Previewing the county’s upcoming festival scene

Get out and celebrate in 2025

From local bands and winter weather to apples and dairy farmers, Tompkins County will celebrate everything the area has to offer with a plethora of events in 2025.

“We are lucky to have so many amazing festivals in Tompkins County, from the local community celebrations to the larger ones that take place in downtown Ithaca,” said Rob Montana, communications manager for Visit Ithaca. “One of the things that amazes me so much is how the people who live here find ways to celebrate so vividly, and a few of the festivals I’d like to highlight are a few ones that feel unique to Tompkins County.”

“I’m just excited to have the vibrancy downtown, regardless whatever the activity might be,” said Nan Rohrer, chief executive officer of Downtown Ithaca Alliance. “Whether it is Apple Fest or Ithaca or Pride, there’s something for everyone to enjoy throughout the year.”

Festival of Fire and Ice

The Festival of Fire and Ice will encourage families to brave the cold Feb. 8 from 3 to 6 p.m. for a puppet parade, a hot chocolate cauldron and other winter fun.

Perry Ground, storyteller and cultural educator, will return this year to tell his “talking turtle” stories.

“He really cares about our mission and wants to bring his storytelling to the local community,” said Kelsey Brewer, Ithaca Children’s Garden educator. “It is very normal for him to be telling his stories to children, so it’s very fun and engaging.”

“Storytelling is a great pastime for the winter months; getting around the fire and hearing the stories of the past is a great reminder of storytelling and staying close,” she added.

Toward the end of the event, LilySilly Puppet Theater will have an Arctic Puppet Parade from the Gaia turtle sculpture to the area where fire dancers will perform.

“Everybody knows that if you’re local, we stay in our homes and warm and cozy, as we should, but there are opportunities to play outside and enjoy the weather,” Brewer said. “Bundle up, and get out and be a part of the community again.”

Volunteers to help out with the event are always welcome, and those who are interested can reach out through the Ithaca Children’s Garden website: ithacachildrensgarden.org.

Newfield Old Home Days, an event that has been around for over half a decade, will return July 25 and 26.

“We have some oldies but goodies already lined up,” said Vicki Cody, co-chair of the Newfield Old Home Days Committee.

The old carnival games such as “High Strike” will be back, and some of the live music is already lined up. There will be fireworks on Friday evening again this year.

“The fireworks are great,” said Cody. “That’s one of my favorite parts.”

The parade on Saturday morning is always the big draw, and Old Home Days is the event of the year for those who grew up in the small town.

“It’s what they look forward to,” Cody said. “You bump into people you haven’t seen in a long time because it tends to draw people from decades past.”

Those who are interested in helping to organize the event or who would like to participate as a vendor can contact Cody at newfieldoldhomedays@gmail.com.

You do not have to commit to being a member of the committee or attend every meeting in order to volunteer.

“[People] can come to a meeting to find out how they could fit in and find their passion,” she said, adding that if someone wanted to take care of just one aspect of the event, that would be a huge help to the committee.

For more information, visit facebook.com/NewfieldOldHomeDays.

Ithaca and Trumansburg Porchfests  

Both Ithaca and Trumansburg host Porchfests in the summer or early fall, and both events have become staples in their communities.

In Trumansburg, the event will take place June 8 and doubles as a way to bring people into the restaurants and shops in the village.

“We want to celebrate our community and celebrate it with others,” said Nana Potenza, member of the Trumansburg Chamber Board of Directors, “and to generate money for Trumansburg local businesses.”

Both Trumansburg WinterFest and Trumansburg Porchfest end relatively early in the day. “They end around 5 or 6 p.m., so people can get a bite to eat and enjoy what Trumansburg has to offer,” Potenza said.

“Trumansburg is so walkable and has such nice neighborhoods, it lent itself to that event,” Potenza said, “and we have so many musicians and bands in our area.”

Tburgporchfest.com will offer an interactive map and information about each band closer to time of the event.

“You might not know the bands … but go out and listen,” Potenza advised. “Find something you like that you wouldn’t have otherwise.”

New relationships are made when porches and bands find each other. “It’s kind of fun to watch that happen,” Potenza said.

Ithaca Porchfest will return this September, and more information will be made available on the event’s website, porchfest.org, as the event approaches.

“It’s a celebration of community and music, and it’s really great to see so many friendly faces around town,” said Kerry Anne Buckman, Ithaca Porchfest volunteer coordinator.

She said the event needs many volunteers on the day-of to make it run smoothly.

“It’s a great way to make new friends and give back to the community that we’re all a part of,” Buckman said. “This community is so great because of what we put into it. And we give some freebies to people who volunteer, so that’s a motivation, too.”

Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival will return Sept. 26 to 28 with an expanded footprint in downtown Ithaca. Downtown Ithaca Alliance received much positive feedback about the new layout of the festival, which spanned different streets and was expanded into Press Bay Alley last year, Rohrer said.

For more information, visit downtownithaca.com/apple-harvest-festival, which will be updated with 2025 details as the event approaches.

