Go
ahead, give us a reason to celebrate. I dare you. Just pick something, anything
at all — fruit, airplanes, balloons, jazz, snow — and we’ll throw a party
for it. That’s just one of our very many talents. Fried dough, anyone?
Lakeside Winter Celebration
Date:
mid-February
Place:
Ontario Beach Park
Description:
games, snow and ice sculpture contests, sleigh rides, “Chilly Chili Challenge,”
polar plunge in Lake Ontario
Info:
428-7655
Lilac Festival
Dates:
May 13-22
Place:
Highland Park
Description:
500 varieties of lilacs, live music, activities, food
Info:
256-3070, www.lilacfestival.com
Memorial Day Parade
Dates:
May 30
Place:
downtown Rochester
Description:
parade
Info:
473-0710
East End Night Life
Festivals
Dates:
June 3, July 8, August 12
Place:
East Avenue
Description:
bars, clubs and restaurants open on to the street, lots of music and beer
Info:
234-0630, www.milestonesmusicroom.com
Rochester Public Market
Centennial Celebration
Dates:
June 4-5
Place:
Rochester Public Market, 280 North Union Street
Description:
Info:
428-6907, www.cityofrochester.gov
Wegmans Concerts By the
Shore
Dates:
Wednesdays June 8-August 31
Place:
Ontario Beach Park
Description:
live concerts
Info:
865-3320, www.cityofrochester.gov
Party in the Park
Dates:
Thursdays June 9-August 11
Place:
High Falls Festival Site
Description:
concerts
Info:
428-6697, www.cityofrochester.gov
Rochester International Jazz
Festival
Dates:
June 10-18
Place:
15 venues throughout city, including Eastman Theatre, Frontier Field
Description:
Over 70 concerts, tens of thousands of fans, international, top-notch acts
Info:
234-2002, www.rochesterjazz.com
Fairport Canal Days
Dates:
June 3-5
Place:
Main Street (Route 250), Fairport
Description:
arts and crafts, food, music, many family activities
Info:
www.fairportcanaldays.com
Rochester International Air
Show
Dates:
June 11-12
Place:
Rochester International Airport
Description:
US Navy Blue Angels, planes, helicopters, jets
Info:
428-2380, www.rochesterairshow.com
Spencerport Fireman’s
Carnival
Dates:
June 15-18
Place:
Spencerport
Description:
kiddie parade, grand parade, amusement rides
Info:
352-4771, vil.spencerport.ny.us
Rochester Harbor and Carousel Festival
Dates:
June 24-26
Place:
Ontario Beach Park, Charlotte
Description:
RPO concert, juried arts and crafts, food, activities
Info:
865-3320, www.cityofrochester.gov
Maplewood Rose Festival
Dates:
June 18-19
Place:
Maplewood Park, Driving Park Bridge and Lake Avenue
Description:
roses, Genesee Gorge tours, live music, arts and crafts, kids’ entertainment
Info:
www.ggw.org/~mna/rose.htm
Gay Pride Celebration
Dates:
mid-July
Place:
various, including Genesee Valley Park
Description:
Upstate New York’s largest, with a big picnic and Pride Parade
Info:
www.gayalliance.org
Sterling Renaissance
Festival
Dates:
weekends, July 2-August 14
Place:
Sterling, NY
Description:
food, drink, street performances, crafts, games — all in the olde style
Info:
800-879-4446, sterlingfestival.com
N.E.N.A. Family Summer Fest
and Carnival
Dates:
July
Place:
Freddie Thomas Learning Center, 625 Scio Street
Description:
rides, activities for adults and kids, “home-grown music and home-grown food”
Info:
544-0140
Hill Cumorah Pageant
Dates:
July 8-16
Place:
Hill Cumorah, on Route 21, near Palmyra
Description:
nightly performance with cast of 600, pyrotechnics, music; presents stories
from the Bible and the Book of Mormon
Info:
315-597-5851, www.hillcumorah.org/Pageant/
Corn Hill Arts Festival
Dates:
July 9-10
Place:
Corn Hill neighborhood, off Exchange Blvd and Plymouth Ave
Description:
hundreds of craftspeople, live music, family events, food
Info:
262-3142, www.cornhill.org
Monroe County Fair
Dates:
July 13-17
Place:
Monroe County Fairgrounds, 2695 E. Henrietta Rd
Description:
