Missing the ’90s? Weren’t born yet but wish you had been? Head to Mineola on July 11 and 12 and let the Long Island Nostalgia Fest take you back in time.
“The Long Island Nostalgia Fest focuses on the decade that defined us, the ’90s,” said Grace Kelly, founder of LI PopUp Events, the organization behind the event that’s partnering with the village to host it. “It was the last decade where we were completely unplugged; it was the last great decade.”
She said the festival, which will be held in the Wilson Park parking lot in Mineola, works to pay tribute to the things that defined that decade, from its music and culture to its tchotchkes and fashion trends.
“We have two days filled with nothing but ’90s music, iconic cover bands that will be playing everything from Weezer to Nirvana, obviously the top 100,” Kelly said of the nine bands that will be taking the stage. “We’re finishing the show with a No Doubt tribute band, Without a Doubt. They’re incredible. The lead singer looks exactly like Glenn Stefani, it’s almost uncanny.”
As they listen to the back-to-back live music and DJs throughout the day, attendees can shop from roughly three dozen nostalgic vendors, including Mr. Cheapo’s and Andy’s Thrift Shop, who will be selling classic 90s apparel, upcycled old band merchandise, cassettes and vinyl, old school toys and vintage collectables.
Kelly said an array of vendors will serve food and drinks to all. There will be 15 food trucks and food stalls, along with four bars and breweries, including Mineola’s Lost Farmer Brewery and Bethpage’s Nostalgia Bar, the latter of which will set up a Blockbuster-themed bar exhibit in Wilson Park.
She said their bar was designed to look just like a real Blockbuster, complete with their iconic counter and tape-drop box and a photo-op wall filled with tapes.
Festival-goers will find another cultural blast from the past in the festival’s skateboard exhibit and competition hosted by Limitless Culture, a skateboard organization based in Suffolk County.
“In the skateboard exhibit, there’s a street course, which has all the ground tricks you’d expect: jumping the boxes, grinding the rails,” Kelly said. She said the course, along with a mini half pipe, will be set up for people aged 13 and over to compete through.
This is the first year the two-day event, which runs from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fri., July 11, and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, is being held in Mineola, Kelly said. The festival took a year off in 2024, and in 2023, it took place in nearby Westbury.
She said she enjoyed working with the village to bring this event and others in their annual event series to life, emphasizing their unique commitment to hosting free public events.
“I can’t think of another town that’s going out of the box this much to bring so much culture and entertainment to the public. They really are changing the way Nassau County should look at public events,” Kelly said. “Their mayor really understands what the community wants, how to bring the community together and support small businesses in the area.”
She said the July event is heavily anticipated and expected to draw over 8,000 attendees from across the county.
“It’s a chance to go back and be a kid again,” Kelly said. “And, on the flip side of that, the 90s is really popular with the younger generation, because it’s their nostalgic era that they never got to see. This is a chance for them to experience a time that they never got to take part in.”
The festival has scheduled July 18 and 19 as rain dates.
