Fort Totten is one of the strangest parks in the city, a decommissioned 19th-century harbor fort on the Little Neck Bay shoreline that most New Yorkers have never set foot in, and the fall festival is one of the few days its parade grounds fill with people. The program itself is straightforwardly for kids, with games, performers and a puppet show, but the setting is the reason to make the trip.
What to expect
You enter at the front gate and walk to the parade grounds, where the activity tables, performers and puppet stage are set up. It is drop-in for the full three hours with nothing to book. Everything is outdoors on open ground with the bay nearby.
Good to know
- Take the 7 to Flushing-Main Street then the Q16 bus, or the LIRR to Bayside plus a short bus ride
- Enter at the Fort Totten front gate at Totten Road and the Cross Island Parkway
- No booking is needed; simply arrive within the three-hour window
- Aimed at young children, with a puppet show as the anchor
- Open, flat ground, though it is exposed to wind off Little Neck Bay
- Allow time to walk the historic fort grounds while you are out there
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Common questions
Is there anything to see besides the festival?
Yes. Fort Totten is a former Army post on the Queens shoreline with 19th-century fortifications and bay views, and the parkland around the parade grounds is open to walk.
Does it cost anything?
No. NYC Parks lists the festival as free, with no registration required to attend.
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