A soup dumpling street food festival is coming to Manhattan

Get ready to sip your drink through the streets of New York.

A new special street food festival is coming to Manhattan for one day only this fall. The first Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumpling Festival will be held on Sixth Avenue between 29th and 30th Streets on Sunday, October 6.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the neighborhood will be open to pedestrians who want to sample southern Chinese cuisine, feast on dumplings, and even sign up for a class to learn how to make Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao’s signature Michelin-recommended dim sum. The restaurant currently has three locations across the city: in Flushing, Koreatown, and the East Village.

All ages can sign up for intimate sessions with a dumpling master to learn how to make Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumplings from scratch, starting with the homemade dough and moving on to the filling, assembly and folding techniques. The class will also cover the important history and culture of Chinese dumplings and, of course, conclude with a tasting and take-home recipes. A $68 per person ticket includes a branded apron and to-go box. Sessions are offered at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Those looking for a more casual day of soup dumplings can also head to the neighborhood for soup dumplings and more. A $20 set menu includes six Nan Xiang soup dumplings, along with a crispy batter and soy milk to go with it all.

An extensive a la carte menu will feature a variety of soup dumplings, including pork soup dumplings, crab meat and pork soup dumplings, chicken soup dumplings, scallop and pork soup dumplings, black truffle and pork soup dumplings, and shrimp and pork soup dumplings. Vegetarians can enjoy steamed vegetable dumplings or fried vegetable spring rolls.

Additional dishes such as garlic cucumber salad, savory pressed tofu with Chinese celery, pan-fried pork buns, noodles with scallion sauce and more will be offered at the festival.

For drinking, a variety of soy milk drinks, including red date soy milk, as well as fruit tea, are offered.

Like any street fair, entry is free, but expect queues to order food, especially at peak times.

The event is an extension of Dragon Fest, which will run concurrently from Sixth Avenue to 32nd Street. Known as New York City’s largest outdoor Asian food expo, the pop-up event features a wide range of Asian street food, including JianBing, Tang Hu Lu, dragon beard candy, Chinese barbecue and more. The final Dragon Fest of 2024 will take place the following weekend, Sunday, October 13 on the Upper West Side, on Broadway between 80th and 82nd Streets.