BEST ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 

BEST LOCAL ORIGINAL BAND
Joywave
@joywavemusic; joywavemusic.com

Stavo | The Stedwells | Teagan and the Tweeds

BEST LOCAL SOLO MUSICIAN
Teagan Ward
facebook.com/teaganwardmusic.com; teaganward.com

Mikaela Davis | Cammy Enaharo | Nick LeDuc

BEST LOCAL HIP-HOP ACT
Tugboat
facebook.com/theofficialtugboat

Claude Bennington’s Fever Dream | MdotCoop | Moses Rockwell

BEST LOCAL ALBUM OF 2018
“Delivery” by Mikaela Davis
Mikaeladavis.com

“Get Wild Somewhere” by Jon Lewis Band | “Honey from the Rock” by Druse | “Legitimate Bastard” by Diluted | “Trench Digging During Peacetime” by Left-Handed 2nd Baseman

BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE (ARENA/LARGE VENUE)
CMAC
3355 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua. (585) 394-4400; cmacevents.com

Blue Cross Arena | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre | Main Street Armory

BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE (CLUB/SMALL VENUE)
Anthology
336 East Avenue. (585) 484-1964; anthologylive.com

Abilene | Bug Jar | Funk 'n Waffles

BEST LIVE DJ
DJ Darkwave
facebook.com/DJDarkwaveFan; djdarkwave.com

Alykhan | Chreath | DJ Kalifornia

BEST LOCAL AUTHOR
Bethany Snyder
@bethanyswrites; bethanysnyder.com

Gary Craig | David Cay Johnston | Jeff Minerd

BEST LOCAL POET
Rachel McKibbens
@rachelmckibbens; rachelmckibbens.com

Andrew Conley | Charlie Cote | Tony Leuzzi | Jacob Rakovan

BEST LOCALLY WRITTEN BOOK OF 2018
“Girls Resist! A Guide A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution” by KaeLyn Rich
quirkbooks.com/GirlsResist; kaelynrich.com

“blud” by Rachel McKibbens | “Limbo Lounge” by Dave Calver | “The Wizard’s Daughter” by Jeff Minerd

BEST LOCAL THEATER PRODUCTION OF 2018 (AT A RESIDENT SPACE)
“In the Heights”
at Geva’s Wilson Stage; gevatheatre.org

“The Agitators” at Geva’s Wilson Stage | “Avenue Q” at Blackfriars Theatre | “Two Tickets to Paradise: The Eddie Money Musical” at Kodak Center

BEST LOCAL THEATER PRODUCTION OF 2018 (AT A COMMUNITY SPACE)
Dangerous Signs’ “Little Shop of Horrors” at MuCCC
facebook.com/DangerousSign; muccc.org

Hummingbird Theatre Company’s “White Guy on the Bus” at MuCCC | Out of Pocket’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” at MuCCC | Rochester Community Players' and WallByrd Theatre Co.'s “Two Gentlemen of Verona” at Highland Bowl

BEST LOCAL THEATER COMPANY
Geva Theatre Center
75 Woodbury Boulevard. (585) 232-4382; gevatheatre.org

Blackfriars Theatre | RAPA Theatre | WallByrd Theatre Co.

BEST LOCAL STAND-UP COMEDIAN
Woody Battaglia
@woodybattaglia; facebook.com/woodybattagliacomedy

Ilhan Ali | Joél James | Malcolm Whitfield

BEST LOCAL COMEDY GROUP
Geva Comedy Improv
@gevaimprov; gevacomedyimprov.org

EstroFest | Nuts & Bolts Comedy Improv | Polite Ink.

