The First Free Community Event Space at a Queens Dispensary
No cover. No tickets. No rental fee. Here is what actually happens in the room at 166-30 Jamaica Ave.
When Silk Road NYC opened in February 2024, the plan was never just a counter. The back of 166-30 Jamaica Ave was built as a room for the neighborhood, and it opened as the first community event space at any dispensary in Queens. Two and a half years later it is still the only one, and it is still free.
What "free" means here
No cover charge at the door. No ticketed events. No rental fee for the community groups, artists and leagues that use it. You must be 21 or older with ID, because it is inside a licensed dispensary, and lounge seating comes with a purchase. That is the whole price of admission. Nobody else in Queens offered this first, and nobody else does it at no cost.
The weekly calendar
- Tuesdays: the HISCORE League. A gaming tournament night with a monthly leaderboard. Mortal Kombat, Mario Kart, Smash, Tekken. Some Tuesdays are free play with every game open. - Fridays: Friday Night at the Lounge. The flagship weekly hang. Game night, music, the dab bar open. - Paint nights. Guided painting, free with any purchase of twenty dollars or more, canvas and paint provided. - Movie nights. Films on the big screen in the lounge, sometimes with the people who made them. Belly was screened with an associate producer on the film commenting live. Movie nights.
- Dab education nights. Learn temperature, tools and dosing at the dab bar with Queenie, on the same Puffco and e-nail gear we sell. Dab nights.
- Artist sessions. Benny the Butcher filmed his official "Summer '25" video here. The room has hosted Griselda affiliates, Wu-Tang affiliates and Queens artists as a recording and shooting space. Where the video was filmed.
Dates change month to month. The live calendar is here.
Why a dispensary would do this
Because Silk Road exists because of this neighborhood. The owner grew up in Queens, opened the store as the first Bengali-American-owned licensed dispensary in New York, and built it 100% owner-operated with no investors to answer to. A community room that makes no money by itself is a decision only an owner can make. Chains do not build them. The owner's story.
How to come
166-30 Jamaica Ave, between 166th and 167th. Seven minutes from the F at 169 St, a block from the Q17, Q30, Q31 and Q75. Bring a 21+ ID. Ask at the counter what is on tonight, or check events. Directions from anywhere in Queens.
FAQ
Is the event space at Silk Road NYC free to use?
Yes. No cover, no tickets and no rental fee for community events. You must be 21 or older with ID, and lounge seating is with a purchase.
What events happen at Silk Road NYC?
The HISCORE gaming league on Tuesdays, Friday Night at the Lounge, paint nights, movie nights, dab education nights and artist sessions. The events page has current dates.
Was Silk Road the first dispensary in Queens with an event space?
Yes. The community event space opened with the store in February 2024 and remains the only one of its kind at a Queens dispensary.