Ithaca Festival is back in full force this year with a completely booked craft fair for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Festival director Selena Hodom said that the space for food vendors is nearly fully booked and there are 77 entrants in the parade, which is 17 more than last year. With a new comedy festival this year, organizers said the event is shaping up to be the vibrant festival it was before the pandemic canceled it for two years in 2020 and 2021.
“A lot of the post-pandemic worries are a little more subsided,” said Hodom, who has been director since 2020. “People are a lot more relaxed now, which is awesome. The pressure is off at the moment, and not worrying that we’re going to cause a major health crisis by having the festival is kind of refreshing, absolutely.”
Downtown Ithaca Alliance has produced the craft fair portion of the festival for many years, but this year staffing limitations did not allow the organization to continue in that role.
“Luckily, all of our craft vendors came back and we were able to fill it up really nicely, so we’re excited about that,” Hodom said.
This year, the festival obtained funding to bolster its kids’ area with additional workshops at Dewitt Park’s family fun zone. Art projects for kids will include a puppet-making workshop, Jerry Monohan’s “toothpickery workshops for kids” and a live mural painting for children hosted by Ithaca Murals.
Wegmans, Window World, Visions Credit Union and Cayuga Health is sponsoring the family fun zone, helping to make the festival an inclusive event with something for everyone to enjoy.
“Ithaca is multicultural, and it’s nice to have different kinds of people sharing their creative expression, sharing their art,” said JoAnn Kingsley, member of the Ithaca Festival Board of Directors. To that end, a new program is coordinating with the festival this year.
Ithaca Laughs
The Ithaca Laughs 2024 Comedy Festival will bring a diverse lineup of comedians to the stage during Ithaca Festival. Shows will take place at the NRE Space, The Downstairs and the Sedias ArtSpace.
“I’m excited to bring in comedians [from] throughout New York State and a couple people from around the United States, and a couple people from Canada, so that’s making the festival international,” said Kenneth McLaurin, organizer of the Ithaca Laughs 2024 Comedy Festival.
Festival headliner Keelah Rose Calloway has toured internationally in Asia.
“I like that her humor and her perspective is unique,” Kingsley said. “It’s funny listening to her view on and her perspective on her travels and her view on life.
The grand finale is the “The Roast of Ithaca,” featuring a lineup of comedians who will take turns poking fun at the quirks and characters of Ithaca in a spirited roast session.
Though comedy shows have been a part of the festival for years, this year’s plans bring some new, all-inclusive elements into the mix.
“This is the first year we’ve had sober shows as part of the Ithaca Festival,” McLaurin said.
McLaurin said he wanted to make sure there are shows available where everyone can feel comfortable. The 14-show lineup therefore includes three sober shows and three cannabis-friendly performances.
“We wanted to create spaces for people to come together, create community and have fun around the things they enjoy and do in their life,” McLaurin said. “Around Ithaca, entertainment is usually centered around alcohol, generally, with the beer companies and the local wineries and whatnot.”
McLaurin will perform in the Ithaca Sober Comedy Festival himself, alongside his wife, as part of the music/comedy duo Singing Notes and Slinging Jokes. That show takes place May 30 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the NRE Event Space.
“As an entertainer, I don’t drink anymore,” McLaurin said. “I used to, but now I don’t drink, so I recognize that sometimes the environment I’m performing in is not the environment I would like to go into to enjoy a show. … Also, I’ve worked with people going through recovery, and one of the big things is isolation, and this is giving people the opportunity to do different things and meet new people.”
Also happening concurrently with the larger Ithaca Festival, The Elevated Comedy Festival shows are tailored for those who enjoy a laid-back vibe with plenty of laughs and a should the word seat be here?-friendly atmosphere. “It’s three nights of fun, comedy and a festival atmosphere,” the event’s website states.
McLaurin said that from his perspective as a performer, Ithaca brings an interesting crowd.
“Ithaca is unique because Ithaca likes clever,” he said. “If you can be clever, Ithaca will take clever, while some other places are not as big on clever as opposed to funny.”
“It’s a really diverse community,” he added, “You have the people who are born and bred townies, and college professors and students, so our college community is just sort of everybody, and I think that’s what makes it fun and challenging as a comedian.”
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit comedyonthecommons.com/ithaca-laughs-2024.
Be a Volunteer
The festival would not be possible without the board of directors and a team of volunteers. Thirty-two people have signed up to volunteer so far, and organizers are hoping that number will grow.
“It’s my first year on the board,” said Kingsley. “What I’m looking forward to the most is that I’m going to help with the food court area so it’s nice and cleaned up in front of the State Theatre.”
She also plans to help with the parade, riding her bicycle around the area, confirming that the barricades are in place. “A bicycle is very helpful,” she said.
The Button Brigade is a crucial part of the volunteer efforts, said Deirdre Kurzweil, vice president of the Ithaca Festival Board of Directors and owner of gift shop Sunny Days. Though entry to the festival is free, the $5 buttons serve as an unofficial “ticket.” Festival organizers are looking for members of the Button Brigade, visible among the crowd with their brightly colored hats, to be out in full force, especially during the parade on Thursday.
Those who purchase a button are entered into a raffle to win a gift basket filled with goodies donated by local retailers.
Those interested in volunteering can sign up at ithacafestival.org/volunteer-descriptions.
“We’re happy to have everybody,” Kingsley said. “Everybody brings their own set of skills and abilities. Just because we’ve done things a certain way forever doesn’t mean it has to be that way. And I just like the feeling of accomplishment. When more people have their eyes and ears and feet on the ground, it makes it less of a challenge and more fun.”
About 40% of the visitors to The Commons during the festival are from out of town, Hodom said, and the hope is to inspire those people to visit Ithaca more often.
Kurzweil said retailers do not typically see an increase of foot traffic in their shops during the festival, but she is heading up efforts to change that. This year, the food court area will provide an opportunity for local businesses to sponsor a table.
She also encourages people to set up small tables outside their stores. “I encourage them to come out and be present outside to draw people in,” Kurzweil said.
“We see an increase in foot traffic the following weekend, and that’s interesting,” Hodom said. In her conversations with local business owners, she has heard that customers will often see something in the store, or a shop will catch their eye during the festival, and they come back to check it out in the following days and weeks.
“It is a beautiful place,” Hodom said of downtown Ithaca, “and we want people to see what it has to offer.”
