A Festival Guide for Every Summer
Some places host a festival. Sullivan County built a whole summer around them.
Sullivan County’s creative life runs deep and wide. It lives in a 75-year-old summer theatre in a Forestburgh garden. In a mountain pavilion where world-class musicians play to 200 people on a summer night. In a Narrowsburg gallery where a Sullivan County painter is showing work for the first time. In a Hurleyville cinema screening a film the rest of the county hasn’t found yet.
This guide covers the arts organizations, festivals and creative towns that make a Sullivan Catskills summer worth planning around. Some of these have been here for decades. Some are just finding their stride. All of them are the real thing.
Arts Organizations
These are the institutions that anchor the Sullivan Catskills creative scene year after year. Each one is worth building a trip around.
Bethel Woods Zentrum für die Künste
The ground remembers. Bethel Woods sits on the 1,000-acre site of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair, and it carries that history with intention. The award-winning Museum at Bethel Woods immerses visitors in the era through artifacts, films and the famous hippie bus. Walk the Bindy Bazaar Trails and stand at the marker where the stage once stood. Above it all rises a 16,000-capacity outdoor Pavilion Stage, where summer brings a parade of major touring artists from country to classical. The indoor Event Gallery hosts intimate performances year-round. This is not nostalgia. It is a living culture on historic ground.
| Type | Performing Arts / Museum |
| Standort | 200 Hurd Road, Bethel, NY |
| Website | bethelwoodscenter.org |
| Öffnungszeiten | Museum open daily Mon-Sat 10am-5pm during concert season. Event days open until approx. 9pm. Check website for seasonal hours. |
| Admission | Museum tickets available; concert tickets via Ticketmaster. Parking free. |
| Highlights | Museum at Bethel Woods, Pavilion Stage concerts, Bindy Bazaar Trails, P.L.A.Y. youth programs |
| 2026 Season | Tim McGraw (Juli 9), Billy Strings (Juli 31), Jason Aldean (Juli 18), Darius Rucker (Juni 11), Toto (Juli 15), and more. Check website for full schedule. |
The Forestburgh Playhouse
Since 1947, the oldest continuously operating professional summer theatre in New York State has been staging Broadway in a garden. College theatre students from around the country join professional leads in a season that runs Juni through September. The grounds are lush, the Tavern serves dinner and cabaret before showtime and the intimacy of it all makes Broadway feel personal. In 2026 the Playhouse celebrates its 80th Anniversary Season with a lineup that includes The Bridges of Madison County, Dear Evan Hansen, Hairspray and Million Dollar Quartet. The In The Works in the Woods festival in September develops new plays and musicals by emerging writers. This place has roots and keeps growing.
| Type | Professional Summer Theatre |
| Standort | 39 Forestburgh Road, Forestburgh, NY |
| Website | fbplayhouse.org |
| Öffnungszeiten | Box office open seasonally; check website. Shows run Tue-Sun with matinees. |
| Admission | Tickets available online or by calling 845-794-1194. |
| Highlights | 80th Anniversary Season, Broadway-quality productions, pre-show Tavern dinner and cabaret, In The Works in the Woods festival |
| 2026 Season | Murder for Two (Juni 23-28), Bridges of Madison County (Juni 30-Juli 12), Dear Evan Hansen (Juli 14-26), Hairspray (Juli 28-Aug 9), Million Dollar Quartet (Aug 11-23), In The Works in the Woods festival (September) |
Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre (HPAC)
HPAC does not fit neatly into a single category. It is a cinema showing first-run films and independents. It is a ballroom where salsa and line dancing classes meet. It is a gallery, a restaurant (Tango Cafe, open Thursdays through Sundays), a wellness hub and an event space. It is also the only Pride festival in Sullivan County, the anchor of the HPAC Music Festival each Juli and the home of three community festivals a year. Opened in 2016 in partnership with the Center for Discovery, HPAC brought a full creative campus to the heart of Hurleyville. Its sensory-friendly cinema screenings, senior social programs and community commitment make it a gathering place that serves everyone.
