Have you started saving up your dollar bills yet for the $2 samples at this year’s Taste of Syracuse?
Downtown Syracuse’s largest outdoor food and music festival is once again ready to take over the area around Clinton Square on Friday and Saturday with dozens of local restaurants participating. Live music, including national acts Hanson and Cracker, will be on three stages.
Other summer favorites are also on the calendar for this busy first week of June.
St. Sophia’s Greek Cultural Festival will be serving up their delicious food and desserts in DeWitt, Baldwinsville’s Seneca River Days has food trucks, music, fireworks, and more this weekend, and “Hamlet” will be performed at Thornden Park.
And there is a whole lot more.
Know of an event you would like to see on this list? Email us at least two weeks in advance at features@syracuse.com.
Monday
Johnson Park concerts
Liverpool’s Johnson Park begins its summer series of free evening concerts this week. On Monday, Yolanda Bush and The Coolwater Collective provides blues and jazz sounds and on Wednesday Chuck Schiele’s Quatro performs Americana music. Monday and Wednesday concerts at 7 p.m. continue until mid-August. Click here for a complete schedule.
Where: Tulip and Second Streets, Liverpool
When: Mondays and Wednesday until mid-August at 7 p.m.
How much: Free
Wednesday
Canals and the Underground Railroad
The Erie Canal Museum presents a history talk on Wednesday with researcher, writer, and teacher Judith Wellman. It will focus on how New York State’s canals were of special importance for former slaves as both an escape route from slavery and as havens for work and settlement. The presentation can be enjoyed both live in-person or virtually. It starts at 6 p.m. A $10 donation is suggested. Please register here.
Where: 318 Erie Boulevard East, Syracuse
When: Wednesday at 6 p.m.
How much: A $10 donation is suggested.
Thursday
St. Sophia’s Greek Cultural Festival
Celebrating its 51st year, the St. Sophia Greek Cultural Festival kicks off its four-day run at 5 p.m. on Thursday. The church on Waring Road in DeWitt will be the place for a full menu of Greek foods and desserts, live Greek music and dancing under the outdoor “taverna” tent, and guests will be invited to tour the church’s iconography project. A Greek marketplace will be open to shop for clothing, jewelry, and books. The event is free to attend and park. Complimentary shuttles are available from neighboring school parking lots. Visit https://www.syracusegreekfest.com/ for more info and schedules.
Where: 325 Waring Road, DeWitt
When: Thursday from 5-9 p.m., Friday from 5-10 p.m. Saturday from noon to 10, and Sunday from noon to 4.
How much: Free to attend.
Friday
Taste of Syracuse
The annual outdoor food and music festival at Clinton Square returns for another year. Taste of Syracuse features dozens of local restaurants offering $2 samples and menus of full price items on Friday and Saturday and live music spread out over three stages. National acts Hanson and Cracker headline Saturday night. For a list of participants, music schedule, and more information about this Syracuse favorite, visit https://www.tasteofsyracuse.com/.
Where: Clinton Square, Syracuse
When: Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
How much: Free to attend.
“Hamlet” in the Park
Syracuse Shakespeare in the Park will be presenting “Hamlet” at the amphitheater at Thornden Park this weekend and next. The world’s most produced play, “Hamlet” tells the story of a Danish prince looking for revenge against his uncle who has murdered his father. Hamlet will be portrayed by veteran Syracuse Shakespeare in the Park actor Basil Allen. Admission is free and premium tickets are available that offer a lawn chair, concession food coupon, and more. Audience members can bring their own chairs and picnics as well. Performances are 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 on Sundays. Visit ssitp.org for more info and to purchase premium tickets.
Where: Thornden Park Drive, Syracuse
When: Friday-Sunday this weekend and next. Performances start at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 2 on Sunday.
How much: Free. Premium tickets are $40, plus fees.
Seneca River Days
The annual Seneca River Days are back this weekend on Paper Mill Island in Baldwinsville. The fundraiser for the Baldwinsville Rotary Club features many free and low-priced activities for people of all ages. The fun begins on Friday when gates open at 4:30 p.m. for food trucks and fireworks. Admission is $5 per person and children 12 and under are free. Admission is free on Saturday when gates open at 11 a.m. There will be fun events, food trucks, and live music. You can also participate in the annual “The Great Seneca River Duck Pluck” at 6 p.m. Go to https://senecariverdays.com/ for more info, schedules, and to purchase your duck race tickets.
Where: 2 Syracuse Street, Baldwinsville
When: Friday at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday starting at 11 a.m.
How much: Free to attend on Saturday. $5 per person on Friday, children 12 and under are free.
