As Autumn breezes begin to cool the air, Ithaca’s 43rd annual fall celebration, Apple Harvest Festival, is set to return to the Commons from Sept. 26 to 28. The downtown festival unites music, baked goods, local vendors and the community in a celebration of the fall harvest.
Most commonly known as “Apple Fest,” the multi-day event takes over the Commons once a year, with events and booths spanning from State Street to Albany Street, and filling the stretch between Seneca Street and Green Street. The festival will feature live entertainment, artisan vendors, farm-fresh produce, cider, treats and, of course, many apples.
Organized by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, the major event comes with year-round planning according to Corrie Root, chief operating officer of the alliance.
This year, DIA has implemented an Apple Oversight Committee, consisting of DIA staff, recurring vendors and business representatives according to Root. Constantly trying to make improvements, the committee aims to get a “good sampling of the people that this [event] impacts.”
Apple Fest’s newest addition to come is a Family Fun Zone, which will be located by the Press Bay parking lot. This zone will consist of affordable family-friendly activities such as a 65-foot inflatable bounce house, pumpkin painting, petting zoos and family-focused vendors.
Though the festival draws many families, it also attracts a large crowd of students. Ally Schwartz ’26 looks forward to attending, describing it as the perfect annual marker of fall’s arrival.
“It’s been super fun to go down with friends every year and interact with and support some local vendors and artists,” Schwartz said.
The festival aims to bring in students from across Ithaca, holding a student welcome event that will take place on Friday from 4-6 p.m. The first 75 students from Cornell, Ithaca College or Tompkins Cortland Community College to check in to the event will receive gift cards and experience live student performances.
Other activities Apple Fest includes is a festival-long scavenger hunt with “over 200$ worth of gift certificates to local businesses,” a performance from the band Jimkata on Friday, and the Great Apple Pie Eating Contest taking place on Saturday, according to the DIA website.
In addition to these activities, Apple Fest highlights the region’s farms and flavors, drawing from a variety of local producers, such as Little Tree Orchards and South Hill Cider, among others. The Festival offers baked and fresh foods. Cider doughnuts, apple pies and crisps, fresh cider are all available for purchase. Apples, jams and preserves and artisanal cheeses can also be found throughout the festival.
Another booth set to make its usual appearance is the Cornell Society for Horticulture. As a student organization for graduate students in horticulture, Sarah Overbeck, a Ph.D student in the School of Integrative Plant Science and the club’s vice president, regards Apple Fest as their “biggest event of the year.”
From picking and sorting regional apples for tasting, to running a stand at the Festival, Cornell SoHo finds purpose and excitement in their involvement. Cornell SoHo President Ava Forysteck, a graduate student in SIPS, says Apple Fest gives graduate students the opportunity to “gain some hands-on experience,” “learn about a different crop” and work on “communication with a lay person who doesn’t understand all the nuances of fruit growing.”
Despite preparations for the upcoming weekend, festivities face a rainy week but anticipate sun for the weekend. However, the Apple Harvest Festival plans to remain open according to Root.
“Unless we say that we're closing because it's dangerous, most of [the booths] will stay and try to fight through,” said Root. “In Ithaca, a lot of people will still come, even if it's raining.”
With Apple Fest less than a week away, Root reiterated the sole purpose of the annual celebration, reflecting on its lasting impacts on the community.
“Our goal is to create lasting positive memories of Downtown…” Root said. “[We want] to really put on display what we can do here in upstate New York and our little town.”
Rafaela Gandolfo Bustamante is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is a senior writer for the News department and can be reached at rgandolfobustamante@cornellsun.com.