| Type | Multi-Arts Community Venue |
| Standort | 219 Main Street, Hurleyville, NY |
| Website | hpacny.org |
| Öffnungszeiten | Box office and cinema hours vary by program. Tango Cafe open Thu-Sat for lunch and dinner, Sun brunch. Check website. |
| Admission | Cinema tickets from $10. Event tickets vary. Some events free. |
| Highlights | First-run cinema with sensory-friendly screenings, Tango Cafe, dance programs, gallery space, HPAC Pride Festival (Juni), HPAC Music Festival (Juli) |
| 2026 Season | HPAC Pride Festival (Juni 6), HPAC Music Festival (Juli 18), Harvest Festival (September 26). Year-round film, dance and community programming. |
Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA)
DVAA has been the cultural backbone of Sullivan County since 1976, founded in Narrowsburg in the spirit of the Bicentennial by artists who had come up from New York City and decided to stay. Today it serves as the official Arts Council for Sullivan County, administering grant programs for local artists and cultural organizations while running a full calendar of its own. Two galleries in the historic Arlington Hotel on Main Street host over a dozen rotating exhibitions a year showcasing regional and national artists. The Tusten Theatre on Bridge Street presents performances. The annual Narrowsburg RiverFest street festival draws artists from across the region each Juli and the Big Eddy Film Festival anchors September. The Signature Gifts shop features work by local and regional makers. A visit to DVAA is a visit to the center of the county’s creative life.
| Type | Arts Council / Gallery / Venue |
| Standort | 37 Main Street, Narrowsburg, NY |
| Website | delawarevalleyartsalliance.org |
| Öffnungszeiten | Galleries and shop open Thu-Sat 11am-4pm, Sun 11am-noon (and by appointment). |
| Admission | Galleries free. Event tickets vary. |
| Highlights | Alliance Gallery and Loft Gallery, Tusten Theatre, Signature Gifts shop, Narrowsburg RiverFest (Juli), Big Eddy Film Festival (September) |
| 2026 Season | Year-round rotating gallery exhibitions. Narrowsburg RiverFest (Juli 26). Big Eddy Film Festival (September 24-27). Individual Artist Fellowship for Sullivan County artists. |
Catskill Art Space (CAS)
Founded in 1971 as the Catskill Art Society in a private home in Cooks Falls, CAS has grown into a 4,500-square-foot contemporary art campus in downtown Livingston Manor. A major renovation completed in 2022 activated the building’s second floor, expanding the space to four galleries. The programming reflects genuine ambition: long-term loans of works by internationally recognized artists hang alongside exhibitions selected from open submissions with a regional focus. Classes in pottery, painting and digital arts run year-round. Performances, film screenings, lectures and community gatherings fill the calendar. CAS produces the Livingston Manor Trout Parade Arts Festival in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce each Juni. This is the place where the county’s working artists gather, show and teach.
| Type | Contemporary Art Museum and Community Gallery |
| Standort | 48 Main Street, Livingston Manor, NY |
| Website | catskillartspace.org |
| Öffnungszeiten | Check website for current gallery hours and class schedule. |
| Admission | Gallery free. Classes and event tickets vary. |
| Highlights | Four-gallery contemporary art space, pottery and painting studios, digital arts lab, Trout Parade Arts Festival (Juni), Sullivan County High School Art Show |
| 2026 Season | Year-round exhibition schedule with 8-12 annual slots. Trout Parade Arts Festival (Juni 13). Open call for exhibition proposals each Juni. |
Shandelee Musikfestival
On 75 acres of mountain meadow outside Livingston Manor, the Shandelee Music Festival has spent 32 seasons bringing world-class performers to an intimate climate-controlled pavilion where every seat feels like a front row. Founded in 1993, Shandelee draws international artists in classical chamber music, piano and jazz for a concentrated run of concerts in August. Grammy winners and acclaimed ensembles have performed here. Students reach out into the community through outreach concerts at schools, healthcare facilities and beyond. The setting is pure Catskills. The music is anything but provincial.
