Summer Festivals 

Festival: Spencerport Fireman's Carnival

Date: June 12-18

Place: Spencerport

Description: kiddie parade, grand parade, amusement rides

Info: 352-4771, vil.spencerport.ny.us

Festival: Juneteenth Celebration

Date: June 17

Place: Susan B. Anthony Square between King and Madison streets

Description: performers, vendors, food

Info: 529-5026, 454-2680

Festival: Mayville Bluegrass Festival

Date: June 17-18

Place: Lakeside Park, Mayville

Description: country-rock and bluegrass acts, food, crafts, kids' activities, instrument workshops

Info: www.mayvillebluegrassfestival.com

Festival: RochesterHarbor and Carousel Festival

Date: June 23-25

Place: OntarioBeachPark

Description: arts & crafts, food, games, exhibits, music and more

Info: 865-3320 or www.cityofrochester.gov

Festival: Rochester Twilight Criterium Bicycle Race Downtown

Date: June 24

Place: Court, Broad, Exchange, Irving, Bausch & Lomb

Description: professional and amateur bicycle races through downtown

Info: rochestercrit.com

Festival: Gates Summer Celebrations

Date: June 25

Place: GatesChiliHigh School

Description: music, food, fireworks

Info:247-6100 x235, gatesrecparks.org

Festival: Sterling Renaissance Festival

Date: weekends, July 1-August 13

Place: 15385 Farden Rd, Sterling

Description: theater, live music, jousting, meat on sticks, puppet shows

Info: 800-879-4446, www.sterlingfestival.com

Festival: Irondequoit Fourth of July Celebration

Date: July 3-4

Place: Irondequoit Town Hall/Gazebo

Description: music, parade, booths, arts and crafts, food

Info: 467-8840, www.irondequoit.org

Festival: Rochester MusicFest

Date: July 7-9

Place: HighFalls Festival Site (Fri), Frontier Field (Sat-Sun)

Description: local and national acts, mainly r&b and hip-hop

Info: 262-2050 ext. 116, rochestermusicfest.com

Festival: Rochester Pride Parade, Cultural Festival & Picnic

Date: July 8-9

Place: Village Gate (Saturday) and GeneseeValleyPark (Sunday)

Description: parade, picnic celebrating the LGBT community

Info: 234-8706, www.streetsofpride.com

Festival: Corn Hill Arts Festival

Date: July 8-9

Place: Corn Hill neighborhood

Description: hundreds of crafters and artisans, live music, children's activities and performances, food

Info: 262-3142, www.cornhill.org

Festival: Monroe County Fair

Date: July 12-16

Place: MonroeCounty Fairgrounds, 2695 E. Henrietta Rd

Description: agricultural exhibits, rides, food, demolition derbies

Info: 334-4000, www.mcfair.com

Festival: Hill Cumorah Pageant

Date: July 14, 15, 18-22

Place: Hill Cumorah, on Route 21, near Palmyra

Description: world-famous nightly performance with cast of 600, pyrotechnics, music; presents stories from the Bible and the Book of Mormon

Info: 315-597-5851, hillcumorah.org/Pageant/

Festival: East End Festivals

Date: July 14, August 11

Place: East End between Matthews and Gibbs streets

Description: Bands take the stage, partiers take to the streets

Info: 325-6490, milestonesmusicroom.com

Festival: Festa Italiana

Date: July 14-16

Place: ItalianAmericanCommunity Center, 150 Frank DiMino Way

Description: Italian music, cultural displays, kids' activities, bocce, more

Info: 594-8882, www.iaccrochester.org

Festival: Canandaigua Arts Festival

Date: July 14-16

Place: Main Street, Canandaigua

Description: arts & crafts, entertainment

Info: 394-7110

Festival: Finger Lakes Wine Festival

Date: July 14-16

Place: Watkins Glen International

Description: live music, wine seminars, wine tasting, banquets (admission fees)

Info: 866-461-7223, www.flwinefest.com

Festival: Rochester Jewish Film Festival

Date: July 16-23

Place: Little Theatre, 240 East Ave, and Dryden Theatre, 900 East Ave

Description: movies by Jewish filmmakers

Info: 461-2000 ext 235, www.rjff.org.

Festival: Chil-E Fest

Date: July 21-22

Place: ChiliMemorial Park

Description: arts and crafts, parade, fireworks, music, drive-in movie, BBQ

Info: 889-4680, www.townofchili.org

Festival: Old Tyme Country Faire

Date: July 21-23

Place: Sodus Point

Description: vendors, games, arts & crafts, street dance, antique cars, pet parade, yard sales, marketplace

