Food & Drink Events
Food & Drink Events
If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on, it’s our love of food and drinks. Luckily the Finger Lakes region is filled with fresh produce, wonderfully crafted beverages, and unique recipes to please any discerning palate. These food festivals are waiting to introduce you to salt potatoes, garbage plates, grape pie, and other tasty treats.
Folks anxious to fight the winter blues come out en masse to the Syracuse Winterfest, indulging in a slew of food and drink competitions among local restaurants. Then the CNY Maple Festival kicks off the spring season with pancake breakfasts featuring freshly made maple syrup. Later in April, head to the southern shores of Lake Ontario for Roll Out the Barrels, an event celebrating the craft beverages that the Finger Lakes region is famous for.
The Taste of Syracuse signifies the unofficial start of summer with the foodie-favorite festival offering $2 samples to over a hundred local restaurants while national musical acts take the stage. Rochester continues the festivities the following week with the Rochester Cocktail Revival when dozens of local cocktail bars showcase their best drinks.
For an even deeper dive into local food culture with festivals surrounding one particular food, consider attending the Phelps Sauerkraut Festival in late summer or the Naples Grape Festival in September.
Avon
Second Saturday in August
The Avon Rotary Corn Festival is our club’s largest annual fundraiser, which has truly emerged as a major community event. The festival draws thousands of people from our region to see friends, browse arts and crafts, listen to a wide range of music on three separate stages, play games, eat lots of festival food, enjoy a locally brewed craft beer at our Beer Garden, participate in our annual corn eating contest and enjoy the day. We typically host over 135 craft vendors and 25 food vendors. The Festival culminates in a large outdoor concert by the popular party band The SkyCoasters from 7-10 pm.
Auburn
First weekend in March
Supporting the women and non-binary individuals of New York’s burgeoning craft beverage industry in the epicenter of equal rights heritage.
Marathon
April 13 & 14, 2024
Enjoy children’s activities, train displays, helicopter and airboat rides, a quilt show, wood carvings, a pancake eating contest, live music, artisans with their unique creations, and homemade and unique maple products.
NYS Fairgrounds, Syracuse
Second to last Wednesday in August through Labor Day
People from across New York State will come together this year to experience an affordable, 13-day celebration of delicious food, eye-opening exhibits, captivating entertainment, and great fun. Each year’s New York State Fair showcases numerous animals, hundreds of commercial attractions, scores of exciting midway rides, and dozens of big-name entertainers. Come find out what greatness awaits you at the New York State Fair!
Watkins Glen
July 26–28, 2024
Held at Watkins Glen International, the Finger Lakes Wine Festival offers the largest showcase of New York State wines paired with regional artisans and music in a beautiful location. The weekend festivities begin with the Launch of the Lakes, a toga and costume contest and features exclusive Festival wineries and the opportunity to win a variety of prizes. Throughout the weekend, ticket holders will be able to enjoy a broad range of culinary delights, arts and crafts, craft beverages, and of course the wineries of the Finger Lakes region showcasing the temperature-moderating influence of the deep lakes on our viticulture.
Corning’s Gaffer District
September 20-21, 2024
HARVEST is Corning’s annual celebration to welcome the Fall season! This popular fall event features live music, hayrides, various vendors, on-street dining, a Market Street scavenger hunt, and more. Come explore Historic Market Street which will be full on-street vending from our small businesses and farmers’ market vendors. Catch some amazing live tunes from top local bands during FREE performances.
Harvest Festival at Colloca Estate Winery
Fair Haven/Sterling
October
Grape stomping, pie-eating contests, live music, and plenty of treats!
Iron Kettle Farm Pumpkin Display
Iron Kettle Farm, Candor
September 1 through October 31
Hay rides, corn maze, amazing pumpkin display, and a whole lot of fall family fun.
Steuben Brewing Company, Hammondsport
June 2, 2024
Beginning and ending at Steuben Brewing Company, The Keuka Lake Gravel Classic will host hundreds of riders from around the country as they traverse challenging and scenic dirt roads, before celebrating the ride with food, live music, craft beer, prizes, and a kids’ course. Join professional cyclocross racer Curtis J White (2022 National Champion) for this year’s event which is for seasoned riders and beginners. Offering three course distances (a 50 mile competitive race, a 30 mile non-competitive fun ride, an 18-mile non-competitive fundraiser ride) that will feature vistas and vineyards, soul-crushing climbs and gnarly descents.
Livonia
September 14
Livonia’s Autumn in the Village Festival is one day an annual event featuring a parade, live music, food, crafts, and great family fun. The Festival is always the second Saturday in September.
