34th Annual Montauk Fall Festival Is This Weekend
Back for its 34th year, Montauk’s annual Fall Festival comes to town this weekend!
The festival will take place on the Village Green in the center of Montauk on Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The weekend will feature fun for people of all ages. Throughout the festival, kids will enjoy a free 30-horse carousel, inflatable rides, crab races, sand art, pumpkin decorating and street painting. Adults can enjoy, sip and savor local beer and wine, Oktoberfest foods, and, of course, music.
Saturday’s activities include the famous chowder contest, where the battle of the bowls will delight everyone who enjoys a good cup of soup on a crisp fall day. Will Manhattan or New England reign supreme this year? Participants can purchase a mug from the Chamber of Commerce, and each mug can be filled with two cups of chowder from local restaurants. A panel of foodie judges will determine the winner. The contest takes place from
11 a.m.–1 p.m. Don’t miss out!
Also on Saturday will be live music by local favorites Gene Casey & The Lone Sharks. The day will conclude with fireworks by Grucci that evening.
With over 33 vendors, the farmers market hosts its final weekend during the Fall Festival. The popular market, which has been held weekly since the beginning of the summer, offers locally sourced fresh produce, baked goods, gourmet specialties, cut flowers, wines and more. The market will be held both days, closing out its season on October 11. Come enjoy the final days to enjoy the bounty of the East End’s harvest in Montauk!
For people coming to the festival from points west, the Hampton Jitney will provide free transportation from Southampton to Montauk, and in between! Call 631-283-4600 to make a reservation. Once in Montauk, the Jitney will also provide a free continuous shuttle loop between town, the lighthouse, Montauk Harbor and the Long Island Rail Road station.
The festival also features the Cash Catch Raffle, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Annual Frank A. Capozzola Scholarship Award and the Holiday Families in Need Fund.
According to Laraine Creegan, executive director of the Montauk Chamber, Montauk’s popularity is on the rise, with more people realizing the beauty of the hamlet, even in the offseason. “Before, they’d never stay past Labor Day,” she says. “And last year we hosted an Easter Egg Hunt [in April], and we will definitely keep that going,” she says of the Chamber’s efforts to provide even more entertainment for the community.
This family-friendly hamlet is exactly what the Chamber describes it as—an oceanfront playground. Through the years, locals and tourists alike have been coming back to Montauk earlier in the season and leaving later in the fall, clearly a sign that people can’t get enough of its contagious, easy-going vibe. Summer has faded, but we’re not quite ready to say goodbye yet, and Montauk isn’t either.
For more information on the Montauk Fall Festival, visit montaukchamber.com.