Jazz Festival

You may be thinking jazz in Rochester, NY? Yes! The Rochester International Jazz Festival is in it's 8th year. Every year the nine-day festival grows in size adding artists, venues, and thousands of fans. Past performers include credits from Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra Jr, numerous local talent and high school groups, and even James Brown just months before his death in 2006.

The 2010 Jazz Festival will take place June 11-19 in the East End Cultural District downtown on "Jazz St" (Gibbs St. the rest of the year). Jazz St. will also be the place to find festival merchandise, great drink specials, and plenty of places to sit outside on a warm night to eat and enjoy the background music.

Headliners this year include Gladys Knight, Herbie Hancock, and Jeff Beck. The festival in total will feature over 1,000 artists at 17 different venues in 285 different concerts. With that many shows to choose from, it should be easy to find a number of great shows at every price point. Individual venue shows start at $20, with many outside performances even free to the public. Weekend passes are also available to get prime seating at a number of choice shows.

For more information about tickets, venues, and performances, please visit the festival website: www.rochesterjazz.com

Rochester Public Market

Open year round, the Rochester Public Market is known for their well-priced: fresh produce, meats, and flowers. But this downtown hidden gem is truly showcased in the summer months. The Rochester Public Market has been providing the city and surrounding areas with local goods for over 100 years, and today it is a thriving marketplace with more than 300 stalls to bargain with farmers for local produce, pick the freshest meats and seafood, find speciality spices, and buy homemade baked goods.



The Public Market also has a number of restaurants and ethnic food stands including the famous Empanada Stop. Large flea markets can be found once a month, and the area is often the site for events such as the Puerto Rican Festival in August. It was even named the best place to people watch by the Rochester City Newspaper.



The Rochester Public Market is open Tuesday/Thursday 6am-1pm, and Saturday 5am-3pm. Come early to avoid the crowds and have the largest variety to choose from. But often times sellers will cut prices down to spare change in the last hour of the market in a need to quick sell ripe produce. Next time forget the fast food and enjoy the fresh tastes of Rochester; and know exactly where you're next meal is coming from without the drive-thru or a trip to the freezer isle.

Lilac Festival

Springtime means flowers, and in Rochester that means the annual Lilac Festival. This year's festival will take place for May 14-23 in Highland Park. The 2010 festival includes a kick-off parade featuring the 2010 Lilac Queen, a sponsored 10K race, arts and crafts show both weekends, wine tasting and a farmers market. There will also be food vendors showcasing local restaurant favorites and specialties, and numerous musical performances including the 10,000 Maniacs, Sister Hazel and many local groups. Admission to both the park and the festival is free.



Highland Park features over 500 varieties of lilacs, making it the largest collection in the world since being first planted in 1892. The festival began in 1898, when one Sunday in May was declared Lilac Sunday and 5,000 Rochestarians came to Highland Park to visit and see the lilacs in bloom. Over 100 years later, the two week festival now draws hundreds of thousands of people each year to see the famous flowers. In 2007, Rochester even had a visit from Martha Stewart when the festival was named one of the top 10 events in the country.

Whether you spend the afternoon at a romantic picnic underneath shades of lilac or taking in a magic show with the kids on the main stage, the Lilac Festival provides a variety of free entertainment for all ages.

Festive Summer Favorites

With a slowing economy and gas prices rising daily, many are looking to stick close to home this summer. Rochester is no exception. There are a number of hometown favorites to re-discover, without putting on the car miles or emptying our bank accounts. Rochester is known for the variety of summer festivals, musical events, and day-trip excursions. Take the time and brave the crowds at your favorite festival, take a chance at that outdoor cafe you've been wanting to try, or grab the umbrella and take a drive to Lake Ontario at Charlotte Beach. Whether attempting a romantic weekend, or fun day with the family, forget the plane tickets or booking the hotel. Plan this year's summer vacation in your own backyard.