Naples
September
The Naples Grape Festival celebrates the grape harvest season, locally made grape foods, and arts and crafts that feature grapes and the harvest, and of course, Finger Lakes Wine.
New York State Real British Ale Fest
Watkins Glen
May 18, 2024
Join brewers and brewery owners from some of the best breweries in New York State pour a variety of British style real Ales from the cask. Discover and sample a variety of British style real cask ales including Stouts, Golden Ales, Bitters, English IPA’s plus many more. It will satisfy the curious minds and any beer lover, both newcomer and epicurean, up to the finest connoisseur! All beer samples are included in the ticket price plus receive a complimentary festival tasting glass and access to great food and live entertainment. The view of Seneca Lake from Beerocracy are amazing!
The Notorious G.I.B. Cheese Fest
Watkins Glen
May 5, 2024
Every Spring, the finest creameries, dairy farms, and local vendors & artisans create a cheese lovers paradise for all to enjoy. Hosted by Grist Iron Brewing Co overlooking Seneca Lake in Hector, NY festival goers can enjoy craft beer, delicious food, listen to live music and immerse themselves in the wonders of Finger Lakes cheese. Grist Iron Brewing Company, a 150-acre property is a microbrewery that offers not only 15 different beers on tap at any given time, combined with breathtaking views of the Finger Lakes region makes the Cheese Fest a memorable annual springtime Finger Lakes event.
Watkins Glen
November 22-24, 2024
An annual Seneca Lake Wine Trail event, enjoy a self-guided tour of participating wineries decorated to the hilt for the holiday season. Tickets are valid for the three-day festivities on the first of two weekends when all enjoy delicious wine and food pairings at 19 participating wineries. Each participant or couple receives wreath packets which contain a grapevine wreath, recipe book and one wine glass at their selected starting winery. The holiday season is celebrated with an ornament collected at each winery stop that stretches along the shores of stunning Seneca Lake, each with its own unique charm.
Phelps
Late July through early August
A little village makes a big deal over fermented cabbage! Food, games, and rides.
Various locations, Downtown Rochester
June 3-9, 2024
Rochester Cocktail Revival is New York State’s only weeklong festival celebrating craft cocktail culture. Rochester boasts a booming scene of cocktail bars and top-tier mixology talent. Each year, 20+ cocktail bars in the downtown area take part in RCR, showcasing the spirit brands that make the exciting local craft culture possible. RCR exists to highlight this culture through education and celebration, significant contributions to the Rochester economy, and displays of camaraderie between its bars to both the trade and consumers.
Lake Ontario Wine Trail
April 27 and 28, 2024
Over the course of a weekend, enjoy special access to pre-release and newly released wines, spirits and ciders. Travel the trail at your own pace for this self-guided tour. You will have special purchasing access for some of the sampled products before anyone else! Some locations will also offer access to production areas giving guests visibility into the wine, spirit or cider making process, too.
Waterloo
July 17-20, 2024
Since the first Seneca County Fair in 1841, it has been a local gathering for farmers, neighbors and visitors. Join us for a week of agriculture, friendly competition, display of crafts and projects, the demolition derby and much more! This year there will be many new and exciting events to include the Rodeo! Join us for daily entertainment for the kids and for the big kids with playland amusements, live music, square dancing, and many craft vendors. We anticipate many nights of family fun, making memories and supporting the local animal shows!
Stoughton Farm Corn Maze and Activities
Soughton Farm, Newark Valley
Mid-September–October
Huge corn maze, and a bunch of other Fall family fun activities.
Downtown Syracuse
Mid-to-late February
From the center of downtown Syracuse to senior centers throughout Onondaga County, everyone joins in the celebration. There are no age limits when it comes to enjoying the colorful Winterfest fireworks display or the culinary delights created by hundreds of hands. With more than 100,000 people attending dozens of indoor and outdoor events, parties, and cook-offs, Syracuse Winterfest draws in a crowd for winter fun.
Clinton Square, Downtown Syracuse
First full weekend in June
The Taste of Syracuse is a legendary festival located in Syracuse, NY. Considered Syracuse’s “kick off” of the summer, the Taste has been an annual festival for 25+ years. We celebrate local food, business, music and more in the heart of downtown Syracuse spanning from Clinton Square to the Chase Building. Treat yourself to $2 samples from a variety of local restaurants while you jam out to the great local music!
Marvin Park, Owego
August 7–10, 2024
Join us in celebrating local agriculture and talent all week long at the 58th Annual Pennsylvania Tioga County Fair. Enjoy rides, games, live performances, demo derby, exhibits, food and much more.
