Belleayre Fall Festival: The Catskills Are Showing Off Again
There are weekends you plan, and there are weekends you protect from your calendar. This is the second kind.
Belleayre's Fall Festival runs October 3–4 and 10–11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission and free parking, which in 2026 is practically a public service. Live music, craft vendors, mountain views, and food you will absolutely tell yourself you walked off. We're 5 minutes away in Highmount. Come Thursday. Trust us on this.
Belleayre is at it’s foliage mid-point currently. We encourage you to take a stroll in the forest land.
The Leaves Are Already Ahead of You
The hillsides around Belleayre have started turning, and the color builds through both festival weekends. Check the I LOVE NY foliage map, updated Wednesday afternoons, and pick your scenic route.
Clear your phone storage now. You are going to take 200 photos of trees, and you are going to keep all of them.
Thursday: Arrive Before Your Weekend Does
Walk the Ashokan Rail Trail, open sunrise to sunset, for reservoir views and quiet. Go as far as you feel like. Nobody is timing you.
Then check in, unpack, and let the mountain take over. A Thursday arrival means Friday starts with coffee instead of traffic.
Friday: Gloriously Unscheduled
Breakfast at Phoenicia Diner, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Wednesday. No reservations, first come first served, worth it.
Then drift through Phoenicia or Margaretville, follow Route 28, and stop for whatever catches your eye. A shop. A view. A second breakfast. We fully support your choices.
Visit a fall festivals in the Catskills. A major highlight is the Belleayre Fall Festival October 3rd and 10th.
Saturday: The Festival Opens
Here we go.
October 3: Rivals NY on the Subaru Stage, noon to 4 p.m. October 10: Evil Genius.
Beyond the music, the lineup is gloriously unserious in the best way: a pie-eating contest, a stein-holding contest for anyone who peaked in forearm strength, a bounce house, a climbing wall, pumpkin painting, arts and crafts, disc golf and lawn games, plus a meet-and-greet with the Ulster County Sheriff's K9 unit. There's even a job fair, in case the weekend goes really well and you decide not to leave.
Add a Catskill Thunder gondola ride for the view from above. Last ride up is 4:45 p.m., last ride down at 5, so don't get distracted by a pretzel at 4:40.
And yes, Brews & Views is on, with regional craft beer and cider. The $50 VIP package includes a commemorative glass, a t-shirt, a gondola ride, a pretzel and a pour. That is a t-shirt, a beer and a mountain for fifty dollars. We've seen worse math.
The NYSEF ski swap runs October 3–4 on the mezzanine, for the people already thinking about snow. We see you. Let us have our leaves first.
Sunday: Encore
October 4: Dog Party Band. October 11: The 209s. Both noon to 4 p.m.
Sunday is your second shot at the food stand you walked past, and your first shot at the one that sold out. The Witches Along the Hudson performances join the party on October 10–11, which is exactly the right amount of spooky for a mountain in October.
Our advice: stay Sunday night. Afternoons are much better when you aren't mentally already on the Thruway.
Make a Weekend of It
Alpine Four Season Lodge, 32 Galli Curci Road, Highmount, NY 12441, is your home base for the festival, the foliage and the naps in between.
Two festival weekends means two chances, and the good dates go first. Check availability and book direct for our best rates →
The mountain is dressed up. Bring the sweater you like best.
Daniel & The Crew
Alpine Four Season Lodge
32 Galli Curci Road, Highmount, NY 12441
