This year’s 22nd Annual Saratoga Chowderfest will be about a lot more than just chowing down. This Saturday (February 1) from 11am – 4pm, Chowderfest takes over Downtown Saratoga Springs, offering up samples and small bites from more than 80 Saratoga County restaurants and food vendors. But don’t be fooled by the festival’s “official” hours: Chowderfest 2020 is an all-day event. So, grab your bib and chowder voting card, and let’s dig in!
“Chowderfest helps to create demand for our local restaurants and bars during what would normally be a quieter time of the year,” says Darryl Leggieri, president of Discover Saratoga, which hosts Chowderfest. “We encourage visitors to come to Saratoga and make a weekend out of it with special hotel rates offered at participating hotels.”
The chowder-palooza kicks off early at Farmers Hardware on Maple Avenue with a Chowderfest Pre-Party. From 8am – 11am, guests at the official pre-party can enjoy brunch and sip on $5 screwdrivers, as well as take home some fun giveaways. During Chowderfest proper, in addition to all the eats, there’ll be plenty of live entertainment and music, including Soul Session frontman Garland Nelson performing at Embassy Suites, local favorite Pat Decker at Putnam Place and a tarot card reader at Mouzon House. Expect plenty of non-chowder offerings during the main event, too. For example, Sperry’s will have a pop-up tiki bar with a tiki-themed pig roast, and Prime at Saratoga National will be offering oysters in addition to its chowder samples.
Don’t go too overboard on the day’s eats, though, because there’ll be a bumping after-party at Putnam Place, which is hosting its Official Chowderfest After-Party. There, enjoy tasty Cajun shrimp by Chef Kenny Bourbeau and catch a free show by the New York-based ensemble Brass Machine. Saratoga City Tavern, Carson’s Woodside Tavern and Prime will also be in the mix with Chowderfest-related events.
Craving more than just chowder? saratoga living‘s got the must-do list for this week and weekend below.
Monday, January 27
The Adirondack Theatre Festival will announce its 26th Summer Season with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Queensbury Hotel
Take part in a multicultural “book tasting” with “Read Around the World” at the Clifton Park Halfmoon Public Library
Tuesday, January 28
Every fourth Tuesday of the month is a Storytelling Open Mic at Caffè Lena in Saratoga
Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney will be revisiting some of his favorite songs from his breakout album, City of Blake & White, at The Egg in Albany
Wednesday, January 29
Join curator Serena Hildebrandt for a Between the Mountains Ink Workshop, on painting with ink, at Skidmore College’s Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery
Renowned cellist Ashley Bathgate will be performing at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall as part of its new Lift concert series
Shake that cabin fever off with an Abs & Booty Burnout at Max Level Fitness in Saratoga
Cirque du Soleil’s colorful bug’s story, OVO, is coming to Albany’s Times Union Center for a week of performances
Thursday, January 30
The 2020 Jazz at the Spring music series kicks off at the Spring Street Gallery with bassist Tarik Shah and guitarist Mark Kleinhau
Five-time Grammy Award-winning South African choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo will bring their incredible vocals to the Troy Music Hall
The University at Albany Performing Arts Center will present The Creative Life: A Conversation with author Jhumpa Lahiri in its recital hall
Running until February 8, Latham’s Curtain Call Theatre is presenting the historical comedy Ben Butler by Richard Strand
The Annual State of Rhinebeck Dinner and Good Egg Award 2020 event will be held at The Beekman Arms
Friday, January 31
Saratoga favorite the Rustic Overtones will be coming to Putnam Place in support of their latest album, Self Titled
Enjoy a special Hyde Night Out: Monsters and Heroes event, with themed games, refreshments and a new Goya exhibition at Glens Falls’ The Hyde Collection
Music, art and winter revelry will fill Saratoga’s Arts District during the first Frostbite Friday of the year
Fans of Emmy-winning actor Mandy Patinkin won’t want to miss Mandy Patinkin In Concert: Diaries, with Adam Ben-David on piano, at Proctors in Schenectady
Dare to Be Human: The Storytelling Show will feature everyday people telling incredible true stories at the Mopco Improv Theater in Schenectady
The Albany Civic Theater is presenting the regional premiere of the drama American Soldiers by Matt Morillo
All weekend, root for your favorite hockey team during the Adirondack Pond Hockey Tournament at Beach Road in Lake George
The 2020 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival will be held until February 9 with a theme of “Myths and Legends”
Saturday, February 1
Livingston Taylor, famed singer-songwriter and professor at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, will be performing at Caffè Lena
Roots rockers Fruition will bring their Wild as the Night Tour to Albany’s The Hollow Bar + Kitchen in support of their recent double release
Catch a screening of The Sacrosanct Accompanist about dance musician Lawrence “Reed” Hansen, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker, Terese Capucilli, at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga
Don’t miss the two-day Winterfest 2020 at The Inn at Erlowest in Lake George
Hear Get The Led Out, a sizzling Led Zeppelin tribute act coming to Albany’s Palace Theatre
Get ready for plenty of adorable puppy eyes during the NY Dog Film Festival at Proctors in Schenectady
Enjoy a free winter sports festival in the heart of New York City during Winter Jam in Central Park
Learn the art of weaving historic Viking chains (necklaces and bracelets) at a Viking Chain Class at Starting Point Studio in South Glens Falls
Columbia Memorial Health Foundation will host its Annual Winter Blast at Club Helsinki in Hudson
The Lake George Winter Carnival kicks off this weekend with polar plunges, pony rides, helicopter rides and more every weekend of February
Sunday, February 2 (Super Bowl Sunday)
Get your snowshoes and winter gear ready for the 21st Saratoga Winterfest 5k Snowshoe Race at Saratoga Spa State Park
Enjoy some family-friendly laughs during the “Bring Ya Mamma” Clean Comedy Show at 167 Bleecker Street in Manhattan
Leave the boys behind on Super Bowl Sunday for the 3rd Annual Girls Day Out! at The Queensbury Hotel
With more than 250 exhibitors across three days, Curve New York at the Javits Center in Manhattan will be a great place to shop for intimate apparel and other clothing
