7 Towns in New York with Unique Traditions

"Unique New York" is both a vocal exercise and a true statement about America's fourth-most populous state. However, the least populated corners of New York often have some of the most unique traditions. Outside of the Big Apple lives long-running festivals for pumpkins, pickles, grapes, maple syrup, and corn, plus non-edible arrangements like a UFO fair and Oz-Stravaganza. Learn about such quirky events and the small NY towns where they occur.

Crawford

Crawford is a town of about 9,000 people in Orange County, New York. It consists of several hamlets, the most notable of which is Pine Bush. For 13 years, Pine Bush has hosted NY's spaciest festival: the Pine Bush UFO Fair. Billed as "...the ONLY Street Fair Event where YOU can be part of the show," the UFO fair allows guests to dress in alien garb and join the festivities, which comprise the Best in Galaxy Alien Costume Contest, Space Prom, Alien Hoedown, Cosmic Drum Circle, and UFO & Paranormal Game Show. The last of those is presented by the Pine Bush UFO & Paranormal Museum, a static showcase of Pine Bush paranormal activity that organizes expeditions like the Pine Bush Haunted History Lantern Tour. Other fair fare is provided by Pixie Floss, the Speakeasy Motors American Whiskey Company, and Sabroso Mexican Restaurant.

Clayton

Clayton is a 5,000ish-person town on the St. Lawrence River, into which pumpkins are launched each October for the Punkin' Chunkin' Festival. The fest, going now into its 12th year, tests the power of pumpkin-chucking contraptions. They range from medieval-style trebuchets to innovative air cannons. But that is not the only quirky contest that happens at Punkin' Chunkin'. It also hosts a BBQ competition and tasting. Participants include Up In Smoke BBQ, Davis BBQ, Umstead BBQ, and The Lip Smacking Sticky Fingers BBQ Shack. Both pumpkins and pork ribs are destroyed annually in Clayton.

New Paltz

Clogging the same paranormal zone as Crawford, New Paltz has its own alien traditions, none of which actually involve aliens. Rather, its most eclectic fests involve pickles, pirates, and grape stomping. The Rosendale International Pickle Festival began in nearby Rosendale in 1997 but moved to New Paltz's Ulster County Fairgrounds in 2023. This was a smart move given the increased space (over 6,000 people filled the fairgrounds) and the presence of Gary's Pickles, a legendary pickle company founded in New Paltz in 1986. Also plundering the Ulster County Fairgrounds once a year is the Hudson Valley Pirate Festival, which mobilizes a myriad of 'mateys' during multiple May days. In September, the Robibero Winery becomes a literal stomping ground for the Grape Stomping Festival. Although there is a fee for stomping and drinking, kids under 12 stomp and abstain for free.

Marathon

While you probably do not associate New York with maple, it produces the second-most maple syrup of all states, beaten by only Vermont. You can celebrate NY's silver medal-winning syrup in Marathon, a town with about 2,000 people, and an annual event called the Central New York Maple Festival. The fest's 52nd edition was held in April 2024 and featured a pancake breakfast, pancake eating contest, maple queen pageant, maple mobile races, tours of the Maple Museum, and, of course, lots of maple products for sample and sale. Keep checking for next year's dates, and during your visit to Marathon, stop for fuel at Reilly's Cafe and refreshments at the Dragonfyre Distillery.

Sullivan

Sullivan has roughly 15,000 people scattered throughout a dozen-plus communities. About a third of them live in Chittenango, which is the birthplace of Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum. To honor its most famous inhabitant and the fictional world he created, Chittenango hosts the Oz-Stravaganza, which is considered the "largest and longest-running Wizard of Oz themed festival in the world." On May 15, 1978, Clara Houck began the fest with a small gathering in the parking lot of the library where she worked. Now, it is an extremely popular multi-day event run by the L. Frank Baum & All Things Oz Historical Foundation, which also operates the All Things Oz Museum. Be one of the several thousand people to attend the festival, tour the museum, and visit another Oz-some Chittenango attraction: YBR Casino & Sports Book (formerly Yellow Brick Road Casino).

Eden

Like maple syrup, corn is something few people associate with New York. Yet Eden, a town of about 7,500 just south of Buffalo, has hosted the Eden Corn Festival since 1964. Contained in its cornucopia of sights are a BBQ cook-off, corn husking competition, tractor pull, and beer tent featuring Eden Corn Festival Cream Ale, a festival-exclusive beer brewed by the Hamburg Brewing Company out of sweet corn. Make sure to floss before trying Eden's other unique export: the kazoo. Since 1916, the Original Kazoo Company has been manufacturing metal kazoos in downtown Eden. It is now the world's only original metal kazoo factory and includes a museum and boutique.

Howes Cave

Howes Cave is not technically a town. In fact, one can call it an underground community given its tiny population and main attraction: Howe Caverns, a spectacular cave system 156 feet below the surface. In addition to year-round tours by foot and boat (yes, there is an underground lake), the caverns host unique seasonal events like the Summer Yoga Series and Naked in a Cave, the latter of which is a literal naked gathering that occurs in the caverns in September. If you are looking for a more traditional tradition in Howes Cave (the community, not the formation), check out the Iroquois Arts Festival, which has celebrated Indigenous culture since the 1980s. It runs in late summer at the Iroquois Museum and comprises everything from social dances to native food to oral storytelling to an art market exclusive to Iroquois artists.

We hope you enjoyed learning about seven New York towns and their unique traditions. Rather than hoarding that knowledge, put it into practice. Attend the Central New York Maple Festival in April, Hudson Valley Pirate Festival in May, Pine Bush UFO Fair and Chittenango Oz-Stravaganza in June, Eden Corn Festival in August, Iroquois Arts Festival in September, and Clayton Punkin' Chunkin' Festival in October. Let late 2024 and 2025 be your unique New York launchpad.