Hello again! I spent this past summer in Rochester, even though I used to think that staying here for the whole summer might not be a wise choice. After all, it is not exactly New York City, which has a lot of entertainment and interesting places to go. However, I was completely wrong this time. There were actually festivals every weekend during the whole summer here in Rochester! I will list a few of my favorites:
Fairport Canal Days
This festival was held on the famous Erie Canal, and it attracts more than 200,000 attendees every year. The view of the canal is wonderful! This Fairport volunteer-run festival includes live music, arts and crafts from more than 200 artisan vendors and BBQ chicken. There was also a live concert there! It is really an unforgettable experience when you have dinner with a view of the sunset on the canal with a live concert around you!
Rochester Real Beer Week and Expo
If you are a big fan of beer, then this festival may be your favorite! You can learn a lot about craft beer at the events. Various venues from across the city hosted events during the 10-day festival.
Maplewood Rose Celebration
Summer is a blossom season! I went to the Rose Celebration and enjoyed more than 3,000 rose bushes! Here, I found everything rose: flowers, candles, syrup and perfumes! All of them were sweet! It is a good place for girls, lovers and also FRIENDS!
Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
This is one of the nation’s most popular and most respected music festivals! Over 300 concerts including Steve Martin, Michael McDonald, and Janelle Monáe took place at this year’s Jazz Fest. Plus, there were over 80 free shows, which attracted more than 200,000 people. I went to one of the free shows in downtown; the atmosphere was awesome! The street was so full of people that you couldn’t even move during the show! Even if you are not a real fan of Jazz, it’s a most enjoyable event!
Finger Lakes Wine Festival
The Finger Lakes area is one of the nation’s most important wine producing regions. It offers the largest showcase of wines produced in New York State with over 80 wineries. The festival featured regional artisans, live music, culinary classes and cooking demonstrations.
Rochester Greek Festival
This is a good occasion to learn about the Greek Orthodox religion and culture. Plus, it’s a great occasion for delicious Greek pita sandwiches like the gyro, souvlaki and loukaniko! People can try homemade spanakopita, Greek chicken, pastichio, moussaka, stuffed green peppers, and tomato and lamb shank. I enjoyed an appetizer of saganaki, a flaming cheese, and delicious fried kalamari. (Yes, my point is the FOOD!!!)
These represent just a small portion of the summer festivals in Rochester; you can always find something interesting according to your preferences and passions! Summer in Rochester does not only mean festivals – in another blog, I will tell you guys about some other fun things Rochester has to offer!
– Bowei Zhang ’14 (MS)