| Type | Classical and Jazz Concert Series |
| Standort | Sunset Concert Pavilion, 442 J. Young Road, Livingston Manor, NY |
| Website | shandelee.org |
| Öffnungszeiten | Concerts held in August. Check website for 2026 schedule and times. |
| Admission | Tickets required. Check shandelee.org for pricing and availability. |
| Highlights | World-class classical and jazz artists, intimate 75-acre mountain setting, community outreach concerts, partnership with Bethel Woods for P.L.A.Y. The Classics youth series |
| 2026 Season | 32nd season. August 2026. Full schedule TBA at shandelee.org. |
Parksville Arts Center (PAC)
Parksville’s creative revival has a home base at New Memories on Parksville Road, and PAC is the organizing force behind it. The Too Short to Suck Film Festival (TSTS) is its signature event: a red-carpet awards show celebrating short films of two minutes or less from local and international filmmakers, now in its third annual edition. Part Oscars, part block party, TSTS has built a following that draws filmmakers from beyond the county line. PAC also hosts the annual Parksville B’Kawk summer festival, a chicken-themed community celebration that is exactly as joyful as it sounds. The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project found its 14th marker here. PAC runs on community energy and a commitment to making the arts affordable and accessible for everyone.
| Type | Community Arts Venue and Film Festival |
| Standort | 2 Main Street (office), 862 Parksville Road (New Memories venue), Parksville, NY |
| Website | parksvilleartscenter.com |
| Öffnungszeiten | Check website for event schedule and hours. |
| Admission | TSTS Film Festival ticketed via Eventbrite. B’Kawk and some events free. |
| Highlights | Too Short to Suck Film Festival (Mai 30, 2026), Parksville B’Kawk summer festival, Borscht Belt cultural programming, accessible community arts events |
| 2026 Season | Too Short to Suck Film Festival 3 (Mai 30, 2026, New Memories). Parksville B’Kawk (August 16, 2026). Visit parksvilleartscenter.com. |
Summer Festivals & Events
Sullivan County’s summer calendar runs from the intimate to the epic. From a 31st-annual tractor parade to a 146th-annual county fair. From a free Music Festival on Main Street to a 16,000-capacity amphitheater stage. Plan ahead. Some of these fill up. All of them are worth the drive.
HPAC Pride Festival
The only Pride festival in Sullivan County. A family-friendly afternoon of live drag and circus entertainment, local vendors and food. Produced by HPAC with performances by DiiioOTIMA ARTS.
| Date | Samstag, Juni 6, 2026, 12-4pm |
| Standort | 219 Main Street, Hurleyville |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | hpacny.org |
Livingston Manor Trout Parade
The 20th annual Trout Parade takes over Main Street with the theme “Cirque du Trout.” A beloved Sullivan County tradition: part street fair, part community parade, all celebration. Proceeds benefit local food pantries and the Livingston Manor Central School music program.
| Date | Samstag, Juni 13, 2026. Street fair from 11am, parade lineup at noon, kick-off at 1pm |
| Standort | Main Street, Livingston Manor |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | catskillartspace.org |
Callicoon Tractor Parade
31st annual. Over 200 tractors roll down Lower Main Street at noon. The Callicoon Fire Department serves a pancake breakfast beforehand. A BBQ follows at the Delaware Youth Center. One of the county’s most purely itself traditions.
| Date | Second Sonntag of Juni (Juni 14, 2026). Parade at noon |
| Standort | Lower Main Street, Callicoon |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | delawareyouthcenter.org |
Juli 4th Parades and Fireworks
Sullivan County spreads its Fourth over three days across a dozen towns. Freitag highlights: Upward Brewing Co. in Livingston Manor (bar opens noon, fireworks at dusk); Liberty’s 4th of Juli Craft Fair, Parade and Live Music (10am start); Dos Gatos at Resorts World Catskills (biggest county display at dusk); Narrowsburg parade at 3pm and live music at Big Eddy Brewing at 6pm. Samstag: fireworks over White Lake in Bethel at dusk. Sonntag: Narrowsburg fireworks at dusk (best views from the bridge or Pete’s parking lot); Town of Fallsburg Independence Day Celebration at Morning Side Park (2pm, fireworks at 9:45pm).
