Attention Foodies: You need to add these festivals to your bucket list! The Lake George Area has an abundance of food festivals taking place throughout the year in which restaurants exhibit their variety of cuisines, while chefs show off their culinary talents and innovative recipes. Sample and shop award-winning artisan foods, craft beverages, and organically-grown produce. One of the best ways to experience the Lake George Area is to eat like the locals!
September, October, and November features German-inspired cuisine and seasonal flavors. Here is the Fall Edition of our Festivals for Foodies series:
Apple Festival
Date: September 13
Time: 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Location: Warrensburgh Riverfront Farmers’ Market
Cost: Free to Attend
Dedicated solely to apples, their varieties and uses, the Apple Festival is just one of many food festivals held at the Warrensburgh Riverfront Farmers’ Market. Locally-grown Saratoga Apple varieties, ciders, and donuts will be available alongside homemade apple and apple-flavored desserts, local spirits, and handcrafted artisan wares. There will also be live local music, kids’ activities, and a chance to win Farmers’ Market Bucks. Here in upstate New York, crisp bushels of bright red and green apples signals the official arrival of fall!
Oktoberfest Food Festival
Dates: Select Days, August 24 - September 22, See park website for calendar dates – click here.
Time: See website for park hours – click here.
Location: Six Flags Great Escape
Cost: See website for ticket options & prices – click here.
Step away from the scares of Fright Fest and into the Great Escape’s own little corner of Germany. The Oktoberfest Food Festival is a Bavarian food-focused event that is relatively new to the theme park’s fall festivities. Experience a German-inspired menu & craft beers, traditional German music & dancing, and fun games all in the German Fest Area of the park. Of course, you can’t leave the Great Escape without taking a ride on the iconic Comet coaster, the new Adirondack Outlaw, or the fan favorite Sasquatch – all offering bird’s eye views of the theme park and surrounding mountainous landscape.
Click here for the full Taste of Oktoberfest menu.
Lake George Village Oktoberfest
Dates & Times:
- October 11: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
- October 12: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m.
- October 13: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Lake George Village (Canada St.)
Cost: Free to Attend
Join in the Lake George Village’s Oktoberfest celebration! During this three-day festival, Canada Street is transformed into a Bavarian-style street fair. The authentic German food, like bratwurst, knackwurst, potato pancakes, and more, are highlights of this event, alongside Adirondack Pub & Brewery’s Bier Garten. Host a stein of their local handcrafted German-inspired ales and lagers, including their tasty, sweet Märzen-style beer brewed with New York State hops.
Fun for the whole family, there will be activities and entertainment like German Polka band performances, the Chicken Dance, cask tapping, keg tossing, and more! Celebrate Oktoberfest traditions, music, food, and beer with a backdrop of fall foliage in the Lake George Area.
Click here for a full list of vendors and the Adirondack Pub & Brewery’s Bier Garden menu.
Garlic Festival
Date: October 11
Time: 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Location: Warrensburgh Riverfront Farmers’ Market
Cost: Free to Attend
The Garlic Festival at the Warrensburgh Riverfront Farmers’ Market can help you spice things up, staring with your home garden! Browse more varieties of bulbs and cloves than ever, all certified organic and naturally grown garlic from Warren County farms and local businesses. Garlic, in all its different forms, will be sampled and sold for planting and consumption. Want to participate in the Garlicky Food Contest? Make sure you bring a copy of the recipe with your entry, or you can enjoy free samplings to go! More recipes and horticultural information will be provided to attendees. Other entertainment includes a children’s’ seasonal craft workshop, live local music, and a chance to win Farmers’ Market Bucks. In addition to its uses in all different types of cuisines, garlic boosts the immune system and has many other health benefits – making this a very popular event.
Harvest Bar at the Holiday Inn
Dates & Times: TBA
Location: TR’s Restaurant & Lounge at the Holiday Inn Resort Lake George – Adirondack Area
Cost: Free to Attend
Pull up a seat at the annual Harvest Bar! During two long weekends in October, TR’s Restaurant & Lounge at the Holiday Inn serves up harvest-themed food and drink pairings on their gorgeous patio that transforms into the perfect autumn setting centered around a haybale bar. Cozy up around a fire pit, participate in lawn games, or watch a classic film on their outdoor projector screen. It’s pumpkins, gourds, and fall galore at this laid-back foodie fest!
Harvest Fest
Dates & Times:
- October 12: TBA
- October 13: TBA
Location: Gore Mountain
Cost: Free to Attend
Gore Mountain’s annual Harvest Fest is a celebration of everything the season has to offer. On-mountain dining will serve hearty fall menus, including heaping slices of apple and pumpkin pie, and satellite bars around the base area will have bountiful selections of beer and wine. Adirondack artisans will be selling their autumn-inspired goods like all-natural bath & beauty essentials, handcrafted décor, knit scarves, handmade jewelry, pottery, photography, wine & spirits, and more. Gore’s four peaks provide prime leaf peeping opportunities, and attendees are invited to a take scenic gondola skyride to admire the fall foliage during Harvest Fest.
West Mountain Fall Festival
Dates & Times:
- October 5: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- October 6: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- October 12: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- October 13: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: West Mountain
Cost: Free to Attend
Fall fun for the whole family! The West Mountain Fall Festival incorporates all of their seasonal fall activities and some! Take a scenic chairlift ride for leaf peeping, challenge yourself on the aerial treetop adventure course, find serenity in mountaintop yoga, take a scenic hike, go mountain biking, listen to live music, paint a pumpkin, and browse products from local crafters and artists. For the foodies – enjoy beer/spirits tastings or specialty food trucks on-site. This two-weekend-long event celebrates the harvest, fall foliage, and crisp weather of this Adirondack season.
Apple vs Pumpkin Fall Throwdown
Date: October 12
Time: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: The Shirt Factory
Cost: Free to Attend
Team apple pie or team pumpkin spice? The Shirt Factory hosts this fall festival in the courtyard, where vendors exhibit their culinary talents through a variety of dishes featuring apple or pumpkin – the quintessential fall flavors. Not a fan of either? The Apple vs Pumpkin Fall Throwdown will also feature a BBQ competition.
Among other activities, there will be a pumpkin carving competition. Show off your skills by bringing a creatively carved pumpkin to be judged at the end of the event.
The Shirt Factory is a historic building home to community of artist’s studios, galleries, healing boutiques, and retail shops that will also be open during this event.
Adirondack Pub & Brewery Oktoberfest
*Must be 21+ to attend; ID required to gain entrance.
Date: October 19
Time: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Adirondack Pub & Brewery
Cost: Advanced Ticket – $55; Day of Ticket – $60; Designated Driver Ticket – $10
Lace up your dirndl dress, step into your lederhosen, and come on out to Adirondack Pub & Brewery’s Oktoberfest. In addition to opening their Bier Garden for the Lake George Village’s Oktoberfest, Adirondack Pub & Brewery hosts their own event in celebration. Come hungry and thirsty – the festival will feature a full menu of authentic German food, a Bier Garten, and NYS guest breweries. Take part in activities like the incredibly popular keg toss competition, costume contest, stein hoisting, dancing chicken, and more!
Tickets Include:
- Complimentary Oktoberfest branded 5 oz. sampler stein
- Complimentary food voucher of $15 value (also included w/ DD Ticket)
- Unlimited sampling of Adirondack Brewery beer & cider, NYS guest brewery beer, and local wine & cider
- Free parking in the High Peaks Distilling/Biscotti Brothers Cafe parking lot at 1 Canada St.
All food & beer is cash only – click here for the full Bier Garden menu. Click here to purchase tickets.