“Nunsense”
The Auburn Players Community Theatre will be presenting the musical comedy “Nunsense” this weekend at the Auburn Public Theater. “Nunsense” follows the five surviving members of the Little Sisters of Hoboken as they try to raise money to bury Sisters accidently poisoned by the convent cook, Sister Julia (Child of God). The Sisters take over a high school auditorium to mount a variety show that includes outrageous songs, dancing, and an audience quiz. Performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 2. Ticket prices are $20 and $15 for students and seniors. They can be purchased here.
Where: 8 Exchange Street, Auburn
When: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2.
How much: $20, $15 for students and seniors.
“Winds and Keys”
Alliance Classical Players presents its second annual “Winds and Keys” concert at Grace Episcopal Church, Utica, on Friday evening, starting at 7 p.m. The concert features the quintet Jewel Winds with pianist Tina Toglia. Selections include works for winds alone, as well as with piano, such as “Summer Evening” by Sadoh, three pieces by Fred Onovwerosuoke, and several short selections by Florence Price The program lasts about an hour in length and there is no intermission. It is free and open to the public.
Where: 6 Elizabeth Street, Utica
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
How much: Free
Saturday
Paige’s Butterfly Run
Held in conjunction with the Taste of Syracuse, Paige’s Butterfly Run brings runners and walkers together from across the region for one of the area’s premier 5K races. The event raises money in support of local children and families fighting childhood cancer and pediatric cancer research at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. Click here to register for the 5K Run, the 3K Fitness Run/Walk, Centipede Team 5K, Virtual 5K, or Caterpillar Crawl for kids five and under. For more information, click here.
Where: Register at the Federal Building in downtown Syracuse.
When: Saturday at 9 a.m.
How much: Adults races are $45.
Marcus King
Grammy-nominated blues and southern rock musician Marcus King brings his “Mood Swings: The World Tour” to Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre on Saturday night. The show starts at 8 p.m. King “faces heartache, addiction, and mental health head-on” in his music. “For as dark as everything seemed, you can’t help but feel a sense of hope in the power of Marcus’s voice.” Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.
Where: 362 South Salina Street, Syracuse
When: Saturday at 8 p.m.
How much: Tickets start at $42.30, plus fees.
2024 Salt City Drag Battle
Join your hosts Darienne Lake and Aggy Dune on Saturday night as eight “diva-licious” contestants contend at the 2024 Salt City Drag Battle. Tickets are still available for the show at the Archbold Theatre. Lobby opens at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8. The night includes drinks, dancing, and complimentary snacks during an extended intermission. All proceeds from the Salt City Drag Battle benefit Syracuse Stage artistic, community engagement, and educational programming. No one under the age of 17 is admitted with a parent or guardian. Click here for tickets.
Where: 820 East Genesee Street, Syracuse
When: Saturday at 8 p.m. Doors open at 6:30.
How much: $45
CNY Folksmarch
June’s CNY Folksmarch will be exploring the Sterling Nature Center in northern Cayuga County this weekend. Walking trails will take us through meadow areas, along the heron roosting area, and close to the shore of Lake Ontario on both Saturday and Sunday. Paths are packed earth. Please register at the new nature center.
Where: 15380 Jensvold Road, Sterling
When: Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and Sunday from 1-3 p.m.
How much: $4 per adult, $1 for children ages 6 to 18. First time walkers walk free and military veterans participate for half-price.
CNY Fiber Arts Festival
The CNY Fiber Arts Festival returns to Bouckville on Saturday and Sunday with all its popular features and more handmade fiber products and farm products than ever before. The family-friendly festival will be held at Bouckville’s Butternut Hill Campground on Route 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Visitors can stroll through 125 booths under cover offering fiber-related products, farm products, fiber animals, exhibits, and demonstrations. The products include handspun yarn, roving, and handmade clothing; unique decorative pieces; rugs and sheepskins; crocheted and knitted toys, felted hats and vessels. Other booths offer supplies for the fiber arts, kits, handmade tools, jewelry, totes, soap, fabrics, baskets, pottery, herbs, and maple syrup. Live music and food vendors will round out the festival atmosphere. Admission is $5 and children under eight are free. Dogs are not permitted. Go to https://www.cnyfiberarts.org for more information.
Where: 6893 U.S. Route 20, Bouckville
When: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
How much: $5, children under eight are free.
Stonework Play
Created by Diana Suskind, “Stonework Play” at Clark Reservation State Park on Saturday is a creative, nature-related event that is perfect for families and all ages. Participants collect various shapes, weights, and colors of stones. Then they arrange the stones to create a pattern or a picture. After this, the children draw a picture that represents what they have created and narrate what is going on in the picture or author a story about it. (Parents help with this part.) Finally, there is a “walk and talk” where everyone shares their work with each other. The event runs from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and is free, but you must register here.
Where: 6105 East Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville
When: Saturday from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
How much: Free
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