There's Something for Everyone at the 10th Annual SouthamptonFest

After a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic, SouthamptonFest is back this weekend and celebrating its 10th year as a much-anticipated fall festival in the Southampton Village.

Nancy Kane, this year’s coordinator, has repeated a kind of mantra this year in the days and weeks leading up to the festival.

“I’ve been telling people there’s something for everyone,” she said earlier this week. “That’s been our slogan.”

The fall festival will kick off Friday night at 6:30 p.m. with the Southampton Rotary Club’s annual party, held in Agawam Park. Tickets are $30 and can be bought in advance at southamptonrotary.org. For the price of admission, guests can enjoy complimentary beer and wine from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and a cash bar for the final hour of the party. There will be live music, with the band Coverland playing for guests.

There’s a full slate of attractions on Saturday throughout Southampton Village, starting at 11 a.m., and plenty happening on Sunday as well.

Kane said the festival will be a mix of some of the traditional activities that have been crowd-pleasers in years past, along with some new and exciting features. Combined, Kane said the list of events will represent the “newness” in the village, as well as the “rich tradition of Southampton Village.”

Old favorites like the Maniac Pumpkin Carvers and Jester Jim will be at Agawam Park on Saturday. New this year is an “art and design walk,” which will highlight seven different galleries and design houses and two art centers in the village, including the Peter Marino Foundation and Southampton Arts Center.

Attendees who participate in the art and design walk will be given a punch card with the names of all the different spots; they can have the card punched each time they enter a different gallery or design center. At the end of the tour, attendees can enter their finished punch cards in a raffle, where the grand prize is a private group tour at the Peter Marino Art Foundation for up to 20 people, and a year-long membership to the Southampton Arts Center. Other raffle prizes include an Argentinian throw blanket from Homenature, and a piece of artwork from Rumrunner Home valued at nearly $1,000.

For lovers of live music, Agawam Park will be the place to be on Saturday. Next Level Band, a reggae band, will play starting at 12:30 p.m., and, later in the day, Gene Casey and the Lone Sharks will come on as the afternoon closing act, starting at 4:30 p.m.

There will be plenty to do throughout the day in Agawam Park, including musical acts for kids, salsa lessons for people of all ages and ability levels, a chowder contest featuring entries from local restaurants, and more demonstrations and giveaways.

The Southampton Ice Rink will set up a small synthetic rink, where children of all ages can come and use the ice hockey gear that will be on hand and can practice slapshots on the goal, and the Southampton Fire Department will have its ladder truck and will give rides to children in the ladder bucket. There will also be face painting and balloon animals, sponsored by Rogers Memorial Library and Friends of the Library.

The park will also be chock full of different artisan booths, food trucks — serving tacos, lobster rolls, and even one specializing exclusively in desserts — and other acts.

While Agawam Park is the center of the action for Southamptonfest, there is plenty going on in other areas of the village. Heart of the Hamptons has teamed up with the Presbyterian Church to host a petting zoo and other games for children at the church and also will put on a family scavenger hunt.

Exploring beyond the epicenter of Agawam Park is something Kane and festival organizers said they’d like to see visitors do over the weekend.

“We’re encouraging people to really explore the village and even walk over to the Southampton African American Museum,” Kane said. The museum, located on the north end of the village, is currently hosting an exhibit “Grooming A Generation: A History of Black Barbershops & Beauty Parlors,” which includes an augmented reality tour celebrating the long and storied history of barber shops and beauty salons in the African American community.

The Southampton History Museum will be welcoming guests during SouthamptonFest, and is decked out for Halloween. “Ghosts, Goblins and Ghouls” is on display at the historic Rogers Mansion, which dates back to the 1600s. Ten historic outbuildings will be open and occupied with different Halloween themes, like “Creatures in the Carpenter Shop,” “Devils in the Decoy Shed,” and more.

The Peter Marino Art Foundation is offering half-price admission ($10) on Saturday, and students of any age can go free. The Southampton Artists Association will have work on display and for sale at Agawam Park on both Saturday and Sunday, and Topiaire Flower Shop on Jobs Lane will hold a live demonstration of the Thanksgiving tablescapes using fresh flowers.

Another special highlight for visitors to check out is the Southampton Arts Center’s exhibit “A Celebration of Trees,” which will be open from 6 to 8 p.m., with a special outdoor performance at 6 by musician Tom Wall who will play music for — and, apparently, with — the trees.

The Southampton Cultural Center, located on Pond Lane, will host its annual “Wine and Roses” Gala on Saturday night, from 6 to 10 p.m., which will feature dinner, wine and cocktails, live entertainment and a silent auction. Tickets are available at scc-arts.org.

Finally, the Southampton Chamber of Commerce Farmers and Artisans Market will take place on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., a great way to close out a busy weekend in Southampton Village.