Find activities, fall festivals, fun things-to-do and events this weekend in Rochester, Canandaigua and the Finger Lakes…
September is an absolutely beautiful time in the Finger Lakes with plenty of adult activities as well as fun things to do for families and kids. The air is getting cooler and the crops are abundant. There are many harvest festivals to celebrate the beauty and bounty that the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York has to offer. You can enjoy hot air balloon rides, apple picking, pumpkin farms, farmers markets, wine tours, harvest festivals, street fairs, arts & crafts shows, and beer & wine events going on around the Finger Lakes. Fall is a great time to enjoy Autumn weekend activities and events in Canandaigua, Rochester, and fun things-to-do all over the beautiful Finger Lakes. Find out what’s going on this weekend…
2026 September Events – Finger Lakes & Rochester NY
Events may be canceled or postponed. Check websites before heading to event.
Clothesline Art Festival
- August 29-30, 2026
- Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester
- View Website
- The Clothesline Art Festival is Rochester’s largest and longest-running fine art and crafts festival. Check out original artwork by more than 300 New York state artists! Enjoy live music, fine food, visit the Memorial Art Gallery, and shop. 10am-5pm
Ring of Fire – Canandaigua Lake & Keuka Lake
- September 05, 2026
- Canandaigua Lake and Keuka Lake, NY
- View Website
- The Ring of Fire is held on Canandaigua Lake and Keuka Lake the Saturday before Labor Day each year. The celebration starts at 9 p.m. On Canandaigua Lake, in Canandaigua, NY, the first fire is lit at the top of Bare Hill overlooking the lake. Shoreline residents then light flares, creating a glowing ring around the entire lake. There are plenty of private fireworks displays going on around the lake to enhance the celebration.
Watkins Glen Vintage Grand Prix Festival
- September 11, 2026
- Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY
- View Website
- Check out over 600 sports and classic cars lining the streets of Downtown Watkins Glen at the Vintage Grand Prix Festival. Enjoy live music, wine tasting, food courts, and assorted other family activities and and fun things to do. Shop at vendors of racing items.
CNY Tomatofest
- September 12, 2026
- Cayuga Community College – 197 Franklin St. Auburn, NY
- view website
- Enjoy family activities and music at the CNY Tomatofest. Shop for Hand-crafted soaps, jewelry, maple syrup, wood carvings, jams, hand-woven baskets, alpaca wool clothing, metal sculpture, hand-made doll clothes, and locally grown produce and flowers. Also a duck derby and a silent auction. 11am-7pm
Explore Victor fest
- September 12, 2026
- Village of Victor, NY: Mead Square, Adams Street and Village Hall parking lot
- view website
- Explore Victor Fest is a family-fun, free community festival with 100+ exhibits, vendors, food, games, live music and big trucks. 10am-3pm
Macedon Center Fire Department Lumberjack Festival
- September 12-13, 2026
- Firemen’s Field at 2481 Canandaigua Road, Macedon, NY
- View Website
- Macedon Center Fire Department Professional Lumberjack Festival competition event includes lumberjack pros from all over the country and Canada competing in ax throwing, hot saw, two man crosscut, spring board and more. There is also food, a craft and collectables sale, petting zoo, and more.
Harvest on the canal Festival – Palmyra
- September 12-13, 2026
- Wayne County Fairgrounds, Palmyra, NY
- View Website
- Harvest on the Canal Festival at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Palmyra features a car show, family activities, live music, artisan vendors, food and craft beverages, farmers market,horse-drawn wagon rides, and more.
Purple Foot Festival
- September 13, 2026
- Casa Larga- 2287 Turk Hill Road, Fairport, NY
- View Website
- Casa Larga’s Purple Foot Festival is the annual celebration of harvest and one of the largest grape stomping festivals in the Eastern U.S.! Experience the old world tradition of stomping grapes – just like our ancestors did back in Italy. Enjoy live music, local food, and award-winning wines.
Wings and Wheels in Hammondsport
- September 19, 2026
- Depot Park, Hammondsport, NY on Keuka Lake
- View Website
- The Curtiss Museum’s Seaplane Homecoming joins forces with the Hammondsport’s Classic & Exotic Car Show to form, WINGS AND WHEELS Hammondsport! Seaplanes, cars, food, vendors, Kid Zone and more! The Seaplane Homecoming features various seaplanes landing and taking off at the lakefront and gathering at Depot Park, where you can get up close to the aircraft and talk with the pilots and owners.
Gaffer District Harvest Festival – Corning, NY
- September 18-19, 2026
- Centerway Square Corning, NY
- View Website
- The Gaffer District Harvest Festival features outdoor dining, live music, vending from our small businesses and farmers’ market vendors, and other harvest-themed activities as you explore historic downtown Corning!
Ionia Fall Festival
- September 19, 2026
- Ionia United Methodist Church- 2120 Elton Road, Bloomfield, NY
- View Website
- Ionia Fall Festival event features fun things to do like a tractor parade and displays, cake and dessert wheel, coin toss, displays, games, vendors and crafters, hayrides and more.
Fairport Oktoberfest – Fairport, NY
- September 24-26, 2026
- Fairport Junction Festival Site – 9 Liftbridge Lane East, Fairport, NY
- View Website
- The Fairport Oktoberfest features live music, food and beer vendors. Enjoy authentic German cuisine, bier, lively polka bands, traditional German dancing, local vendors, and festive entertainment under the big tent in Fairport Junction.
Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival
- September 25-27, 2026
- The Ithaca Commons – Ithaca, NY
- View Website
- Ithaca’s Apple Harvest Festival is a three day celebration of food, fun, and apples. The 2026 Apple Harvest Festival hosts plenty of apples, local produce, fresh baked goods, family entertainment, craft fair, games, rides, prizes and live performances.
Naples Grape Festival – Naples NY
- September 26-27, 2026
- Naples Grape Festival
- The 2026 Naples Grape Festival event is held at the Naples High School Grounds and across the street at Memorial Town Hall from 10am-5pm, rain or shine. Enjoy wine, food, arts, crafts and local/regional music. Bake a pie for the World’s Greatest Grape Pie Contest and sample every thing “grape” that this September event in Naples Valley has to offer.
Central Square Apple Festival
- September 26-27, 2026
- Brewerton Speedway – 154 US Route 11, Central Square, NY
- View Website
- The Hastings Lions Club Central Square Apple Festival features craft vendors, free entertainment and demonstrations, amusement rides, games, food, and fun for the entire family.
Appleumpkin Festival – Wyoming, NY
- September 26-27, 2026 – (10am-5pm)
- Village of Wyoming, NY
- View Website
- Appleumpkin Festival, a Fall Arts and Crafts Festival event in the Historic Gaslight Village of Wyoming NY, features live entertainment, craft vendors, strolling performers, baking contest and yummy festival treats.
Newfane Apple Harvest Festival
- September 27, 2026 (10am-4pm)
- 2685 West Creek Rd. Newfane, NY
- View Website
- Enjoy live performances, flea market and craft vendors, historical demos, animal exhibits, car and tractor displays, historical reenactments and hands-on activities.
Live Music at Remedy @ Finger Lakes Casino