The Festival Season in Buffalo and Western New York
Summer is the season of festivals in Western New York. Our cold, snowy winters and sometimes shorter summers make us manic this time of year. There are so many festivals, carnivals, church-run lawn fetes, and fairs, you can get your fix of fried dough, cotton candy, charbroiled Italian sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions, or swiftly spinning, vomit-inducing rides nearly every weekend in June, July, and August.
In Western New York, it’s not fun unless there’s food, and many of the festivals showcase an ethnic flavor. The summer season kicks off each year with the Hellenic Festival (http://www.hellenicfestival.com), a celebration of Greek heritage, food, culture, and entertainment. Have a shot of Uzo or a taste of baklava and enjoy a little bit of Greece in Buffalo. Opah!
After the Greeks have packed up their wooden horse, Buffalonians continue the celebration with other festive offerings. The Allentown Art Festival (http://allentownartfestival.com) is a street bizarre that attracts artists from all over the world to show, and offer for sale, their paintings, sculptures, woodworkings, and other artistic creations – and, of course, there is food to sate the appetite while wandering in and out of the various stands and booths. The Taste of Buffalo (http://www.tasteofbuffalo.com) is another street event, brings local restaurants to a central location in Downtown Buffalo offering sample-sized portions of their various culinary specialties.
In June, the Juneteenth Festival (http://www.juneteenthbuffalo.com) celebrates African American heritage and culture with music, dance, performance art, and – you guessed it – food. July brings the aroma of steak and dandelion sandwiches, sfingi, calamari, and cannoli, at the Italian Heritage and Food Festival (http://www.buffaloitalianfestival.com). And Buffalo celebrates its rich cultural diversity throughout the summer with other ethnic festivals, including the Scottish, Polish, and German Festivals in case you prefer haggis, kielbasa, or dark beer.
Also in July, festival-goers can enjoy Canal Fest (http://www.canalfest.org), games, rides, amusements – and food – near the historic Erie Canal. Enjoy the exciting events or just watch boats leisurely cruise the canal. And if you still crave more, North America’s second largest county fair, the Erie County Fair and Exposition, runs for eleven days in August (http://www.americas-fair.com). Surrounding the giant midway are live entertainment, animal shows, agricultural displays and demonstrations, 4-H exhibits, expos, a rodeo, demolition derby, the America’s Fair Pageant. This year you can catch Willie Nelson or ZZ Top performing at the grandstand.
Finally, how can one mention Buffalo, and not mention the chicken wing? Buffalo is the birthplace or the hot chicken wing (known elsewhere as the Buffalo Wing). You can visit the Anchor Bar (http://www.anchorbar.com), the originator of the chicken wing, or enjoy yet another festival in September – the Buffalo Wing Festival (http://www.buffalowing.com), which includes live music and family and children’s entertainment. This weekend-long event has a Best Wing Sauce competition, wings from over 30 local restaurants, the Buffalo Division Wing Eating Championship, and the US Chicken Wing Eating Championship semi-finals and finals. Try bobbing for wings and watch the crowning of Ms. Buffalo Wing.
For a listing of events in Buffalo and surrounding Western New York, check out http://www.wnywired.net/events. For additional information link to http://www.buffalo.com.
