BeyondTheNest: Weekly e-newsletter for Rochester | |
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Save the Date
Thu, Jun 18-Sun, Jun 21: 40th Annual HARBORFEST Fri, Jun 19 - Sat, Jun 27: 2026 Rochester
International Jazz Festival Thu, Jun 25: Rochester Oratorio Society's Festival-America at 250: the Journey to Freedom Sat-Sun, Jul 11-12: Corn Hill Arts Fest
Sat, Jul 11: 2026 Perry Chalk Art Festival
- 20th Anniversary
Sat, Jul 11: Batavia Ramble Explore Art & Music Festival
Sat, Jul 11 -Sun, Jul 12: Farmstead 1868 Cazenovia Lavender
Festival
Sat, Jul 11: Rainbowland Rhapsody: Songs of Dolly Parton
Sun, Jul 12: America 250 Celebration Monroe County &
Rochester
Sun, Jul 12: Pavilion Garden Brunch
Sat, Jul 18: Welded Metal Sculpture Date Night
Sat, Jul 18: Rochester Pride Parade & Festival 2026
Sat, Jul 18: The Genesee County Fair 2026
Wed, Jul 22: ChamberFest Canandaigua 2026
Sat, Jul 25: Ganondagan's Indigenous Music & Arts Festival |
Summer arrives with music, meaning, and a whole lot of waterfront sunshine this weekend. Rochester steps into the season with the opening of the 2026 Rochester International Jazz Festival, bringing more than 300 shows to downtown, while Harborfest returns to Ontario Beach Park and the Port of Rochester for
its 40th year of lakeside fun: tall ship tours, sand sculpting, boat lights, music, food, and more. Friday also brings delicious downtown ease with Food Truck Fridays in Washington Square and a relaxing evening of music along the canal in Pittsford. This weekend also offers meaningful ways to gather and celebrate. Juneteenth events at the RMSC, Veterans Memorial Park in Henrietta, and lots of other locations honor history and community with music, food, hands-on activities, local businesses, and family-friendly fun, while the ROC Black-Owned
Business Expo shines a light on local entrepreneurs. Art lovers can visit Tinker Nature Park’s Freedom-themed Art & Garden Party or catch A Streetcar Named Desire before it closes June 21. And, of course, Sunday is Father’s Day, with plenty of ways to celebrate the dads and grandfathers in your life: free admission for fathers and grandfathers at the New York Museum of Transportation, a brunch cruise on the Colonial Belle, birding aboard Riverie, a farm brunch at Hurd Orchards, or even a 1950s-themed Rochester Subway Gala at George Eastman House. However you spend it—on the water, in the garden, at a concert, or around a table—this is a weekend made for making early-summer
memories. —Debra Ross, publisher
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The New York Museum of Transportation announces its Father's Day Special! Fathers and Grandfathers receive free admission Sunday, June 21 when accompanied by a youth age 3 – 12. The model railroad is in operation, sure to give everyone fresh ideas for their own home layouts. Climb into the cab of a steam locomotive and ring the bell in a trolley car. Highway and horse-drawn vehicles, models, photos, and smaller artifacts bring transportation history to life. Open 11 to 4.
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Friday, June 19, 2026 12pm-5pm: Celebrate Juneteenth at the RMSC! Join us for a joyful day featuring live performances by local community members, our Black-Owned business bazaar, sweet treats, hands-on activities and crafts, delicious food, education about Juneteenth history, and more! This event will take place at the Museum & Science Center and is included with paid admission. The Black-Owned Bazaar is free and will be held in the RMSC Eisenhart Auditorium.
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The Red Wings are home at ESL Ballpark through Father’s Day, with a packed weekend of baseball, giveaways, and family fun as they take on the Toledo Mud Hens. Tonight’s game features the Rochester Plates, a Plates Jersey Giveaway for the first 500 fans age 21 and older, and College Day deals. Friday honors the Negro Leagues as the Wings play as the Rochester American Giants, with a Tom Alston Bobblehead Giveaway for the first 1,000 fans and post-game fireworks. Saturday brings more fireworks, Cocos Locos Night, a Hawaiian Shirt Giveaway for the first 1,000 fans, and Bruce Fetching Bats. Then wrap up the homestand Sunday afternoon with Father’s Day at the ballpark, a pre-game autograph booth, Knot Hole Kids Club Day, and Kids Run the Bases with Spikes & Mittsy after the game.