Info: 315-398-8473, www.sodusny.com

Festival: Ten Ugly Men Festival

Date: July 22

Place: GeneseeValleyPark

Description: music, food, drinks, charity sporting events, kids activities

Info: www.tenuglymen.com

Festival: Oswego Harborfest

Date: July 27-30

Place: various venues in Oswego

Description: live music, shopping, food, and fireworks along the water

Info: 315-343-6858, www.oswegoharborfest.com

Festival: Native American Dance and Music Festival

Date: July 29-30

Place: Ganondagan Historic Site, 1488 State Rte 444, Victor

Description: Native American dance, art, crafts, stories, food

Info: 742-1690, www.ganondagan.org

Festival: SpencerportCanal Days

Date: July 29-30

Place: Village of Spencerport

Description: live bands, crafts, classic car show, children's activities

Info: 349-1331, http://spencerportcanaldays.com/

Festival: Waterfront Art Festival

Date: July 29-30

Place: KershawPark, Canandaigua

Description: arts & crafts, kids' activities, boat tours

Info: 671-9102, waterfrontartfestival.com

Festival: Park Avenue Festival

Date: August 5-6

Place: Park Avenue between Alexander St and Culver Rd

Description: arts & crafts, continuous live music, food, kids' activities

Info: 473-4482, www.park-avenue.org/events.html

Festival: German Fest

Date: August 11-13

Place: GatesMemorial Park

Description: Food, drink, dancing, music --- all from Germany

Info: 426-7835, www.rochestergerman.com

Festival: Puerto Rican Festival

Date: August 11-13

Place: Civic CenterPlaza, Exchange Blvd

Description: Puerto Rican and Latino culture, live music, and food

Info: 234-7660, www.prfestival.com

Festival: WebsterVillage Days

Date: August 11-13

Place: Main Street, Webster

Description: musical entertainment, food, children's activities, and more

Info: www.villageofwebster.com

Festival: Carifest and Parade

Date: August 12

Place: HighFalls Festival Site

Description: carnival costume parade, Caribbean music, food

Info: 254-7569, 436-5042, www.rwifo.com

Festival: Brockport Arts Festival

Date: August 12-13

Place: Main Street, Brockport

Description: arts & crafts, live music, farmer's market, Cool Kids Day, Dragon Boat, Duck Derby

Info: 473-4482, www.rochesterevents.com

Festival: Wooden Boat Festival

Date: August 12-13

Place: Orleans County Marine Park, Kent

Description: classic boats, boat rides, boat parade, inspirational concert, tackle flea market

Info: 589-3199, woodenboatfest.com

Festival: Clarissa StreetReunion

Date: August 19

Place: Clarissa Street in Corn Hill Neighborhood

Description: neighborhood party with three stages of music all day and night

Info: 234-4177

Festival: New YorkState Fair

Date: August 24-September 4

Place: 581 State Fair Blvd, Syracuse

Description: agriculture displays, food, games, rides, concerts, children's activities

Info: 800 475-FAIR, www.nysfair.org

Festival: African Music & Dance Arts Festival

Date: August 26

Place: Village Gate Square

Description: African music, dance, food, arts, braiding, drums

Info: 271-9672, wosabraid.com

Festival: Lyell Avenue Festival

Date: August 27

Place: Lyell Avenue

Description: arts & crafts, food, children's activities, music, scavenger hunt

Info: 647-1540

Festival: Spanish International Festival

Date: September 3

Place: Rochester Public Market, 280 N Union St

Description: food, culture, and music from 20 Spanish-speaking countries

Info: 325-6650, www.empanadastop.com

In This Guide...

  • Summer Guide 2006

    The heat is on, but that's hardly an excuse to stay inside. Because even as those temps become more and more oppressive, Rochester becomes more and more alive.

  • Dog days (and nights)

    What to do this summer
    Fairs and celebrations Adventures at Treasure Island Fri, July 14.

  • School of rock

    You never know what you'll learn at Mt.Hope Cemetery
    Need an antidote to the hustle and bustle of Rochester's summer festivals? A serene place where your chances of running into a guy with an iguana perched on his shoulder are practically nil?

  • Hot tunes for hot temps

    Music for every one of the 83 days of summer
    Air conditioning? Re-runs?

  • The old and the beautiful

    How and where to find the best antique and garage sale deals this summer
    Judy Adnepos leaned over one of the vendor tables at the Rochester Public Market's Garage Sale looking through jewelry, dishes, old blankets, and cut glass. "I'm not looking for anything in particular, but I was hoping to find one of those old children's rocking horses," she says.

  • What's in the water?

    Gas prices are sky high, global warming is only making things hotter, and your pesky doctor wants you to exercise. Welcome to summer in the modern world.

  • The licked and the fed

    Two critics' tasty tour of Rochester's stand-out ice cream parlors
    I judge a city by its ice cream.

  • Roughing it, not-so-roughly

    Camping is one of summer's sweetest indulgences. Finally you can flee your hectic daily life and escape to the great outdoors, into Mother Nature's welcoming bosom.

  • Summer Guide choices

    City's choice: Ithaca theater Need more drama in your life? Upstate summers are always chock full of theatrical opportunities for the cultural explorer, especially along LakeCayuga, where Ithaca's several theaters are staging diverse seasons.

  • Sun screens

    From brain-bending puzzles to plane-boarding pythons, 15 can't-miss summer movies
    This summer, stop feeling guilty about forgoing lovely weather in favor of an inky movie theater. Should your conscience continue to nag you to go outside and play, consider the following pro-movie rationalizations:

  • Fixing the break

    Keep the kids off the couch this summer
    They're coming. Those two terrible words that will destroy a summer vacation faster than Chevy Chase.

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