Annual Events and Festivals
Cayuga County is bursting with exciting annual events and
festivals that will have you returning year after year for more fun and festivities.
Events range from the Fillmore Glen Days and Bathtub Races in the summer to Holiday Traditions Museum Open House in December.
Looking for something a bit lowkey? Check out the Annual NY Lavender Festival, or a step back in time at the Sterling Renaissance Festival.
Visit our calendar of events for a full listing of events, fairs, and festivals happening every month all year long!
Holiday Traditions
The City of Auburn’s Historic and Cultural Sites Commission invites all to experience the beauty, history, and holiday magic of History’s Hometown this Christmas season. Held on the second Sunday in December, Holiday Traditions was created by the Seward House Museum more than three decades ago as a token of appreciation to the Auburn community. Now back since 2019, the “open house” tradition will once again welcome the community to participating sites on Sunday, December 8, 2024.
Route 90 Garage Sale
The annual 50-mile Route 90 Garage Sale takes on a festival atmosphere each year as friends, families, and the occasional family dog, go searching for surprises. Stretching along the roadside of Route 90, a New York State Scenic Byway, the sale runs from Montezuma in the north, to the Village of Homer at the southern. Along the way you will find everything imaginable from antique andirons to zebra prints and everything in between. Always the last full weekend in July, from 9 am to 5 pm both days, rain, or shine. Plenty of creative (and delicious!) food options are available to help fuel your inner bargain-hunter. Local clubs, fire departments and organizations put on breakfasts, bake sales, and BBQ’s along the 50-miles.
Harriet Tubman Day
Officially proclaimed as a national holiday in 1990, Harriet Tubman Day is observed each year to honor her heroic work as a freedom fighter on the date of her passing on March 10, 1913. Join us in the City of Auburn, NY—the chosen hometown and final resting place of Harriet Tubman—for the annual celebration and observance of this American Hero. Reception will feature special guests, live music, official proclamations, a commemorative poster, and more to celebrate the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman Davis.
Brave Brews: Auburn NY
Voted #5 Best Beer Festival in the US in USA Today!
Experience a weekend to remember, supporting the women and non-binary individuals of NY’s flourishing craft beverage industry in the epicenter of equal rights heritage. This festival features specialty tours special guests and the coolest brew fest in town.
The weekend starts with the Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day and concludes with the Fire and Ice Festival. Activities include roaring fire pits, live music, food, wine, beer, fireworks and entertainment. Don’t miss the magnificent ice sculptures and drink luge!
Porch Fest: Fair Haven NY
On the second Sunday in August, the quaint village of Fair Haven transforms into a musical destination with porches becoming stages. Musicians, ranging from full bands to solo artists — playing instruments ranging from ukuleles to alpenhorns will take to the “stages” to give performances from noon to 6 p.m. Food, trucks and vendors add to the party atmosphere through the village.
Great Race
Annual running, bicycling, and paddling race is held the second Sunday in August in Auburn. Young, old, serious racer and beginners all compete for glory…and the pursuit of fun! All participants and spectators are invited to the after-race celebration complete with music, food, and beverages. Feel free to enjoy the day at beautiful Emerson Park on Owasco lake with all the Great Racers!
Tomato Fest
The annual CNY TomatoFest will bring a day of live music, food, family activities, vendors, and more to downtown Auburn. The festival which supports local food pantries, takes place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Genesee Street between South and William/Dill streets in the city.
Join us for good food, live music, craft vendors and more!
Juneteenth
Join us all month long for celebrations to commemorate Black and African American freedom and achievements. For us, Juneteenth runs deep. As the chosen home of Harriet Tubman, an American abolitionist and activist, the spirit of Juneteenth is thriving in Auburn. Tubman’s strength and courage are honored across several open-to-the-public historical sites that pay tribute to her life and fight for freedom. Be sure to visit the legacy sites of Harriet Tubman as you join us in celebrating Juneteenth.
Colloca Winery Festivals
Foodies and wine lovers unite and enjoy local wines with specially prepared food at the annual Lake Ontario Food, Wine, and Jazz Festival™ at Colloca Estate Winery in Fair Haven, New York. A day of great food, wine, and jazz overlooking Fair Haven Bay along the 900′ of unobstructed waterfront that the Estate has to offer. Local area wineries, craft brewers, cideries, and distilleries will convene at Colloca Estate Winery providing you with the opportunity to sample local wines and other craft beverages and spirits. Specialty Farm to Table bites will be prepared and made available for sale to accompany the wines.
Sterling Stage Folk Fest- Sterling Stage Kampitheater
Held annually on Memorial Day Weekend this festival features folk, roots and jam bands. All tickets include overnight tent camping. Sicard Hollow headlines the 2024 Sterling Stage Folkfest with two Sunday night sets! Annie in the Water plays two Saturday night sets! Count Blastula two Friday night sets! One Man. The Band two Thursday night sets! Late nights with Katie Alessandra Music, Moe Michnick & The Mud Hoppers and Folkfaces! Plus, lots more!
Fillmore Days are held annually on the second weekend in August. The event is free and includes live music, local craft beer, wine, food, artisan vendors and, of course, the bathtub races. The races are held in honor of Moravia native and former U.S. President Millard Fillmore, and refer to a famous hoax that says he brought the first bathtub into the White House.
If you have never seen a bathtub race you don’t know what you are missing!
NY Lavender Festival at Ol’Factory Lavender Farm
Celebrate everything lavender with a peaceful day on the farm! Pick large bundles of the fragrant herb right from the fields, sample some of their wonderful lavender treats including ice cream sundaes with their very own lavender syrup, sip herbal tea, sample lavender wine along with other wine tastings. Enjoy a picnic lunch from the wonderful food vendors then visit with our talented artisan vendors. You will find one-of-a-kind creations from jewelry to pottery to painted glass and wood items. Partake in one of the lavender workshops and listen to some great musical entertainment.
Merriment awaits at the Festival at Warwick Welcome… The year is 1585. You have entered the village of Warwick, England, a small country town not far from the bustling city of London. Step through the beautiful gates and you will soon find yourself greeted by the town’s jubilant citizens, who will warmly welcome you as one of their own. The rules of everyday life are suspended for this special day of play and feasting. Be so bold as to join your fellow villagers in traditional 1585 garb and whatever amusements they have created for the day.