BEST LOCAL DANCE COMPANY
Garth Fagan Dance
50 Chestnut Street. (585) 454-3260; garthfagandance.org

PUSH Physical Theatre | Rochester City Ballet | Sirens & Stilettos Cabaret

BEST LOCAL ARTIST
Shawn Dunwoody
@shawndunwoody; shawndunwoody.com

Jason Dorofy | Mr. Prvrt | Sarah C. Rutherford

BEST ART EXHIBIT OF 2018
WALL\THERAPY at various locations
@walltherapyny; wall-therapy.com

6x6x2018 at RoCo | “Wendell Castle Remastered” at Memorial Art Gallery | “The Surreal Visions of Josephine Tota” at Memorial Art Gallery

BEST ART GALLERY
Memorial Art Gallery
500 University Avenue. (585) 276-8900; mag.rochester.edu

ARTISANworks | Makers Gallery and Studio | Rochester Contemporary Art Center

BEST LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER
Jim Montanus
@jamesmontanus; montanusphotography.com

Teale Brown | Gerry Szymanski | Aaron Winters

BEST LOCAL FILMMAKER
Scott Fitzgerald
@fairportpicts; fairportpictures.com

Matthew Ehlers | Alex Freeman | Linda Moroney

BEST LOCAL FILM FESTIVAL
Rochester International Film Festival
rochesterfilmfest.org

High Falls Women's Film Festival | ImageOut | Rochester International Jewish Film Festival | One Take Film Festival

BEST LOCAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
Rochester International Jazz Festival
rochesterjazz.com

Lilac Festival | Party in the Park | Turtle Hill Folk Festival

BEST LOCAL ARTS FESTIVAL
Rochester Fringe Festival
rochesterfringe.com

Clothesline | Corn Hill Arts Festival | Park Ave Summer Art Festival

BEST LOCAL CULTURAL FESTIVAL
ROC Pride Fest
rocpridefest.org

Annunciation Greek Festival | Carifest | Little Italy Festival | Puerto Rican Festival

BEST FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL
Food Truck Rodeo
cityofrochester.gov/foodtruckrodeo

Flour City Brewers Fest | Foodlink Festival of Food | Rochester Real Beer Expo

BEST LOCAL FAMILY-FRIENDLY ATTRACTION
Strong National Museum of Play
1 Manhattan Square Drive. (585) 263-2700; museumofplay.org

Rochester Museum & Science Center | Seabreeze | Seneca Park Zoo

BEST LOCAL DRAG PERFORMER
DeeDee DuBois
@deedeedubois; facebook.com/deedee.dubois

Mrs. Kasha Davis | Samantha Vega | Wednesday Westwood

In This Guide...

  • Were you there? Photos from the Best of Rochester 2018 party

    CITY Newspaper held its Best of Rochester party in the Village Gate atrium on Tuesday night, October 23. Nominees gathered to celebrate, dance, and mingle while sampling some of the finest food and drink that Rochester has to offer.

  • BEST GOODS AND SERVICES

    BEST BIKE SHOPPark Ave Bike 600 Jay Scutti Boulevard, (585) 427-2110; 3400 Monroe Avenue, (585) 381-3080. parkavebike.com

  • BEST NIGHTLIFE

    BEST NEW BAR/CLUB The Spirit Room 139 State Street. (585) 397-7595; facebook.com/TheSpiritRoomRochester

  • BEST LOCAL COLOR

    BEST LOCAL ACTIVIST GROUPOut Alliance 100 College Avenue. (585) 244-8640; gayalliance.org

  • BEST FOOD & DRINK

    BEST PIZZA Pontillo’s Pizzeria Many area locations. pontillospizza.com

  • Best of Rochester 2018

    Hello, CITY readers. It’s time to reveal the results for Best of Rochester 2018, our own “Showcase Showdown,” if you will. It’s been quite the contest to get this far: More than 12,000 contestants gave us their best and final answers in our Best of Rochester readers’ poll, spanning 100 different categories.

  • Best Answers

    [ OUTTAKES ] BY CITY READERS Off-the-cuff, sometimes off-color responses to our Best of Rochester 2018 Primary Ballot WE’RE AWARE (Best Source of Rochester Pride) “You know it's Wegmans.”

  • CRITICS' PICKS

    Best Breakfast Sandwich: Fair Pour Café’s 'The Jammy Sammy'

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