A listing of festivals that are coming up this year: 

Winter Tap and Craft Festival
Feb. 15 from 3 to 7 p.m.
The Hotel Ithaca, 222 South Cayuga St., Ithaca
Sample 20-plus craft breweries, distilleries, cideries and wineries. Teachers receive $5 off the ticket price. VIP ticket: $50 (pre-sale only). General session: $40 ($48 day of if available). Designated driver ticket price: $10 (includes bottle of water). To find out more, visit tapandcraft.com.

Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off
March 1 from 12 to 4 p.m.
Downtown Ithaca
Warm up your winter with the 27th Annual Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off, Downtown Ithaca’s signature event in the heart of the Commons. To find out more, visit downtownithaca.com/event/27th-annual-downtown-ithaca-chili-cook-off.

Spring Fairy Fest
March 29 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Downtown Ithaca
For the fourth time, fairy magic is coming to downtown Ithaca! Dress as your favorite fairy, elf, imp or magical creature and come enjoy a day of crafts and family fun inside your favorite downtown businesses. All ages are welcome. If you’d like to be a part of Fairy Fest 2025, please reach out to Greta at Alphabet Soup, 607-272-6885.

The Spring Writes Literary Festival
Live events May 8 to 11, Zoom events still being scheduled
Tompkins Center for History and Culture, 110 N. Tioga St.
“I love that our community celebrates writing in this way, bringing in more than 100 writers to participate in panels, readings, workshops, performances and other literary-themed events,” Montana said. “It’s nice to showcase so many different genres and access points to writing, exposing people to writers or ideas that might be new to them.”

Rootstock
May 27
Bernie Milton Pavilion

New Roots Charter School and Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance are excited to be co-producing their fifth annual Rootstock, a one-day community celebration of youth artists in the Finger Lakes region.

Ithaca Laughs
May 29 to 31
Downtown Ithaca
Running concurrently with the Ithaca Festival, this event is a standout celebration of humor, bringing together an exceptional lineup of stand-up talents to ignite various iconic venues across the city. For more information, visit comedyonthecommons.com.

Ithaca Festival 2025
May 29 to June 1
Downtown Ithaca
This free festival includes 70 performances taking place on stages throughout the city of Ithaca, as well as a parade. This year’s theme is “Enchanted Ithaca!” For more information, visit ithacafestival.org.

Ithaca Pride Festival
Date to be announced
Downtown Ithaca
Last year’s Pride Festival, held June 8 to 9, included an all-ages dance party and the inaugural Pride in the Park, a day of activities and performances in Dewitt Park. 

Dryden Dairy Day
June 14
Montgomery Park, Dryden
This event brings together local farmers, businesses and organizations through their sponsorship, involvement and cooperation. Dryden Dairy Day celebrates the many contributions of dairy farmers with food, vendors, live music and an opportunity to meet live animals. For more information, visit drydendairyday.org.

Ithaca Pride Celebration  
June 14 and 15
Downtown Ithaca
Ithaca Pride will return this summer with performances and other activities around Ithaca that families and people of all ages can enjoy.

Ithaca Reggae Fest
June 20 and 21
Stewart Park, Ithaca
Ithaca Reggae Fest is dedicated to the protection of Cayuga Lake through a conscious celebration of Ithaca’s legendary reggae community and its history. “They bring out some amazing reggae performers and really want to connect people to the music. This is also a very family-friendly atmosphere, and they have lots of activities for youth with a real interest in helping them find a space they feel like they belong and a community with which they can connect,” Montana said. For more information, visit ithacareggaefest.com.

Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance
July 17 to 20
Trumansburg Fairgrounds, 2150 Trumansburg Rd.
The 33rd annual Grassroots Festival will return this summer. Last year, this music festival’s lineup included Donna the Buffalo, Old Crow Medicine Show and Mavis Staples. For more information, visit grassrootsfest.org.

Groton Olde Home Days
August – date yet to be determined
Downtown Groton
Last year’s festivities at this three-day-long event included a Playland Amusements Carnival at the Speedway Lot on Main Street, a car show, a tractor show, a parade, a magic show, live music and food vendors. For more information, visit grotonny.org/groton-olde-home-days.

Ithaca Is Books Festival
September 11-14
This event for book lovers of all ages has story times and readings all around town, with 19 locations throughout Ithaca. For more information, visit ithacaisbooks.org.

Trumansburg Winterfest
Dec. 6
Downtown Trumansburg
All are welcome at Trumansburg WinterFest. Many organizations and businesses offer festive foods for free including soup, popcorn, cookies, hot chocolate, hot cider and more. Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, who arrive by fire truck, and take your own photo. Plus, the fire truck will stay onsite for families to check out. For more information, visit facebook.com/TburgWinterFest.

Winter Holiday Bash
Dec. 6
Downtown Ithaca
Ithaca’s annual holiday celebration will return with its Cookie Walk and an opportunity to usher in the holiday season with a visit from Santa. Visit visitithaca.com/holiday-events for more details.