BeyondTheNest: Weekly e-newsletter for Rochester | |
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Save the Date
Fri, Jun 19 - Sat, Jun 27: 2026 Rochester International Jazz Festival 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: Oatka Fest
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 |
Hello, summer! Despite today's rain, Rochester is rolling out the picnic blankets, tuning up the music, and making plenty of room for art, history, food, and fresh-air fun. This week’s newsletter is bursting with ways to enjoy the season, from garden concerts and canal cruises to food trucks, festivals,
fireworks, and live performances that give the week ahead a little extra sparkle. Whether you’re in the mood for jazz downtown, a relaxed evening with horses, a nature walk, or want to catch one of the
last performances of Anastasia at Geva, there are lots of ways to say yes to summer. You’ll also find chances to explore local history, enjoy theater and dance, watch model airplanes and rockets take flight, and settle in for music along the Erie Canal. So check your calendar, gather your favorite people, and make a plan to get out and about. Summer moves quickly, but this is exactly the kind of week that reminds us how much there is to savor right here at home. —Debra Ross, publisher
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Bring your blanket or lawn chair, pack a picnic or stop at Open Face or one of the food trucks, and enjoy a night of fun on our east lawn. Enjoy the music of Kahlil Kwame Bell, a Grammy-affiliated percussionist, composer, arranger, and producer, who has left an indelible mark on the global music industry. His artistry spans jazz, rock, hip hop, European classical, world music, spirituals, and spoken word. Known for his distinctive layering of sounds, instruments, and rhythms, Bell embodies the unity of cultures through music. His compositions and collaborations can be heard daily on jazz and world music radio programs worldwide. Celebrated as a pioneer, Bell is coined for mastering the slapaphone and incorporating it into jazz, blending traditional percussion with innovation to expand the sonic possibilities of the genre. Join us Wednesday, July 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. (gates open at 5 p.m.)
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Sunday, July 12 at ESL Ballpark, 5pm to fireworks! America 250 Rochester & Monroe County is a FREE community-wide celebration commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Through special events, cultural experiences, educational programs, live entertainment, and family-friendly activities, the initiative highlights Rochester and Monroe County’s unique contributions to American history while bringing residents and visitors together to reflect on the past and look toward the future. Event will be held rain or shine. See more at https://www.america250rochester.com
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Saturday, July 11 & Sunday, July 12, 2026: The Corn Hill Arts Festival is an annual celebration of creativity, culture, and community in Rochester, New York’s historic Corn Hill neighborhood. Since its inception in 1969, this cherished event has become a vibrant showcase of artistic talent, featuring over 300 artists, live performances across four stages, and activities for all ages. With its blend of fine art, music, and neighborhood charm, the festival brings together thousands of visitors each year, fostering community connections and enriching Rochester's cultural landscape!
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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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May 28-June 28: This Tony Award-nominated musical inspired by the beloved films takes us on a journey to the past. Iconic songs, like Once Upon a December, transport us from the darkness of Soviet Russia to the opulence of Paris. Anya, an orphan, Dmitry, a handsome conman, and Vlad, a bumbling ex-aristocrat, seek to uncover the truth of Anya’s family: is she the lost Romanov Grand Duchess? Prepare to be swept away on a musical journey to home, love, and family!
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Don't miss our annual ExtRAAvaganza on the Erie Canal! Two days, drop-in, free! Try out inclusive kayaking and cycling, meet recreation businesses who are operating inclusively - art, boat rides, birding, nature exploration, musuems, and more!
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Radio Control pilots from Western New York will be showing their model airplanes, jets, helicopters, and flying them throughout the day. There will be a noon show with some of the best pilots showing their skills. Flying starts at 10:00 am
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Monthly model rocket launch Saturday and Sunday at the National Warplane Museum grounds in Geneseo, NY. We launch everything from small Estes rockets to high power rockets that could fly up to 8,000 feet. The club does maintain a collection of small rockets and motors so youngsters can learn how to prepare a rocket and launch it. Guests and visitors discover our fantastic flying field, our highly organized operations and most importantly our extremely SAFE launches.
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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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Festival of contemporary dance choreography with powerful, creative collaborations and great dancers. Dances at MuCCC: Moving Margins to the Center, is a highly original festival of contemporary dance. Since 2014, Dances at MuCCC has been the only dance festival in Rochester to raise-up the voices of contemporary dance artists whose art exists to share a human message. Happening at a cultural, community theater (MuCCC), all selected choreographers present new dance compositions, often live music, with poetry, and/or dramatic performances that communicate from the stage to the audience. All original choreography chosen for the concert is dynamic and powerful; it fits the vision of…
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Ever just want to hang out with horses? Us too. Barn time is not just for kids anymore- join us for a relaxed, social evening of grooming, petting, connecting with horses, and meeting fellow horse lovers in a calm, welcoming atmosphere. No riding, no experience necessary- just good company and horse time for the soul. Refreshments provided. BYO welcome!
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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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Potluck at the Burroughs Nature Sanctuary in Powder Mills Park, Pittsford, Saturday, June 27, 2026 from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Please join our presenter, the amazing and active Barry Childs, and learn how he has been able to take his concept of helping wildlife and orphaned children in Tanzania and make it a reality! The potluck supper is at 5:30, and the presentation is at 7:00. Don’t forget to bring your place settings and a dish to pass for eight helpings.
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Enjoy a cruise narrated live by our Captain with live instrumental music departing from Fairport 8-miles to Lock E32 in Pittsford, then experience locking up and down approximately 25 feet while our Captain explains the process, next enjoy great live instrumental music AND vocals too as we cruise 8-miles back to Fairport. These special cruises offer the opportunity for LIVE narration by our Captain about canal history/info, sites along our tour route, canal related stories, info about our beloved Colonial Belle and her amazing history, some tales about our family tour boat business that has been operating on the Erie Canal since 1989, answers to your questions & more. These cruise…
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In this heartfelt solo cabaret, Broadway’s Olivia Hernandez brings to life songs by Broadway and American Songbook icons!
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Savor the sunset and enjoy a complimentary beverage on our evening Sam Patch cruise. Journey on the Erie Canal and travel through Lock 32. Enjoy a relaxing evening on the canal listening to a sunset yacht playlist over the vessel speakers, as you mix and mingle with your company on the canal. Your journey ends with a spectacular view of the sunset reflecting on the canal.
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June 25 - July 3: Happy 250th Birthday America! To celebrate we are discounting 50 percent off our history and politics shelves. Stop in! Besides the current sale, we always have clearance books in different genres; Fiction, Nonfiction and Children's.
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In this emotionally charged musical, Alison moves through time to visit her childhood, college years, and early adulthood–unravelling her own coming-of-age and coming-out story while trying to make sense of the twisty, layered relationship she has with her father and their shared hometown. Based on the graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel, Fun Home features a soaring score by Jeanine Tesori that ranges from rousing 70s pop to wistful, shimmering ballads. Appropriate or age 13 and up.
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Lovely local experiences are in your future! |
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