Discover Schenectady

Bring your appetite and the whole family to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church of Schenectady FESTA, happening TODAY & TOMORROW, September 19–20! Get ready for two days filled with delicious Italian favorites, live music, games and plenty of community fun. 🇮🇹✨

🍝 Traditional pasta dishes
🍕 Pizza & pizza fritta
🥪 Sandwiches
😋 Zeppole & lupines
🍪 Italian cookies & homemade treats
🎯 Children’s games & activities
🛍️ Garage sale treasures
🎟️ Cash prize & gift basket drawings
🎶 PLUS live music from 5–8pm!
🎺 Saturday: Diamond Cut Horns
🎵 Sunday: Gimme 5

And bargain hunters, come early! 🛍️ The garage sale runs 10am–4pm Saturday and Noon–4pm Sunday.

Come hungry, bring the family and celebrate Italian food, music and tradition right here in Schenectady County! 🇮🇹🍝🎉

🌧️🎭 RAIN OR SHINE, THE SHOW MUST GO ON! Mother Nature may be adding a little extra drama to this Sunday’s Measure for Measure: A Trail of Tricks & Temptation performance by Shakespeare with Will Kempe's Players, but don’t worry — the performance is ON! 🙌

Here’s the updated plan:
🎭 The full performance will take place indoors at Murray's Fools Distilling Co. in Hoffman’s Ferry Hall
🪑 Bring your lawn chair! Indoor seating is limited, and there will be room to set up chairs inside
🥂 VIP pre-show entertainment and the reception will move upstairs to the Murray’s Fools tasting room*
🎟️ Tickets will be available at the door, so there’s still time to join the fun! https://ticketscandy.com/e/measure-for-measure-a-trail-of-tricks-temptation-20051

*Please note: The upstairs tasting room is accessible by a flight of stairs and does not have elevator access.

🎶🇺🇸 TODAY is the LAST DAY to get your tickets for Operation Song Upstate NY!

Tomorrow, experience an incredibly meaningful evening at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum as Operation Song returns for a special night of music, storytelling and community.

What is Operation Song®? A non profit organization that empowers veterans, active-duty military members, and their families to tell their stories through the process of songwriting. During a songwriting retreat, four veterans worked alongside professional songwriters to transform their stories and experiences into original songs. On Saturday evening, you’ll have the opportunity to hear those songs performed live and experience the powerful stories behind them.

Come celebrate our veterans, support Operation Song’s mission and experience the incredible power of music in one of Schenectady County’s most unique settings. ✈️

🎟️ https://www.esam.org/events-1/operation-song-2

🎶🏡 Porches + live music + a September afternoon in Schenectady = YES PLEASE! 🎸🍂

Porchfest Schenectady is HERE! This Saturday, Sept. 19, head to Schenectady’s historic GE Realty Plot for a full day of FREE community concerts featuring 15 performances on porches throughout the neighborhood!

Catch everything from jazz and orchestral sounds to choirs, duos and more. The lineup includes Alex Torres Orquesta, Keith Pray Ortet, Matty Stecks & The 518, Nice Hockey, Unken Brew, MB Jazz Vibes, Cliff Brucker Trio, Scott Hopkins Duo and many more!

Bring a lawn chair, stroll the neighborhood, find a spot on the lawn and spend your Saturday discovering some fantastic live music right here in Schenectady! And come hungry! The Broken Inn and Greek on the Run Food Truck will be serving up food during the festivities.

🍽️✨ Calling all foodies — Casola Dining Room is BACK for fall! 👨‍🍳👩‍🍳

One of Schenectady County’s most unique dining experiences returns September 22 at SUNY Schenectady County Community College, and this fall’s lineup sounds DELICIOUS! 🤩

Each week, students from SUNY Schenectady Hotel, Culinary Arts, and Tourism take diners on a culinary journey to a different region of the country — preparing and serving an impressive multi-course dining experience while gaining real-world experience along the way.

Sept 22-24 -🍎 Autumn Harvest in the Hudson Valley
Sept 29-Oct 1 -🌴 California
Oct 6-8 - 🦞 New England
Oct 13-15 - 🍗 The South/Soul Food
Oct 20-22 - 🌺 Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Oct 27-29 - 🌶️ Colorado/Southwest
Nov 3-5 - 🌲 Pacific Northwest
Nov 10-12 - 🍽️ American Bistro and Gastropub
Nov 17-19 - 🥩 Steak House

And wait until you see some of the dishes on this semester’s menus! 😍

Lunch is served Tuesdays & Thursdays for $30, with Wednesday evening dinner for $35. Reservations are required and open two weeks in advance at 9 AM — and they can go FAST!