| Date | Freitag, Juli 4 through Sonntag, Juli 6, 2026 |
| Standort | Countywide |
| Admission | Most events free |
| More Info | sullivancatskills.com |
Wurtsboro Founders’ Day Street Fair
150-plus vendors line Sullivan Street for a full day of local shopping, live music, a car show and food from Wurtsboro’s own restaurants. A genuine small-town street fair.
| Date | Samstag, Juli 11, 2026 (tentative), 11am-5pm |
| Standort | Sullivan Street, Wurtsboro |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | villageofwurtsboro.com |
HPAC Music Festival
Live music from local and regional artists including Caswyn Moon and Faith Kelly, Mekayla Rayne and more. Food trucks and craft vendors round out the afternoon.
| Date | Samstag, Juli 18, 2026, 2-7pm |
| Standort | 219 Main Street, Hurleyville |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | hpacny.org |
Callicoon Country Fair
60-plus vendors, live music on the Depot Main Stage, pony rides, dunk tank, line dancing and activities for kids in the park along Callicoon Creek. A full warm-weather day.
| Date | Samstag, Juli 25, 2026 (tentative), 10am-5pm |
| Standort | Callicoon Creek Park, Callicoon |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | visitcallicoon.com |
Narrowsburg RiverFest
The 35th annual RiverFest celebrates art, music and ecology on Main Street above the Delaware. Forty-plus artist booths, River Dogs on Parade, a kids crafting corner, live music, a poster auction and food trucks. Produced by DVAA. Free admission.
| Date | Sonntag, Juli 26, 2026, 10am-4pm |
| Standort | Main Street, Narrowsburg |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | delawarevalleyartsalliance.org |
Parksville B’Kawk
Fourth annual chicken-themed community festival. Live music, vendors, games, food and drink on the Main Street lawn. Free admission. A genuine community revival in action.
| Date | August 16, 2026 12pm-6pm |
| Standort | 29 Main Street, Parksville (Parksville Arts Center lawn) |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | parksvilleartscenter.com |
Monticello Bagel Festival
Sullivan County’s biggest street festival, celebrating the county’s Borscht Belt bagel heritage. Live music on two stages including a new open mic stage for 2026, 100-plus vendors, an Any Make-Any Model Car Show, food and family activities. Free admission.
| Date | Sonntag, August 9, 2026, 9am-4pm |
| Standort | Broadway (“Bagel Boulevard”), Monticello |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | thebagelfestival.org |
Grahamsville Little World’s Fair
The 146th annual Little World’s Fair. The longest-running independent fair in New York State has rides, livestock exhibits, 4-H youth shows across horse, beef, swine, dairy, sheep and goat categories, live music and all the fair food you came for.
| Date | August 14-16, 2026 |
| Standort | Grahamsville |
| Admission | Check locally for ticket details |
| More Info | grahamsvillefair.com |
Shandelee Musikfestival
32nd season. World-class classical and jazz performances in an intimate 75-acre mountain setting. Evening concerts in the climate-controlled Sunset Concert Pavilion. Every seat close. Every performance worth the drive.
| Date | August 2026 (full schedule TBA at shandelee.org) |
| Standort | Sunset Concert Pavilion, 442 J. Young Road, Livingston Manor |
| Admission | Tickets required. See shandelee.org. |
| More Info | shandelee.org |
HPAC Culture Fest
A celebration of culture through arts, food and community. Free and family-friendly. Produced by HPAC.
| Date | August 2026 (date TBA) |
| Standort | 219 Main Street, Hurleyville |
| Admission | Kostenlos |
| More Info | hpacny.org |
The Creative Towns
Arts tourism in the Sullivan Catskills is as much about place as program. These four towns each carry their own creative identity. A weekend itinerary could connect them all.
Narrowsburg
River town. Art town. One-of-a-kind town.
