A Festival 350 Years In the Making

The East Hampton Chamber of Commerce brings its inaugural summer festival to Herrick Park on Saturday, August 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. As the chamber notes, this is the first summer festival to be held in East Hampton Village in over 350 years, at least to its knowledge.

The timing is perfect, as this year’s inaugural event will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. The event will include live music from the Woodstock Music Festival performed all day at Herrick Park, courtesy of local bands including the Potter/Tekulsky Band and The Space Bandits featuring Klyph Black and special guests. We’re talking more than three hours of Woodstock covers beginning at 12:30 p.m.

In addition to the music, over 50 booths will be set up in the park by local artists, shopkeepers, and nonprofits who will be selling works and wares. Village eateries will be open all day, offering specials and local craft beverages.

For those looking to move around a bit, the festival will feature a “Discover the Hamptons” experience hosted by wellness lifestyle experts Ann Marie Foley and Alissa Striano. Visitors will be able to register online to take meditation, yoga, and Pilates classes during the day and a Bedside Authors Reading Booth will be chock full of authors ready to sign their books, including Patricia Gussin (“Come Home”), Laura Holman Byrne (“Tater Tot at the Chase: A Happy Helper”), Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg (“The Nine”), Natalie Banks (“The Canary’s Song”), Gregory Zeigler (“Travels With Max: In Search of Steinbeck's America Fifty Years Later”), Nicola Harrison (“Montauk”), and Odete Martins Bigote (“A Cosmic Journey to the Unknown”).

The title sponsor of the summer festival is the YMCA East Hampton RECenter, and other activities include a huge YMCA KidZone, featuring a giant American Ninja inflatable course, a 30-foot climbing rock wall, inflatable axe throwing, an inflatable archery challenge, inflatable moon bounces, a splash pad game challenge, and lawn hockey hosted by Buckskill Tennis Club. Kidzone ride and fitness class tickets are available online at easthamptonchamber.com.

For creative types of all ages, art making stations will include a place to tie-dye bags and T-shirts. After the festival, everyone can head down to Main Beach for fireworks courtesy of the East Hampton Fire Department.

Festival parking is convenient, available at both the long-term parking lot by the YMCA and at John Marshall Elementary School.