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On Thursday, June 26, West 103rd Street will transform into one communal dining experience for The Longest Table—a free, open-to-all neighborhood picnic that’s making its Upper West Side debut.
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From 6 to 8 p.m., the block between Broadway and West End Avenue will be closed to traffic and filled with tables, chairs, and neighbors gathering to eat, talk, and connect. Participants are encouraged to bring their own food, friends, and festive decorations. The event is being organized by the West 102nd & 103rd Streets Block Association in collaboration with the Columbus-Amsterdam BID, Park to Park 103 Shared Streets, and Hostelling International.
First introduced in Chelsea in 2022, The Longest Table was created as a way to reconnect in the wake of pandemic isolation. Its concept—one continuous table stretching down a city block, where strangers and friends share a meal side by side—has since become a feel-good fixture for community building. Last year’s event drew a lively crowd in Chelsea, and now Upper West Siders will have their turn to join the table.
“It started with a simple idea – to gather neighbors and share a meal around a table down the middle of an NYC block,” the official Longest Table website states. “After two years of the pandemic, it was time to get together and enjoy time with neighbors.”
The movement has also grown nationwide, with upcoming gatherings in California, Connecticut, New Mexico, Oklahoma and beyond.
Organizers say you can show up solo or with a group. If you’re interested in helping out—as a table host, greeter, or volunteer—you can email longesttable@w102-103blockassn.org.
The event is free, inclusive, and designed to bring neighbors together—one long table at a time. Learn more here and register here.
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Hate to break the news to 103rd Street, but we were doing this annually on West 83rd Street between RSD and WEA back in the 1970s!!! In fact, we INVENTED it. Still, we wish our uptown neighbors good luck and bon appetit!