Dennis Nett
Lucky eaters in Central New York can feast their way through food festivals almost year-round.
This year, the celebration kicks off with crawfish, hot wings and barbecue. Summer starts with Taste of Syracuse and ends with the New York State Fair -- and in between festival-goers can eat their way through Greece, the Middle East, Poland and the Ukraine. For fall, think red: tomatoes and apples.
Dennis Nett
Crawfish Festival & Clambake
Syracuse
May 5
The 11th annual Crawfish Festival & Clambake runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Clinton Square. Operation Northern Comfort is bringing in 3,500 pounds of crawfish, plus a generous amount of deep-fried crawfish mac and cheese.
Operation Northern Comfort works to rebuild homes damaged by natural disasters, and this festival is one of its main fundraisers. The group also raises money for Syracuse-area groups, such as In My Father's Kitchen and A Tiny Home for Good.
Jared Paventi
Syracuse Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival
May 12
More than two dozen food trucks from Central New York and the Finger Lakes will drive to the New York State Fairgrounds once again for one of the season's earliest -- and biggest -- rodeos.
Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com
Geddes
May 19
This barbecue cook-off is sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society. Yes, it's a serious contest. Yes, you can sample some of the meat. (Not all competitors offer samples, FYI.)
The event also raises money for Phoenix Philosophies, an organization that buys and renovates homes for homeless veterans in Syracuse.
The festival is at the New York State Fairgrounds. It runs from noon to 11 p.m. General admission is $5.
Stephen D. Cannerelli
Syracuse
May 18 and 19
This new festival will be at the Inner Harbor, which is in the midst of a major redevelopment. The two-day festival features 10 Syracuse-area chicken wing makers. On Saturday, the one with the tastiest wings wins the crown. Live music and tours of new Inner Harbor apartments are also part of the festivities.
Submitted by Happy Eating Ground
Syracuse
June 1 and 2
The Bang Bang Shrimp is back.
This annual event in and around Clinton Square attracted more than 200,000 people last year. This year's lineup includes homemade ramen, milkshakes, more fried dough and mac and cheese and Thai foods, and some cake pops. (Plus, Chick-fil-A is coming.)
The headline act is Smash Mouth. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. both days. There is no admission charge.
Gary Walts | gwalts@syracuse.com
St. Sophia's Greek Cultural Festival
DeWitt
June 7 to 10
This marks the 45th annual Greek festival at St. Sophia's, a Greek Orthodox church just east of Syracuse. Thousands of people come during the four-day festival, many for the food: lamb kebabs, chicken souvlaki, pastichio, moussaka, and the pites, spinach and cheese pies in homemade dough.
Teri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.com
June 9
Auburn, N.Y.
The day-long event will feature food vendors from the Syracuse and Rochester areas. The music line up includes The Dean's List and Under The Gun.
The festival is from noon to 8 p.m. on Deauville Island at Emerson Park on Owasco Lake in Auburn.
Photo provided by Clear Path for Veterans
June 16
This four-hour event benefits Clear Path for Veterans in Chittenango. Adam Richman, star of "Secret Eats" returns this year, as does former Syracuse football coach Doug Marrone.
Pro tip: Take a look at this menu. It's not your ordinary barbecue.
Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.
Syracuse
June 22 to 24
This annual downtown event raises money for the Polish Scholarship Fund. That means every pierogi you eat will help send a kid to college. Seriously. So far, the group has awarded $370,000 to about 400 students.
Mike Greenlar
St. Elias Middle Eastern Festival
Onondaga
July 12 to 15
This four-day event features Middle Eastern fare: tabbouleh, labneh, kibbeh, gyros, shwarma and Lebanese dolma. The St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church added an extra day to the festival a couple of years ago. They've worked hard to make sure the food lines are shorter and more parking is available.
Provided photo
Rotary Ribs Rhythm & Blues Festival
Auburn
July 20 to 22
The festivities start Friday night with a free concert at Emerson Park. The meat of the festival is Saturday and Sunday, when the competition begins. The contest is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. More than two dozen teams competed last year, the festival's first. Admission on Saturday and Sunday is $10 per adult, per day. Children 12 and under are $5.
Katrina Tulloch
Syracuse Ukrainian Festival
Syracuse
July 27 to 28
The festival at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church on Tipperary Hill features more than 14,000 pyrohy (potato and cheese dumplings), 4,000 holupchi (cabbage rolls), 500 links of kielbasy (pork sausage), 17 tubs of kapusta (Ukrainian sauerkraut), and gallons of borsch (beet soup, sometimes spelled borscht). Also look for the popular Ukrainian breads and baked goods.
SCOTT SCHILD
Onondaga
Aug. 3 to Aug. 5
This three-day festival is put on by the St. George Macedonian Orthodox Church. The food includes lamb, chicken, musakas and sarmi (stuffed cabbage with beef and rice).
Submitted by the Jewish Music & Cultural Festival
Syracuse Jewish Music & Cultural Festival
DeWitt
August 5
This family event at the Jewish Community Center features food from Oaks Catering: corned beef sandwiches, falafel wraps, kosher hot dogs, kugel and knish.
David Lassman
Festival Latino Americano
Aug. 11
Syracuse
This celebration will return to Clinton Square for the second year in a row. The party -- filled with food, art, music and dancing -- starts at noon.
N. Scott Trimble
Aug. 18
The bacon returns to Clinton Square for a free, all-day fest from noon to 8 p.m. Nearly 30 vendors are expected -- and each one has to serve at least one thing with bacon.
SYR
Geddes
Aug. 22 to Sept. 3
Great ready for the food festival of food festivals: The Great New York State Fair. This 13-day fair feeds the 1 million visitors who descend on the Syracuse-area at the end of the summer. From funnel cakes and sausage sandwiches to hot beef sundaes and 25-cent-cups of milk, the fair has something for even the pickiest eater. (Yes, you can even find a few healthy foods, too.)
Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com
Central New York's Tomato Fest
Auburn
Sept. 8
The Tomato Fest in Auburn has raised more than $300,000 for food pantries since the first festival in 1985. The day's events include food and shopping.
SCOTT SCHILD
Syracuse
Sept. 14 to 16
This downtown Syracuse tradition has all the classics: meatballs, Utica greens, arancini and lots of sauce. The bocce tournament is on Saturday.
Dennis Nett
Jordan
Sept. 14 to 16
Friday starts with a fish fry. Other foods include "famous" donuts and cider, a pie sale, chowder, barbecue chicken and a Sunday pancake breakfast.
Gary Walts
Central Square
Sept. 28 to 30
This three-day festival is hosted by the Lioness Club of Central Square. The event includes music, shopping and, of course, candied apples.
Mike Greenlar
LaFayette
Oct. 6 to 7
This arts and crafts festival features a slim but delicious menu of, mainly, apple pies, fritters and pancakes. Admission is $5.
Courtesy of Daniel Bell Photography
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