Narrowsburg sits above the deepest point of the Delaware River, and it carries that depth in its creative culture. Main Street is compact and purposeful: DVAA occupies the historic Arlington Hotel with rotating gallery exhibitions and a shop full of local makers. The Tusten Theatre hosts performances. The Big Eddy Film Festival fills September with screenings and conversation. Every last Sonntag of Juli, RiverFest turns the street into a living art fair. Come for a gallery visit, stay for the food, walk to the overlook above the river and understand why artists keep choosing to live here.
| Anchors | DVAA (37 Main St), Tusten Theatre (Bridge St), Big Eddy Brewing Co. |
| Don’t Miss | Narrowsburg RiverFest (Juli 26), Big Eddy Film Festival (September), Delaware River overlook |
Livingston-Gutshof
Small town. Deep arts scene.
Livingston Manor punches well above its weight. Catskill Art Space anchors the creative community in a renovated 1929 theater building with four galleries, working studios and a year-round class schedule. Every Juni the Trout Parade brings the whole town out. The Shandelee Music Festival draws serious classical and jazz audiences to the mountain pavilion just outside town each August. The main street has evolved into a destination with independent restaurants, shops and a genuine local energy. Artists live and work here. It shows.
| Anchors | Catskill Art Space (22 Main St), Shandelee Music Festival (442 J. Young Rd), Upward Brewing |
| Don’t Miss | Livingston Manor Trout Parade (Juni 13), Shandelee Music Festival (August), Catskill Art Space exhibitions |
Hurleyville
A whole arts campus on one Main Street.
Hurleyville is a short drive from anywhere in the county and home to one of its most ambitious cultural institutions. HPAC packs a cinema, ballroom, galleries, dance studios, restaurant and performance spaces into a revitalized block of Main Street. Come for a first-run film on a weekend afternoon or a drag brunch on a Samstag morning. Come for one of HPAC’s three annual festivals. Come for a dance class or a community gathering. Gallery 222, open weekends, adds another dimension with rotating exhibitions of regional and national artists. Hurleyville rewards the curious visitor.
| Anchors | HPAC (219 Main St), Gallery 222 (222 Main St), Tango Cafe at HPAC |
| Don’t Miss | HPAC Pride Festival (Juni 6), HPAC Music Festival (Juli 18), Cinema at HPAC (year-round) |
Callicoon
Delaware River front. Creative momentum.
Callicoon is a railroad town turned river town turned art town. The Delaware rolls past, Route 97 brings the scenic drivers and Main Street has built a creative identity around independent shops, working galleries and a strong sense of place. The Tractor Parade each Juni is 200-plus tractors and sheer community pride. The Callicoon Country Fair in Juli fills Callicoon Creek Park with vendors and live music. The Depot Main Stage hosts summer performances. Maison Bergogne hosts rotating art installations. This is a town with momentum.
| Anchors | Callicoon Depot, Maison Bergogne, Delaware River waterfront |
| Don’t Miss | Callicoon Tractor Parade (Juni), Callicoon Country Fair (Juli 25), Depot Main Stage summer music |
Planning Your Visit
A few things worth knowing before you go.
- Book ahead for Forestburgh Playhouse and Shandelee Music Festival. Both sell out. Both are worth the extra step.
- Most street festivals and outdoor events are free and do not require advance tickets.
- Several events list dates as tentative. Check sullivancatskills.com/events or call ahead before making the drive.
- Cell service runs thin in parts of the county. Download maps, ticket confirmations and event details before you leave.
- Parking at Bethel Woods is free. Street parking is the norm in most village centers. Arrive a little early for popular events.
- The towns are connected but spread out. Plan routes in advance. Scenic Route 97 along the Delaware is never the wrong choice.
Sullivan Catskills has always drawn people who are looking for something they can’t quite name, and finding it anyway. This summer, it’s happening in outdoor pavilions and century-old theatres, on festival grounds and quiet gallery walls. Come for a weekend or stay longer and experience it all. You’ll understand why some people never really left.
For the full Sullivan Catskills events calendar, lodging, dining and trip planning, visit sullivancatskills.com.