Taste of the West Side postponed due to zoning issues
Don Evans, the festival’s chairman, explains that after 14 years, the annual event will take place at a new location in the fall after it was forced to skip its original date last month.
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| 03 Jun 2025 | 03:43
The 15th anniversary of Taste of the West Side, a festival that features many of the West Side’s most iconic restaurants, has been postponed from the last weekend in May to the first weekend in October. According to Event Chairman Don Evans, the move was due to “local issues.”
“There was a zoning issue regarding one of the spaces,” said Evans. “It had been at the school yard at 77th Street since the beginning, but when I spoke to the group of new teachers there, [they said] they’re working on one of the walls of the school yard, doing some cement work, and they thought it would be dangerous to a degree. I didn’t necessarily agree with it, but they said they couldn’t do it this year.”
In order to look for an alternative space that will fit the 70 plus vendors and more than 3,500 attendees, Evans made the decision to reschedule for October. He’s currently in contact with a new space, but doesn’t want to “jinx it.”
While the festival can no longer take place this summer, Evans explained that the new date is actually a great weekend for business.
“Pretty much starting mid June, people are away through the summer and the Jewish holidays, which are September 22 to October 2. So this is like the next day.”
For those who purchased tickets, Evans ensures that they are refundable and that the ticket company, SquadUp, has already contacted attendees. Around 350 tickets were sold before the postponement, and around 35 tickets are in the midst of being refunded. Those who didn’t request a refund have been informed that the ticket is transferable for the new October date.
“I’m told you lose about 10 or 15 percent for refunds, and that’s what this was and the universe that we’re in,” said Evans.
The restaurants Evans is working with have also been very accommodating, which he says has made the change that much easier. He is heavily involved in the food industry, and is sympathetic to the fact that restaurants have suffered in the aftermath of the pandemic. The festival is not only an opportunity for New Yorker’s to become familiar with local restaurants, but for the restaurants themselves to increase their outreach to the event’s clientele.
“The restaurant business has been very, very hard hit since COVID. And even though COVID has ended, you don’t just don’t turn the switch on to get people back into your restaurant,” explained Evan. “Plus, the economy, that’s another thing. People make unconscious, or conscious, cuts in their lifestyle. They go out to dinner two times a week, and now once a week, and that cuts the restaurant business down quite a bit.”
Originally, the festival was going to kick off on Friday, May 30 with “Summer in the City,” an outdoor collection of neighborhood cuisines. Now, opening day has been coined “Fall in the City,” but still plans to offer the same range of samples, from Mexican street fare to Mediterranean and Southern dishes, and more.
While much of the festival is to remain unchanged, Evans offered that a number of vendors will likely adjust what they’re serving to correspond to the seasonal change. What exactly this will entail has not yet been discussed, but attendees may be able to expect some quintessential fall delicacies like warm cider and spiced pastries.
“Best of the West,” the Festival’s second and final day, also remains as planned, showcasing the West Side’s best restaurants and fine dining. Tatiana by Kwame, one of the city’s most anticipated new restaurants inspired by a mix of New York’s cuisines, will be in participation on Sunday, Oct. 4. In addition to a night of celebrated dining experiences, guests can enjoy decadent cocktails and live music by the band, Atomic Funk Project.
Though Taste of the West Side is no longer a preview of summer eats, it will be just as much a friendly neighborhood cultural experience in the fall for locals and visitors alike to indulge in New York’s finest. Proceeds from the festival will support Lifeforce in Later Years, an organization that works to improve the quality of life for uptown New York elders, and Young People’s Chorus of New York City, a youth chorus dedicated to the city arts scene and helping children find their voice.
More information and the purchase of tickets can be found via the link below.
”Even though COVID has ended, you don’t just don’t turn the switch on to get people back into your restaurant,” Donnie Evans, Event Chairman