NEW YORK, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A food festival celebrating the culinary culture in New York City's Lower Manhattan returned on Tuesday, providing a wide variety of cuisines from local restaurants for thousands of foodies.

Co-organized by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd. and the Alliance for Downtown New York, the 18th Dine Around Downtown lunchtime festival brought together nearly 40 established and new restaurants of the city at the landmark 28 Liberty Plaza, with plates served in a price range of three to seven U.S. dollars each.

The event was complemented by live Jazz music, and participants were encouraged to post photos of their plates on Instagram for a chance to win a two-night stay at a local hotel and dinner for two at a local restaurant.

"We are excited to bring the community together to experience Lower Manhattan's finest culinary offerings," said Bo Wei, chief executive representative of Fosun Group in the United States and vice president of Fosun Hive Holdings.

The festival also continues with Get Low, a summer-long promotion which offers dining discounts of one participating restaurant per week.

"Dine Around offers the best opportunity to taste dishes from dozens of restaurants all in one place and Get Low makes it easier to further explore the local restaurant scene with weekly deals all summer long," said Downtown Alliance President Jessica Lappin.

Dine Around Downtown has been bringing leading restaurateurs of Lower Manhattan together since 1995.