It may be hard to believe now, but this 100,000 square foot parking lot on 90th Avenue and 168th Street soon will transform into a cultural community hub.
The Queens International Night Market is officially expanding to Jamaica this September - and will feature food, music, and games from around the globe.
"We have everything from Bangladesh to Japanese, to Chinese to Peruvian," explained Founder John Wang.
Wang says visiting ethnic night markets in Taiwan inspired him create his own in the city's most diverse borough.
His first international market opened at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in April. Now he's teaming up with the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation to connect cultures from around the world in another Queens neighborhood.
"A night market is a market that's rich in diversity, and we believe it marries very well to what this community is all about," said Hope Knight, President/CEO at Greater Jamaica Development Corporation.
"It's an alternative to the bars and restaurants, and shows, you'd normally see on a Saturday night," explained Wang. "People don't necessarily travel outside the bounds of their own neighborhood, and we're trying to change that with our night market."
Organizers are still accepting applications from Queens-based vendors and beyond - but one restaurant that's confirmed to be there is Renacer Cumbre in Woodside. The manager says they'll be serving up some authentic Bolivian empanadas.
"We're gonna bring, like you know, a saltena, the dough is sweet, the filling it's a little salty and juicy, and also we're gonna bring the tucumana, it's not oven made it's a fried one," explained Manager Jesus Rivera.
The market will launch on September 5th. It will be open on Saturdays through late October.
For more information visit www.queensnightmarket.com.