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Permit Types
Street Festivals
Street festivals are community sponsored events requiring a street closure of one or more blocks for one day or more. These events offer the general public opportunities to purchase goods or services from licensed vendors. If you are interested in holding a street festival, please read below for more information or apply here.
When hosting a street festival, keep in mind the following:
- Applications can be submitted as earliest as the first business day in November, but no later than December 31st of the year preceding the event
- You may only apply, if your event took place in 2016
- Applicants must be a nonprofit organization associated with the community, whose nonprofit status is in good standing
- You must provide documentation of your nonprofit status when submitting your application
- Events can be held for more than one day and on more than one block, but cannot exceed 12 consecutive hours per day and additional fees may apply
- To host on one block for one day, please apply for a single block festival
- Rain dates are not permitted
- Your organization must be insured for a minimum of $1 million. Additional insurance is required
- Additional Insured: The City of New York, including its officials and employees, must be covered as additional insured.
- Certificate Holder: The certificate holder should be listed as “City of New York c/o Street Activity Permit Office, 253 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.”
- You may require additional permits. All other agency permits must be obtained before we can grant your SAPO permit. Examples include:
- Rides and inflatable such as truck mounted rides and bounce houses require a DOB Inspection Certificate and insurance. The ride company that you hire should provide this documentation
- Petting Zoos or other non-domesticated animals require a permit from the Department of Health and insurance. The stable or farm where you rent the animals should provide this documentation
- Raffles or donations require a permit from the Human Resources Administration
- All amplified sound, such as background music, musical performances or speaking programs, requires a permit from the New York Police Department
- Generators require a certificate from the New York Fire Department. When generators are over 40kw they also require a certificate from the New York Department of Environmental Protection
Permit Types
A community sponsored event requiring the closure of a single block for a single day
A limited, 4-hour street closure event held for the purpose of neighborhood improvement/beautification
A nonprofit sponsored open air market on a sidewalk for the sale of local farm fresh products
A community sponsored event where health vendors provide in-kind services and require closing one block or a portion of a street for one day.
The staging of a vehicle(s) for religious purposes while serving a benefit to the community
An activity held within a pedestrian plaza that interferes or obstructs regular use of plazas. Application deadlines vary by each plaza level.
A public convening for media and press held on street or pedestrian plaza with minimal impact on the area for one day.
Activities without branding that occur on a sidewalk or curb lane. The activities may include pick-up or drop-off and set up or break down of events with no impact for pedestrians or vehicles.
A public convening held on street or pedestrian plaza with minimal impact on the area for one day.
An act of public worship serving a benefit to the community for a single day
An activity held on a public street, curb lane or sidewalk that interferes or obstructs the locations uses by pedestrians or vehicles. Event size determines its application deadline.
Nonprofit sponsored festival with vendors requiring closing one block or more for multiple days
Nonprofit sponsored community festival with vendors requiring closing one block for one day