Forget pumpkin patches and hayrides for a second, because one Adirondack town is throwing an entirely different kind of harvest party this fall. The Adirondack Harvest Festival returns to Westport, NY on September 19 for a milestone celebration packed with beeswax candle dipping, mead making, and farm animals galore. 🍂
The Adirondack Harvest Festival returns to Westport, NY for its 10th anniversary on Saturday, September 19, 2026, and this milestone year is buzzing with a theme that fits the season perfectly: bees and honey.
Held at the Essex County Fairgrounds from 12 to 5 PM, the festival pulled in over 3,500 attendees in 2025 alone, and organizers are gearing up for an even bigger crowd this time around.
Here’s everything worth knowing before you make the trip north.
A decade of celebrating Adirondack agriculture
What started in 2016 as a way to celebrate local farms, support the regional economy, and give the community a space to learn and grow together has turned into one of the Adirondacks’ most anticipated fall traditions.
The whole point has always been simple: give local farms a chance to showcase their work, and give everyone else a chance to learn, try new foods, and meet the people actually growing them.
The event is organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County’s Adirondack Harvest program, and this year’s “Bees & Honey” theme couldn’t be more fitting for a festival built entirely around celebrating where food actually comes from.
True to its roots, the festival also runs rain or shine, so there’s no excuse to skip it over a little September drizzle.
What to expect at the 2026 festival
This year’s lineup leans heavily into hands-on learning, with a full slate of workshops built around the honey theme, including:
- DIY herbal skincare with Mary Godnick of Creative Kitchen Garden
- Beeswax candle dipping with Nichole Gerding of Thankful Sage Farm School
- Whipped honey butter boards with Chef Robert Dumas of Paul Smith’s College
- Wild fermented mead making with Zach Clemans of Landscape Paintings
Heads up though: workshops carry a small fee and cap participation, so registering ahead of time is the move if you want a guaranteed spot.
Kids won’t be left out either! The Young Farmers’ Circle is running all-day activities like beeswax candle rolling, lip balm pouring, a giant mural painting station, face painting, and both wagon and pony rides.
Live entertainment runs throughout the afternoon, with performances from The Big Takeover, Annie in the Water, and Ploughman’s Lunch, plus demonstrations in loom weaving and beekeeping, a beekeeping lecture from Tim McGarry, hula hoop performances, stilt walking, and caricature drawing.
A straw bale toss and petting zoo stocked with real farm animals round things out, because no proper harvest festival is complete without a few goats.
The food drive with a purpose
September also happens to be Hunger Action Month, and this year’s festival is leaning into that with a community food drive hosted by Adirondack Community Action Programs (ACAP).
Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable, shelf-stable food items to drop off near the fairgrounds’ entrances.
Just one catch: donation vehicles won’t be accepting drop-offs before noon, since the gates stay closed until the event officially starts. Worth building into your timing if you’re planning to give back on your way in.
Getting there from NYC
Westport sits deep in Essex County along the shores of Lake Champlain, tucked into the Adirondack Coast, so this one requires a real commitment to the road trip life.
- By car: The drive from NYC runs close to 5 hours via I-87 North (the Adirondack Northway). Set your GPS straight for the fairgrounds at 3 Sisco Street, Westport
- By train: Amtrak’s Adirondack line runs directly from Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station to the Westport station, though the ride clocks in around 6 to 7 hours, so plan for a full travel day if you’re taking the rails
Either way, pairing this with a weekend stay makes a lot more sense than a same-day round trip.
Pro tips before you go
- It’s free. No tickets required, just show up. Parking is also free, with overflow available along Sisco Street and easier accessible parking through the western gate
- Leave the pets home. Dogs aren’t permitted on the fairgrounds because of the horses and other farm animals roaming around, and there’s no shaded parking to leave them in a car either
- Bring cash. Cell reception is limited on-site, which makes it tough for vendors to take cards. There’s an ATM on the grounds, plus Champlain National Bank on Main Street nearby
- BYO bag and seating. Pack a reusable tote for your farmers’ market finds, plus a chair or blanket if you want to actually sit and enjoy the live music
- Bring a reusable water bottle. Refill stations will be on site
- It’s stroller and wheelchair friendly. Most activities sit along paved paths or flat grass, and there’s a private space on-site for baby changing and breastfeeding
✨ Mark your calendars: Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 12 – 5 pm at the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport, NY.
Ten years in, this one’s proof that sometimes the best fall festivals are the ones built around something as simple as honey, farms, and a whole lot of community spirit.
🐝 For more information on this year’s Adirondack Harvest Festival, head to their website!