7 Significant City of Rochester Festivals

The Greater Rochester area hosts hundreds of annual celebrations that showcase the region’s rich culture and community spirit.

May 03, 2025

These events include cultural festivals, neighborhood celebrations, fitness-focused activities, food truck rodeos, parades, concerts, and community gatherings, all of which contribute to the city’s lively social calendar. This guide highlights Rochester’s most popular festivals, which attract hundreds of thousands of locals and visitors.

Rochester Lilac Festival

The Rochester Lilac Festival, taking place from May 9 to 18, 2025, is the largest free festival of its kind in North America. It is a 10-day event that offers free concerts, art shows, tastings, footraces, and a parade. Highland Park’s lilacs—over 500 varieties across 1,200 shrubs—fully bloom by mid-May, along with pansies, tulips, magnolia, rhododendrons, azaleas, and flowering dogwood and cherry trees. Many Rochesterians’ tradition is to attend the festival on Mother’s Day.

roclilacfest.com

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Rochester International Jazz Festival

Jazz Fest Parcel 5 Rochester — Jazz Fest

The nine-day Rochester International Jazz Festival, in partnership with Rochester Regional Health, will take place June 20–28, 2025. It will bring musicians and attendees from all over the world to Rochester. The event will feature hours of exceptional music, including many free performances at outdoor stages throughout Rochester’s East End.

rochesterjazz.com

Corn Hill Arts Festival

The Corn Hill Arts Festival will take place on July 12–13, 2025. Avery Mall is the official shuttle stop for the popular weekend-long art and music festival. Find over 350 artists and vendors along nine tree-lined streets that make up Corn Hill—one of Rochester’s oldest residential neighborhoods.

cornhillartsfestival.com

Rochester Pride Parade and Festival

Roc Pride Parade — Pride Parade on Park Ave

The Rochester Pride Parade and Festival will be held on Saturday, July 19, 2025. The parade begins at 11:00 a.m. at Science Parkway and proceeds north along South Avenue to Highland Park for the festival. Join the LGBTQ+ community celebration with food, wine, and beer, plus hours of entertainment.

trilliumhealth.org

Clothesline Art Festival

The Memorial Art Gallery hosts the M&T Bank Clothesline Arts Festival on September 6–7, 2025. This two-day open-air exhibition—Rochester’s longest-running celebration of the arts—features over 300 juried artists. A festival pass also includes admission to the museum.

mag.rochester.edu

Rochester Fringe Festival

The 12-day Rochester Fringe Festival, taking place from September 9 to 20, 2025, offers a diverse range of entertaining performances. One Fringe Place, comprising the Spiegeltent and Spiegelgarden, serves as the festival's center, and dozens of venues across the city host over 500 free and ticketed performances.

rochesterfringe.com

Roc Holiday Village

Roc Holiday Village opens on the first full weekend of December. It marks the beginning of this delightfully nostalgic 17-day celebration, which takes place from Wednesday through Sunday, December 5–28, 2025. The festivities start with the official Main Street Liberty Pole lighting, followed by a Santa-led procession to the Village at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park. Enjoy a range of free holiday-themed activities and community events throughout the season, including complimentary ice skating, live music, shopping, dining, and a chance to meet Santa Claus.

rocholidayvillage.com