A girl and her guitar - the life on tour series
The life of a singer/songwriter is a cyclical experience.
- CREATE
- CAPTURE
- SHARE
To me, the best part is going on tour and sharing the music you created. Many members of our music community have asked me what my summer tour was like, so I decided to start writing about it to share the experience.
CONCERT #1 - Queens International Night Market
On July 27th, 2024 I had the awesome opportunity to share music at the Queens International Night Market at the New York Hall of Science in Corona, NY 11368.
WHAT IS THE QUEENS NIGHT MARKET?
The Queens Night Market is a family-friendly experience filled with food from around the world, with chefs, artisans and makers sharing their worldly creations and live music for all to enjoy.
The event takes place every Saturday from April to late October from 4 to 11 pm.
Since its initial start in 2017, QNM has welcomed nearly 3 million visitors, has "helped launch nearly 400 brand new businesses,” represented over 95 countries through its vendors and their food, and featured over 450 bands and performance acts.
Queens Night Market has been featured in the New York Times, TimeOut Magazine, Thrilllist, MTA Away, and more. 2020 welcomed the release of their very own cookbook - The World Eats Here; Amazing Food and the Inspiring People Who Make It at New York’s Queens Night Market. 88 Taste-of-Home Recipes from More Than 40 Countries! This publication has been praised by The New York Times, Booklist, Forbes, Fortune Magazine, and more.
In 2023, QNM averaged 20,000 visitors a night.
WHAT I LOVED ABOUT BEING THERE
I felt at home at the Queens Night Market. It was an environment of celebration, respect, joy and appreciation. I loved hearing so many different languages and that culture was enjoyed and appreciated through food. I loved talking with the other vendors, feeling a sense of community, and having genuine interactions with folks from around the world.
It felt so good to hear the familiar “tudo bem?” (how are you?) as we waited for the savory and puffy pao de quiejo (cheese bread). I was thrilled to hear a plethora of Asian dialects as we walked through the throng of drooling New Yorker foodies echoing the scent of Burmese Laksa’s rice noodles and coconut milk.
I loved seeing entrepreneurship blossom and I loved seeing the immigrant community that is the fabric of NYC flourish. The Queens Night Market is a joyful event that celebrates culture.
For me as a creator, I felt at home. I have been influenced by music from around the world and the music I make reflects this. The environment of QNM was one where I felt my songs in Spanish would be welcomed, my baritone ukulele would be celebrated, and getting the audience to participate and sing along with me was a breeze. I spoke to a Japanese maker of crafts after the show and he asked me if I was from Latvia - that my music was very ethnic. To me, that felt great.
I FEEL GRATEFUL
I am grateful for all of the vendors I got to meet, and the food I got to smell, taste and enjoy. I feel so lucky that I had the opportunity to learn about the diversity of the Queens community. I am grateful for my wonderful friends who came out to support me so we could enjoy the evening together.
I am grateful to John Wang for having the vision of creating a Night Market and his wife Elizabeth Storm Garner for supporting this vision with the Kickstarter video that helped get QNM on the map.
I was blown away by our lovely event producer, Sharon Medina, who kept all the details together and made the music a success! I felt so incredibly supported by Brian Castro, who did a wonderful job on sound. I was very inspired by the DJ You Love Poon and the other music acts that evening.
I love a culturally rich experience, one that puts me far outside of my comfort zone while at the same time making me feel so IN my comfort zone
If invited, I would be back in a heartbeat and can’t wait to try Nomad Dumplings Tibetan Momos.
I encourage you to visit the Queens Night Market in 2026!