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June 19-27, 2026: It's one of the world's leading jazz festivals – and the place to experience all genres of creative improvised music. Explore the unique musical sounds from many countries, highlighting international artists' take on the only truly American art form—jazz. The nine-day festival returns to 19 venues in downtown Rochester, NY, with 300-plus shows, including more than 100 free shows, jam sessions, and jazz workshops featuring 1,750-plus artists from the United States, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, France, Hungary, Japan and Poland. Headliners include Gladys Knight, the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra, and trumpeter Chris Botti.
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June 18-21, 2026, Harborfest returns to Ontario Beach Park and the Port of Rochester for its 40th annual celebration of summer on the lakeshore. Families can enjoy festive waterfront fun, including dockside tours and public sails aboard the 1893 tall ship Lettie G. Howard, plus a Saturday performance by the X-Squad Water Ski Show Team. The weekend also features favorites like sand sculpting, a nighttime Boat Parade of Lights, volleyball, the historic Dentzel Carousel, Charlotte Lighthouse tours, wine tastings, live music, food vendors, and more—a lively kickoff to summer by Lake Ontario!
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Ease into the weekend with Food Truck Fridays in Washington Square— a lunchtime series in the heart of downtown! Enjoy a rotating selection of local food trucks, lawn games, and live music curated by Local Sound Collaborative, all set in the leafy, green oasis of Washington Square Park. Whether you’re craving something savory, sweet, or globally inspired, there’s always something new to try— and great music to enjoy while you eat!
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Free Friday night concerts in the summer in Carpenter Park, 22 North Main Street, starting 6:30pm: At the Port of Pittsford Park on Friday evenings. This season’s lineup features a wide range of music, including jazz, classic roots rock, country, a Tom Petty Tribute band, and more. Bring your lawn chairs or a blanket, grab dinner from an on-site food truck or from one of Pittsford’s many local eateries, and enjoy a fun, relaxing evening along the historic Erie Canal with family and friends.
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Fri, Jun 19 2026, 6:30 - 8:30pm: Great food and fun for the whole family! Music by Carlton Wilcox Live. Bring your lawn chair and your dancing shoes!
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As part of Blue Star Museums, the RMSC is extending its gratitude to those currently serving in the United States Military and up to five of their family members, by offering free admission to all three of its locations from Armed Forces Day, May 16, 2026, through Labor Day, September 7, 2026. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.
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Sat, Jun 20 - Saturday, July 4: We're happy to announce the sixth annual Tinker Homestead Art and Garden Party! In recognition of the 250th Anniversary of our country, the 2026 Art Show Theme is Freedom.
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The ROC Black-Owned Business Expo is returning to the Central Library! This event throws a light on locally owned Black businesses, connecting them with an enthusiastic audience who is eager to support!
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The Company Theatre of Rochester presents “A Streetcar Named Desire” June 5-21, 2026, at The Company’s 28 Lawn Street location in downtown Rochester, New York. A pay-what-you-wish performance is Thursday, June 11, a post-show talkback with the cast and creatives is Sunday, June 14, and an ASL-interpreted performance is Saturday, June 20. Tickets are $30, $25 for seniors, students, veterans, and active-duty military. For information and to purchase tickets, visit www.thecompanytheatreroc.org.
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Cruise with us and celebrate Father's Day! Narrated cruise from the Village of Fairport to the Village of Pittsford and then back to Fairport (No lock passage on this cruise)
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Cruise with birding experts Randi and Nic Minetor and observe some of the 100 species of birds that make their home along the Erie Canal and Genesee River. Perfect for every bird watcher from novice to die-hard enthusiast, you’ll see local birds in their lush habitat and learn to identify them from sight and sound. Participants are encouraged to bring their own binoculars, though binoculars will be available on board for use during the cruise.
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Step back into the golden age of Rochester transit at the Rochester Subway Gala, a 1950s-themed evening of classic cocktails, cinema, and history on Sunday, June 21. Held at the elegant George Eastman House, this special fundraising event marks the 70th anniversary of the end of Rochester Subway service while supporting local historic preservation.
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Saturday, June 20, 11am & 2pm: Filled with summer sunshine, strawberries, daisies chains by the garden, and a sumptuous, old fashioned brunch filled with our favorite summertime fare – Fresh strawberry on your salad, the best French Toast made with our own all natural Mother Earth bread topped with this year’s maple syrup and fresh strawberries fresh from the oven warm herb garden quiche rhubarb yogurt trifle classic strawberry shortcake summertime punch, maple coffee and so much more!
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Lovely local experiences are in your future! |
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