One of the best ways to introduce children to cultural heritage is to take them to a festival. There are many fairs and festivals to choose from in the Capital Region; so many, in fact, that it’s hard to keep track of them all. Often, I’ll find out about a fair the week of the event, when I can’t possibly add it to our family’s crazy schedule.
To keep track of it all, I’m starting a calendar of festivals, and other annual family events, and I’m encouraging you to help me fill in the blanks. Do you know of an upcoming festival, or one that we missed? Please share!
Table of Contents
January –
- Grafton Winter Festival – Grafton Lakes State Park in Grafton, NY.
February –
- Flurry Festival – Saratoga Springs, NY.
- Engineering Day – School of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
- New York In Bloom – New York State Museum in Albany, NY.
- James E. Campbell Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show – New York State Museum in Albany, NY.
- Cooking the Tree of Life Program – New York State Museum in Albany, NY.
March –
- Maple Syrup – Various events and tastings all month long all over New York.
- Hannafords Kidz Expo – Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY.
- Capital District Garden & Flower Show – Hudson Community College in Troy, NY.
April –
- The Albany Children’s Book Festival – Albany Academy, Albany, NY.
May –
- Daffest – Saranac Lake, NY.
- Hudson Children’s Book Festival – Hudson, NY.
- Tulip Festival – Washington Park, Albany, NY.
- Greek Festival – Albany, NY.
- East Durham Irish Festival – East Durham, NY.
June
- Freihofer’s Run For Women 5K – June 1, 2013 in Albany, NY.
- Polish Fest – May 31, June 1 & 2, 2013 in Latham, NY.
- Art on Lark – June 8, 2013 in Albany, NY.
- Juneteenth – June 15, 2013 in Albany, NY.
- Flag Day Parade – June 9, 2013 in Troy, NY.
- Flag Day Parade and Festival – June 9, 2013 in Hudson, NY.
- LARAC’s 40th Annual June Art Festival – June 15 & 16, 2013 in Glens Falls, NY. (See LARAC Weekend in Glens Falls)
- Hudson NY 2013 Pride – June 14-16, 2013 in Hudson, NY.
- River Street Festival – June 15, 2013 in Troy, NY.
- Petapalooza – June 15, 2013 at Curtis Lumber, all locations in Capital District.
- Bavarian Summer Fest – June 22-23, 2013 in Round Top, NY.
- Old Songs Festival – June 28-30, 2013 in Altamont, NY.
- Lake Placid Horse Show – June 25-30, 2013 in Lake Placid, NY.
- Windham US National Mountain Bike Race – June 28-30, 2013 in Windham, NY.
July
- I Love New York Horse Show – July 2-7, 2013 in Lake Placid, NY.
- I Love BBQ and Music Festival – July 4-6, 2013 in Lake Placid, NY.
- Fireworks Shows on the Fourth of July (and Beyond!)
- Athens Street Festival – July 13, 2013 in Athens, NY.
- Troy Pig Out – July 13 & 14, 2013 in Troy, NY.
- Saratoga Racetrack Opening Day – July 19, 2013 in Saratoga Springs NY.
- Saratoga County Fair – July 16-21, 2013 in Ballston Spa, NY
- Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend – July 26-29, 2013 in Cooperstown, NY.
- Greene County Youth Fair – July 25-28, 2013 in Cairo, NY.
- Crazy Race & Festival – July 27, 2013 in Tannersville, NY.
- Rip Van Winkle’s Wacky Raft Race – July 28, 2013 on the Hudson River between Athens and Catskill, NY.
- Adirondack Agricultural Fair – July 31-August 4th in Westport, NY.
August
- Can-Am Rugby Tournament – August 2-4, 2013 in Saranac Lake and Lake Placid NY.
- African-American Family Day – August 3, 2013 at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY.
- Coxsackie Riverside Festival – August 3, 2013 Coxsackie NY.
- Hudson Music Festival – August 9-12, 2013 in Hudson, NY.
- Hudson Black Arts and Cultural Festival – August 8-12, 2013 in Hudson, NY.
- Altamont Fair – August 13-18, 2013 in Altamont, NY.
- Washington County Fair – August 19-25, 2013 in Greenwich, NY.
- Latin Fest – August 24, 2013 in Albany, NY.
- Schaghticoke Fair – August 28-September 2, 2013 in Schaghticoke, NY.
September
- Bangladeshi Festival – Hudson, NY.
- Hudson River Valley Ramble – Outdoor events throughout the region on weekends in September.
- Capital District Scottish Games – August 31 – September 1, 2013 at Altamont Fairgrounds in Altamont, NY.
- Taste of Hudson – September 7, 2013 in Hudson, NY.
- Fall Harvest Shaker Craft Fair – Shaker Heritage Site in Albany, NY.
- Festival of the Colors – September 14, 2013 in Wilmington, NY.
- Irish 2000 Music & Arts Festival –Ballston Spa, NY.
- LarkFEST – Albany, NY.
- Half Moon – Albany Riverfront Water Pumping Station.
- Adirondack Balloon Festival – Glens Falls and Queensbury, NY.
- Woodstock Film Festival – various venues within the Woodstock, NY region.
October
- Race for the Cure – Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY.
- Harvest Festival – at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, NY. (See Day Trip to the Adirondack Museum.)
- Bronck Museum Heritage Craft Fair – Coxsackie NY.
- Local Harvest Festival – Washington Park Lake House in Albany, NY (By the Honest Weight Food Co-op)
- ArtsWalk – Hudson, NY.
- Stone Fort Days – The Old Stone Fort in Schoharie, NY.
- MoHu – various venues in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties.
- 18th Annual Apple Harvest Festival – Cairo, NY.
- Autumn in Austerlitz Festival – Austerlitz, NY.
- Iroquois Indian Festival of Arts – Iroquois Indian Museum in Howes Cave, NY.
- 23rd Annual Apple Festival & Craft Show at Goold Orchards – Castleton-On-Hudson, NY.
- NanoCareer Day – College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering in Albany, NY. (See NanoCareer Day and Student Outreach at CNSE)
- Troy Chowder Fest – Troy, NY.
- A Day in the Life of the Hudson River -Multiple locations along the Hudson River. Note that training workshops begin months in advance.
- Festival of Nations – Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY.
November –
- NANOvember: CNSE Community Day – College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering in Albany, NY. (See Seeing the Future at NANOvember Community Day.)
- Capital Holiday Lights in the Park – Washington Park, Albany, NY.
December –
- Winter Walk – Hudson, NY.
- Troy Victorian Stroll – Troy, NY.