By: Melissa Kania
Looking to sample some of Buffalo’s favorite flavors or authentic ethnic foods? The city and surrounding areas will host several food festivals between June and September, allowing visitors to celebrate their heritage and learn more about restaurants in the region.
First up is the 33rd annual Greek Festival, June 4th – 6th at the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation (146 West Utica Street). Admission is $2 and children 12 and under will be admitted free.
The festival offers a chance to sample Greek cuisine, enjoy live Greek music and folk dancing. Imported foods, a bakery, gift shops and cultural exhibits will be available at the event. Visitors will be able to tour the church as they experience the sights, sounds and tastes of Greece.
Hours for the festival will be 11a.m. to midnight June 4th and 5th, and noon to 9p.m. June 6th.
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Another opportunity to celebrate heritage comes with the 8th annual Polish Heritage Festival on June 11th and 12th at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. Authentic Polish food will be available, and a number of Polish musicians and heritage dancers, including the Ludowa Nuta choir and the Cracovia Polish Dance Ensemble of Brampton, Ontario will perform at the two-day festival.
Presentations about antique collecting will be offered, as will the histories of both Buffalo’s brewing legacy and its meatpacking industry. Helicopter rides courtesy of H&L Enterprises of WNY will also be available.
Admission is $5 for adults, while youth through age 16 will receive free admission when accompanied by an adult. Festival hours are to be determined, and more information can be found at polfunfest.com.
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Rounding out the month of June is the Juneteenth Festival June 19th and 20th in Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
It begins with a praise and worship event at 9a.m. followed by a parade at 11a.m. The parade will begin at Genesee and Moselle Streets and proceed down Genesee into the park. Festivities in the park will continue until 8p.m. On Sunday, praise and worship will be held from 10a.m. until noon, with festivities in the park until 8p.m.
Festivities include an entertainment stage, a health pavilion, children activities tents, African drum and dance lessons and historical exhibits, in addition to some fantastic BBQ and other fair food. This is the 35th year for the event, which is the third largest festival of its kind in the country. (The Buffalo Juneteenth website appears to be down, please check local listings for further information.)
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July kicks off with the Puerto Rican Greased Pole Festival outside of 261 Swan Street on July 9th – 11th. Latino food will be provided by vendors from all over the world, and traditional music including merengue and reggaeton will be performed. Carnival rides, games, and a youth talent show are also on the schedule as visitors watch competitors race against the clock to climb a 35-foot pole covered in grease.
Buffalo’s oldest Puerto Rican celebration will run from 5p.m. – 11p.m. on Friday, and noon until 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.
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Just minutes away, the Taste of Buffalo will be held July 10th and 11th on Delaware Avenue between Niagara Square and Chippewa Street. Over 50 restaurants will provide three menu items each from which festival-goers can sample, in addition to a “healthy option” item and a “taste” portion. Many ethnic foods will be available, as well as local favorites from restaurants in the area.
The Taste, which is the nation’s largest two-day food festival, attracts more than 450,000 people each year. Admission is free, and food tickets cost only 50 cents each. Food items run between two and eight tickets, though the Taste also offers free samples, entertainment, interactive exhibits, a special cooking demonstration stage and contests. Tickets can be purchased at TOPS locations or on the day of the event.
Hours are 11a.m. – 9p.m. Saturday and 11a.m. to 7p.m. Sunday.
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The following weekend, residents can celebrate their heritage at the Sorrento Cheese Italian Heritage Festival on Hertel Avenue July 15th – 18th. The festival includes cooking demonstrations by guest chefs, entertainment and crafts for kids and cultural displays. A “Dancing Under the Stars” event will see Baby Joe Mesi and other Italian residents of Buffalo compete with professional dance instructors.
The festival’s hours are yet to be determined, but events will be centered around 1183 Hertel Avenue, home of the Hertel-North Buffalo Business Association.
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Outside the city, the Taste of Williamsville will be held August 8th from 11:30a.m. – 9p.m. at Island Park, behind Village Hall on Main Street in Williamsville.
The Taste features food from over 20 restaurants in the village, as well as children’s activities, entertainment and a pie baking contest. Food tickets can be purchased on site the day of the event, and proceeds support the beautification of the village.
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The last weekend in August, there are two great festival offered, both of which offer great–but very different–food.
WNYers can celebrate their heritage at the Buffalo Irish Festival at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. The event runs from August 27th – 29th and features traditional Irish foods and beverages, most of which are imported straight from Ireland. Items featured include corned beef and cabbage, soda bread, Irish lamb stew and potato chowder. Irish language classes, gift shops, historical productions, and two stages of continuous Irish entertainment are a few other attractions of this festival, which is in its 28th year.
Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for kids aged 4-11 and seniors over 60. Hours for the festival are: Friday 5p.m. – 11p.m., Saturday 12p.m. – 11p.m., and Sunday 12p.m. – 9p.m.
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The festival will be open on Saturday, August 28th from 10a.m. – 6p.m. and Sunday, August 29th from 10a.m. – 5p.m. Admission is free.
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Rounding out the summer food festivals is the national Buffalo Wing Festival, held September 4th -5th at Coca-Cola Field in downtown Buffalo. Admission is $5 and food tickets are $1, with 3 wings costing two tickets at each stand. Vendors from Western New York and from wing joints all over the country will attend, allowing people to sample wings in a variety of flavors and heat levels.
The festival, which began in 2002, attracted 91,000 people from all over the world last year and raised over $60,000 for charity. It also hosts nationally-recognized wing-eating and other contests. Hours are noon until 9p.m. Saturday, and noon until 7p.m. Sunday.
Which of these are your favorites?
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Melissa Kania is a junior journalism major at Buffalo State. She grew up in Buffalo and is a passionate hockey fanatic who enjoys writing about anything and everything.
Photos by Christa Glennie Seychew