Come hungry and support the talented students learning their craft right here in Schenectady County. ❤️

👉 https://sunysccc.edu/Academics/School-of-Hotel-Culinary-Arts-and-Tourism/Casola-Dining-Room-Menu.html

🎨✨ Downtown Schenectady is turning into one big celebration of art, music and creativity for September’s Art Night Schenectady! 🎶🖼️

THIS Friday, wander through downtown and discover local artists, live music, gallery receptions, demonstrations, open studios, artist vendors and plenty of surprises along the way.

🎨 Watch Kevin Kuhne demonstrate linocut printmaking
🛍️ Browse the Jay Street Artist Bazaar
🥁 Catch the Schenectady/West African Youth Ensemble in Jay Square
📚 Hear local author readings at Open Door Bookstore: celebrating 50 years
🖼️ Explore new exhibitions at Bear and Bird Boutique + Gallery, Sweet Sprig, New York Folklore & more
🎷 Enjoy art + live jazz at First Reformed Church
🎤 Find open mics, live music and local artists throughout downtown
🏺 Celebrate Create Community Studios first anniversary of our Ceramics Studio
📽️ PLUS — Sci:Fi Schenectady Film Fest is happening downtown all weekend!

And that's just a taste of what's happening! 👀

🎉 Big news, Schenectady County! Travel continues to make a BIG impact on our community!

In 2025, visitors spent $613.4 MILLION right here in Schenectady County — a 5.3% increase over 2024! From enjoying our events and festivals to exploring historic sites, catching a show, dining at local restaurants, shopping small and staying overnight, every visit helps support the places and people that make Schenectady County special.

And that impact goes far beyond visitor spending. Tourism supported 8,335 jobs in Schenectady County, generated $325.6 million in personal income and contributed $77.7 million in state and local tax revenue. 🌟

Curious about all the details? Check out the full report here: 👇https://esd.ny.gov/sites/default/files/media/document/Capital-Saratoga-Economic-Impact-of-Tourism-in-New-York-2025-FINAL.pdf

Whether you’re a local enjoying everything in your own backyard or a visitor discovering Schenectady County for the first time, thank you for exploring, dining, shopping, staying and experiencing Schenectady County. 💙💚

Festival Weekend may be over... but we're already looking ahead to NEXT WEEKEND!

The Sci:Fi Schenectady Film Fest returns NEXT WEEKEND, Sept. 18–20 for three out-of-this-world days of film, fantasy, science fiction and fun at the GE Theatre at Proctors! 🎬✨

Whether you're a die-hard sci-fi fan, a movie lover or just looking for something completely different to do in Schenectady, this year's lineup has a little bit of everything:

🎥 Award-winning features & indie films
👽 International + domestic shorts
🏰 The beloved classic The Princess Bride
😱 The Conjuring: Last Rites
🤖 Metropolis with a LIVE musical score
🎤 Filmmaker appearances, panels & talkbacks
🥂 Out-of-this-world parties

Three days. 15 films. One seriously out-of-this-world weekend. And it all happens right in Downtown Schenectady! 🚀

🌐 www.SciFiSchenectadyFilmFest.com

🇮🇹🍝 Come hungry, Schenectady! One of the city's favorite traditions takes over the streets TODAY as the 21st Annual Little Italy StreetFest returns!

Spend your Saturday celebrating the food, music and Italian heritage that have made Schenectady's Little Italy such a special part of the community. ❤️🤍💚

🍝 Delicious Italian food
🎶 Live music from The Rogues, Anthony LaBarbera and Ed Clifford "The Human Jukebox"
🛍️ Local vendors & shopping
🇮🇹 Italian culture & heritage
🎭 Free improv at The Mopco Improv Theatre
🎉 And plenty more to discover!

Grab the family, bring your appetite and spend part of Festival Weekend in Little Italy! 🇮🇹✨

🌴🎶 Get ready to experience the sights, sounds and FLAVORS of the Caribbean right here in Schenectady! 🇬🇾🇯🇲🇹🇹

Schenectady Caribbean Day returns TOMORROW, September 12, bringing a full day of Caribbean culture and community to Music Haven in Central Park!

Come hungry, bring your dancing shoes and get ready for a colorful celebration filled with delicious Caribbean food, music, entertainment and plenty of island energy. 💃🏽🥁🌴