beach in Port Washington.  On Saturday, Sept. 21, bring your family and friends out for a night filled with food, entertainment and a celebration of life. The highlight of the evening will be launching lanterns into the water as a symbol of “endless inspiration and undying love.” The cost of admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children, with money raised from the event going to the American Cancer Society’s #GoldTogether team for pediatric cancer research, support programs and awareness. Donations toward the event can be made through www.givelively.org.

The Covert Avenue Fall Street Fair – Stretching from downtown Floral Park into Stewart Manor, the quarter-mile long street fair goes from Tulip Avenue all the way up to Cisney Avenue with plenty going on along the way. The 25th annual fair will feature a giant craft fair, face painting, vendors, huge inflatables, games, live bands, a rock-climbing wall and a mechanical bull. Visit www.facebook.com/covertavenuefair for more information.

Suffolk County

East Northport Festival – The 24th annual East Northport Festival will be taking place this year on Friday, Sept. 6, through Sunday, Sept. 8, at John J. Walsh Memorial Park. A free event, this year’s festival is expected to be a blast for all ages as it includes games and rides for all ages, a band stage with live music all weekend long, an international food court, sidewalk vendors, costumed characters, free live entertainment, a farmers market, and a craft wine and beer garden with TVs airing college football and NFL games all weekend. For more information, visit www.eastnorthport.com or call 631-261-3573.

Caribbean Carnival Parade and Festival – On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Suffolk County Caribbean American Cultural Association presents this year’s Long Island Caribbean Carnival Parade. The parade will take place in Brentwood down Brentwood Road and will be followed by this year’s festival, which includes food vendors, craft vendors, dancing, live entertainment, and fun for the whole family. For more information on the festivities, visit www.sccaca.org

2019 Italian Feast of Saint Liberata – This year will mark 52 years of Patchogue celebrating Saint Liberata. The Sept. 7 feast will include a parade of the statue of Saint Liberata as well as live entertainment and indoor and outdoor dining throughout downtown Patchogue. All the fun kicks off at noon on Saturday, Sept. 7, and will continue until 6 p.m. For more information, check out www.patchogue.com.

St. Paraskevi Greek Orthodox Church Greek Festival – From Friday, Sept. 13, to Sunday, Sept. 15, the St. Paraskevi Greek Orthodox Church will host its Greek Festival. Held at 1 Shrine Place in Greenlawn, this year’s festival will include rides and games for kids of all ages, Greek specialty dishes, Greek music and dancing, along with much more. More information can be found online at www.stparaskevi.org.

DogFest Long Island 2019 – Take man’s (or woman’s) best friend out for this year’s festival dedicated to our furry companions. Tanger Outlets in Deer Park will host this year’s DogFest on Saturday, Sept. 21, benefiting Canine Companions for Independence. Dogs, owners, families and dog lovers can join the fun day of festivities, graduate speakers, dog demonstrations, music, food and more. Admission and parking for the event is free of charge. More info on DogFest and Canine Companions for Independence can be found online at www.cci.org.

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