Staten Island's South Shore block parties are the closest thing New York City has to small-town street life — the same streets, the same neighbors, the same annual date, with the whole roadbed given over to folding tables and kids on bikes. Ionia Avenue off Foster Road takes its turn from mid-afternoon into the evening. If your idea of the city is Manhattan-shaped, an afternoon on a South Shore block will complicate it usefully.
What to expect
A barricaded street with grills, tables, music and games, neighbors set up in driveways and front yards, and kids using the road. It's resident-run rather than programmed, so the character comes entirely from the block. Expect it to build slowly and peak in the early evening.
Good to know
- The Staten Island Railway serves the South Shore; most people here drive
- Free to attend — block parties happen on closed public streets
- Flat asphalt and fully step-free once the barricades are up
- Parking on adjacent blocks fills up quickly in the afternoon
- The '26' in the name marks the year, not the number of years it has run
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Common questions
How does a block get a street closed?
Residents apply to the city's Street Activity Permit Office, which grants a permit closing the block to through traffic for the day.
Can outsiders join?
The street is public, and block parties are generally friendly to passers-by, but they're run by and for the residents of that block.
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