Westhampton Beach Fall Festival Has Something for Everyone

When Westhampton Beach Village completed a large-scale revitalization of its Main Street in 2022, it was hailed as a great success — one that would benefit the village for years to come.

The effort vastly improved the look and feel of the main artery and business district, with new streets, sidewalks and traffic circles, as well as landscaping touches that incorporated native plants and grasses.

The new look has made Westhampton Beach Village not only a great place to visit and stroll during the summer months, but also a perfect location for community events.

That’s been part of the story for the Westhampton Beach Fall Festival on Main Street.

The festival is set for October 11 this year, with a rain date of October 12.

Hosted by the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce, the event features live music, food trucks, food and beverage tents, artisan vendors, family activities and more — making it a perfect weekend activity for all ages.

“It’s a family event,” said Kim Clark, executive director of the chamber. “We also want to promote the businesses who are chamber members. Anyone can attend — there’s no admission. We make sure there’s something for everyone.”

Clark said the downtown revitalization has been a big boost for the festival, drawing not only village residents, but also visitors from across Long Island.

“The downtown area is so beautiful,” she said. “So everyone wants to come down. With the sidewalks and the landscaping, it’s very conducive to hosting a fall festival.”

There are plenty of acts and vendors scheduled that Clark is excited about.

For fans of live music, the NY Vendettas are worth checking out.

The band has been around for 20 years, playing gigs primarily on the East End. Jay Janoski, an assistant director at the Westhampton Free Library, is one of the band members and said music lovers will be in for a treat when he and his bandmates perform at the festival.

“The bulk of our material is ’50s rock and roll and rockabilly,” he said. “For this outing, we will be using a horn section, who we refer to as ‘The Henchmen Horns.’ When you have a horn section, you have to put them to good use, so we will delve into some ’60s soul as well as our usual ’50s.”

The NY Vendettas got their start playing in a small coffeehouse in Riverhead and have remained in demand ever since.

“Our proudest achievement thus far is that we have played the last three years at the Suffolk Theater for their Rockabilly Christmas show,” Janoski said, noting they’ve been invited back again for this year’s holiday season.

For families with young children, there’s plenty to see and do. Glovers Park will serve as the hub for kids’ activities, with a petting zoo from Once Upon a Farm and a bounce castle from Spotlight Bounce.

The festival will also feature Honey in the Air, a group of aerialists whose eye-popping performance was a big hit with kids during the village’s annual Spring Fling event earlier this year.

Haley Pekar and her aerial partner, Christine Roche, will perform Lyra and silks acts. Lyra involves a large suspended hoop, while silks performances feature dancers executing acrobatic moves while hanging from long lengths of silk fabric.

The group also teaches lessons for those interested in learning more about the art, using a mobile rig that allows the group to travel.

In addition to entertainment, there will be plenty of food and drink options. Several local restaurants — including Brunetti Pizza, Margarita Grille, Flora, Fauna, and Salt & Loft—will offer food and beverages along the sidewalks.

In total, more than 60 vendors will be set up along Main Street.

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Main Street will be closed to vehicle traffic — from Library Avenue to Moniebogue Lane — during that time.

For more information, visit westhamptonchamber.org.