The Great Neck Park District will hold its first Mid-Autumn Moon Festival on Sunday, October 18, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Steppingstone Park, 38 Steppingstone Lane, Great Neck. The afternoon brings dragon boat racing on the water, four live music sets, food vendors, children's activities and, at 8 p.m., the park district's first drone show. The event moved to Sunday after a forecast of bad weather postponed the original date, and a ticket is required to get in.

The park district describes the festival as a community celebration of unity, family and friendship, built around food, music, performances and cultural activities for all ages, and calls this its first ever Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

What is on the schedule

The park district has posted a running order for the day, noting that times may shift. The Dragon Boat Challenge starts things off at 4 p.m. At 4:15 p.m., Zhou Yi and Ba Ban of the Chinese Music Society of NY take the stage. Melody of Dragons follows at 5 p.m., and Albert Liu performs at 6 p.m.

The headliner, Adai Song, goes on at 7 p.m. She is an electropop singer, songwriter, producer and DJ who blends Chinese musical traditions with contemporary electronic music, and she splits her time between Beijing, New York and Virginia. Her latest work, The Bloom Project, reworks Chinese popular songs from the 1920s to the 1940s, including Night Shanghai and Rose Rose I Love You, using house, UK garage, rap and Chinese instruments. According to the park district, her music has drawn more than 70 million streams on Chinese platforms, and The Bloom Project made the first round ballot for Best Global Music Album consideration at the 68th Grammy Awards. She is a Recording Academy voting member and has received funding from the New York Foundation for the Arts.

The night closes at 8 p.m. with an illuminated drone display over Steppingstone Park, which the park district bills as its first ever drone show.

Food and activities for kids

Four vendors are listed for the day: Lounge X, YAAAS Tea, Sam's Fried Ice Cream and Yahao Asian Cuisine. For younger visitors, the park district plans inflatables, face painting and arts and crafts throughout the afternoon.

Paddling with the community dragon boat team

Residents who want to be on the water rather than watching from shore can join the Great Neck Park District Dragon Boat Team, and no experience is needed. According to the park district's notice for the new date, participants come to a practice at 1 p.m. on Sunday to learn the basics, then race with the team at 4 p.m. Each boat holds up to 22 paddlers. People can sign up as individuals and will be placed on a Great Neck community team, which competes against other local crews and teams from surrounding communities. Instruction covers basic paddling, teamwork and race strategy. Registration is through the park district's online catalog, linked from the festival page.

Free shuttle buses from around the district

The park district is running free buses to the festival. The Parkwood Shuttle starts at 3:15 p.m. and runs a continuous loop from the upper parking lot to Steppingstone Park through the end of the event. When the festival ends, buses wait at Sunset and Steppingstone Lane for the ride home.

A Town Shuttle makes hourly rounds, with approximate times as follows: East Mill Road and Terrace Circle at 3:15, 4:15, 5:15, 6:15 and 7:15 p.m.; Cutter Mill Park at 3:20, 4:20, 5:20, 6:20 and 7:20 p.m.; Jonathan L. Ielpi Firefighters Park at 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Allenwood Park at 3:40, 4:40, 5:40, 6:40 and 7:40 p.m.; and Great Neck House at 3:50, 4:50, 5:50, 6:50 and 7:50 p.m. The park district says the times are estimates and may vary.

Who can attend and what to bring

The festival is for Great Neck Park District residents. To board a shuttle or enter Steppingstone Park, each attendee needs three things: a valid park card, an event ticket and a photo ID. Alcohol is not allowed in the park; staff will hold any alcoholic drinks at the gate and return them on the way out.

Anyone who already picked up a ticket for the original date does not need to do anything. The park district says existing tickets will scan on October 18, with no need to register again.

How to go

The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival runs Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Steppingstone Park, 38 Steppingstone Lane, Great Neck. Tickets and dragon boat sign-ups are available through the Great Neck Park District's online registration system, reachable from the festival page at gnparksny.gov. Have your park card, ticket and photo ID in hand before boarding a bus or arriving at the gate.

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