agricultural exhibits, animals, amusement rides, food, special presentations
Info:
334-4000, www.mcfair.com
MusicFest
Dates:
July 16-17
Place:
various, including Genesee Valley Park
Description:
Free, outdoor concerts, this year featuring Latin and soul
Info:
428-6690, www.rochestermusicfest.com
Festa Italiana
Dates:
July 15-17
Place:
Italian American Community Center, 150 Marconi Blvd
Description: Italian music, dance, and cultural displays
Info: 594-8882, www.iaccrochester.org
Spencerport Canal Days
Dates:
July
Place:
arts and crafts, entertainment, food, canoe race
Description:
off Union Street, along the Canal, Spencerport
Info:
349-1331, www.ogdenny.com/canaldays
Puerto Rican Festival
Dates:
mid-August
Place:
Civic Center Plaza, Exchange Blvd
Description:
Latino music, food, and culture celebrations
Info:
www.prfestival.com
Park Avenue Festival
Dates:
August 6-7
Place:
Park Avenue from Alexander St to Culver Rd
Description:
arts & crafts vendors, live entertainment, food, family fun
Info:
www.rochesterevents.com
Clarissa Street Reunion
Dates:
August 20
Place:
Clarissa and surrounding streets
Description:
neighborhood reunion, parade, jazz, gospel, and r&b performances
Info:
234-4177, www.csrc.info
Carifest
Dates:
August 13-14
Place:
High Falls Festival Site
Description:
Caribbean-themed festival and parade
Info:
254-7569
Brockport Summer Art
Festival
Dates:
August 13-14
Place:
Main Street (Route 19), Brockport
Description:
arts and crafts, food, live music, rubber duck derby and dragon boat races
Info:
www.rochesterevents.com
Penfield Country Fair Days
Dates:
August 20-21
Place:
Penfield’s Four Corners, Rte 441 and Five Mile Line Rd
Description:
arts and crafts, entertainment, food
Info:
340-8651, www.penfield.org
Rochester Irish Festival
Dates:
September
Place:
Camp Eastman, Durand Eastman Park
Description:
Irish music, dance, cultural workshops, kids’ activities
Info:
234-3746, www.rochesteririshfestival.org
New York State Festival of
Balloons
Dates:
September 2-4
Place:
Dansville, NY
Description:
hot air balloon rides, food, entertainment, music, kids’ rides
Info:
www.nysfob.com
Labor Day Parade
Dates:
September 5
Place:
Downtown Rochester
Description:
parade
Info:
263-2650
Clothesline Arts Festival
Dates:
September 10-11
Place:
Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Avenue
Description:
renowned arts and crafts; MAG’s biggest fundraiser
Info:
473-7720, mag.rochester.edu
Oktoberfest
Dates:
September 16-18, 23-25
Place:
Camp Eastman, Durand Eastman Park
Description:
echt Deutsch music, food, and beer
Info:
336-6070, www.irondequoit.org/events/oktober.htm
Festival of Food
Dates:
Sept 19
Place:
Rochester Public Market
Description:
samples from area restaurants, wineries, farmers, and specialty food sellers
Info:
328-3380
Naples Grape Festival
Dates:
September 24-25
Place:
center of Naples village
Description:
grape pie contest, arts and crafts, food, family entertainment, live music
Info:
374-2240, www.naplesvalleyny.com
Rochester River Romance
Dates:
October 8-9
Place:
various, including Ontario Beach Park
Description:
entertainment, lighthouse and boat tours, hikes, rowing regatta
Info:
428-6770, www.cityofrochester.gov
Hilton Apple Festival
Dates:
October 1-2
Place:
off Route 18, Hilton
Description:
arts and crafts, car show, apples raw and cooked, pie contest
Info:
234-3378, www.hiltonapplefest.org
ImageOut
Dates:
October 7-16
Place:
Cinema, Dryden, and Little Theatres
Description:
films by and about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people
Info:
271-2640, www.imageout.org
High Falls Filmfest
Dates:
November
Place:
Little and Dryden Theatres
Description:
Screenings, visiting artists to celebrate women in film
Info:
www.highfallsfilmfestival.com
This article appears in Mar 23-29, 2005.
