NYC Council Member Dromm Hosts Thai New Year Street Festival in Elmhurst

UsaNewsOnline.Com Desk, Elmhurst, NY – This past Saturday NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm (D-Elmhurst, Jackson Heights) and Elmhurst entrepreneur and resident Juttana “Moo” Rimreartwate hosted the third Thai New Year Street Festival on Woodside Avenue between 75th and 77th Streets in Elmhurst, Queens.  Attendees enjoyed Muay Thai kick boxing demonstrations, yoga and pilates classes, special music and dance performances and samplings of delicious Thai cuisine.  

The New Year festival, called “Songkran,” is the most important holiday for the Thai community.  The holiday is rich with symbolic traditions, and is a time for family reunions and an annual house cleaning.  Those observing Songkran also visit local temples and offer food to the Buddhist monks.  Dromm and Rimreartwate founded Elmhurst’s first Thai New Year Street Festival in 2016 as a way to highlight the outstanding cuisine and rich performing arts tradition that can be found in Elmhurst’s Thai Town.

“I am thrilled to co-host another Songkran celebration in the heart of Elmhurst’s Thai Town once again,” said Dromm. “From their renown cuisine to a rich performing arts tradition, Elmhurst’s Thai community has it all.  It was a pleasure to partake in this exciting celebration with residents from every nation.  I am proud to represent Elmhurst in the NYC Council and will continue to bring additional programming and cultural celebrations like these to our neighbor.”

The festival was part of the NYC Department of Transportation’s Weekend Walks series.  Weekend Walks are multi-block events held on commercial corridors that promote the use of streets as public space.  They highlight local businesses and NYC’s unique neighborhoods.

(Photo caption: Council Member Daniel Dromm (center, back row), Royal Thai Consul General Nipon Petchpornprapas (right of Dromm) and Assembly Member Michael DenDekker (front row, left) join local residents at the 2018 Thai New Year Street Festival in Elmhurst, Queens.)