ArtsFest Outside

ArtsFest is coming up October 16th to 19th , and there are plenty of outdoor options designed to appeal to nature lovers, families with small children – or anybody avoiding indoor spaces – all weekend long:

All Weekend

A trio of self-guided walking tours let you explore New Rochelle at your own pace.

The city’s 20 NRNY Murals were completed in 2022 and make a statement about New Rochelle as a diverse city where art plays a pivotal role. The high impact murals were created by a group of world class street artists curated by Street Art for Mankind and sponsored by the New Rochelle Council on the Arts and the City of New Rochelle’s IDA. Download the map at newrochellearts.org.

In the heart of downtown at Ruby Dee Park (adjacent to the New Rochelle Public Library bounded by Lawton Street, Memorial Highway and Huguenot Street) the New Rochelle Walk of Fame was installed in 2011 as a tribute to some of New Rochelle's most notable residents throughout the city’s 325-year history. The signs, located along the park’s outer pathway, present a micro history of America with figures representing the arts, business, politics, education, the media, entertainment and sports. Created and funded by former resident and historian Roderick Kennedy Jr., working with City Historian Barbara Davis, the New Rochelle Downtown BID, the New Rochelle Department of Parks & Recreation.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow’s award-winning novel which became a film and a musical (the Broadway revival is currently at Lincoln Center). Download the brochure at newrochellearts.org to take a self-guided tour of author E.L. Doctorow’s New Rochelle and find out more about how New Rochelle inspired his work. The tour includes his statue in Huguenot Park, which was cast using actual items of clothing worn by Mr. Doctorow. Installed in 2023 it echoes the bronze statue of Huguenot settler Jacob Leisler that has stood at the base of Broadview Avenue since 1913 and appears in Doctorow’s book Ragtime.

Friday and Saturday

“The Haunt at Wildcliff Mansion" (44 Wildcliff Drive, NR; www.hpcgreenhouse.org) returns for the third year, bringing immersive horror and cinematic design to one of Westchester’s most storied properties. Set within the ruins of the historic Wildcliff Mansion overlooking Echo Bay, the attraction invites guests to journey through darkness, legend, and beautifully crafted nightmares. On Friday and Saturday night during ArtsFest guests can explore this large-scale, story-driven haunt for a Halloween experience like no other. Recommended for adults, teens and children who love horror or haunted houses: Guests under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult and no babies or strollers will be allowed. Timed tickets cost $25 per person at https://www.hauntatwildcliff.com/dates-times

Saturday

The ArtsFest Classic Car Show (Hamilton Avenue Parking Lot, North Ave. at Hamilton, adjacent to City Hall) lets auto fans of all ages explore the evolution of automobile design through an eye-catching display of 30 classic auto beauties on exhibit by invitation only. From 10 am to 5 pm visitors can admire the cars and talk to the owners, and from 12 pm to 2 pm the Bear Mountain Brass Band will provide rollicking live music. And if you get hungry you can pop across the street to AJ’s Burgers (542 North Avenue), the family-friendly fast casual restaurant that sponsors the Classic Car Show. Rain Date: Sunday, October 19th.

From 11 am to 5 pm visit the 6th Annual ArtsFest Makers Market (on the grounds of Thomas Paine Cottage, 20 Sicard Avenue, NR) for a day filled with art, music, food, crafts activities and more. (Rain Date: Sunday, October 19th.) The outdoor market -- across from the NRHS tennis courts -- will feature two dozen vendors, food trucks and live music by Mudsole Dixieland Trio from 12 to 2 pm, and Tilted Axes from 3 pm to 4 pm. This year there will also be a Youth Makers Market from 11 am to 3 pm with every product crafted by kids aged 7 to 17.

Hands-on activities include a visit from the ArtsWestchester ArtsMobile (1 pm to 3 pm) and a trio of children’s book authors who will be at the one-room schoolhouse on site teaching crafts based on their titles: From 11:30 am to 12:30 pm Andrea Lambiasi, author of Quann Learns a Valuable Lesson, will be making friendship bracelets, and from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm Donna Sirabella, author of The Amazing Roberta Wigglesworth, will be crafting wooden cowboy hat and boots ornaments. Then from 1:30 pm to- 2:30 pm award-winning bilingual children’s book author and educator Marisa Boan will help children create greeting cards using artist Alma Thomas' inspiring mosaic technique.

Downtown at the New Rochelle Public Library will be celebrating the re-opening of its outdoor Children’s Garden with A Spooktacular Celebration! From 1:30 to 4 pm. (1 Library Plaza, NR, 914-632-7878, www.nrpl.org ) The renovated garden -- an initiative of the NRPL Foundation –will host a day of family fun with pumpkin decorating, face painting, photo ops with Esteban the Magnificent from The Day the Crayons Came Home, Music with Armelle, Songcatchers and more. Come dressed in costume to explore the garden and enjoy a day rooted in creativity, connection, community.

Sunday

Get an early start at 8 am with the New Ro Runners Murals Run: Meet in the parking lot at the Hotel NoMa ( Trademark Collection by Wyndham, 1 Radisson Plaza, NR; https://www.newrorunners.org/ ) for a free running tour along a route that celebrates New Rochelle's 20 NRNY Murals. NewRo Runners is a vibrant running community, bringing together runners of all abilities to have fun, make friendships, become better runners and explore their neighborhoods and local trails. Sign up in advance at https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/NewRochelle/NewRochelleMuralsRunWalk

From 11 am to 2 pm families can enjoy some seasonal fun at the Hudson Park Children’s Greenhouse Pumpkin Patch (Hudson Park Children’s Greenhouse, 44 Wildcliff Rd, Hudson Park, NR; www.hudsonparkgreenhouse.org ). Children can explore a corn maze, select and paint a pumpkin, go on a “Skeleton Scavenger Hunt” and other seasonal activities. For an extra $10 guests can take a guided tour through a less-scary daytime version of “The Haunt at Wildcliff Mansion” with lights on and no actors. Buy timed ticket for $10 (plus handling fee) at https://app.hauntpay.com/events/25802

In the middle of New Rochelle the Friends of Glenwood Lake Park are hosting Glenwood Lake Park En Plein Air from 11 am to 2 pm, with artists of all ages invited to capture the west side shoreline in its autumnal splendor. (Corner of Glenwood Avenue and Lakeside Drive; 206-913-8006; fglppresident@gmail.com) This very special tree line will be permanently altered by necessary earthen dam improvements taking place in the coming year, so photographers, painters and an illustrators of all abilities are asked to help immortalize the natural beauty of this space. A very limited quantity of painting and drawing materials will be available, so artists are encouraged to bring their own.

Downtown a hand-on mobile photography workshop will teach amateur photographers some techniques for capturing architectural details in the urban landscape. From 2 pm to 4 pm artist and educator Professor Jim Frank and Anne Gold, Executive Director of the New Rochelle BID, will lead Snap! A Downtown Architecture Photo Walk a guided walking tour along Main Street. After the walk, participants will return to Town House Kitchen & Drinks (559 Main Street) to learn quick editing techniques and then select a favorite photo; these images will be transformed into postcards and displayed the following month in a community art exhibition a pop-up gallery hosted at Town House Kitchen & Drinks. This event is best suited for adults, and participants must bring a charged smartphone. Tickets cost $15 each from https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1657585686409?aff=oddtdtcreator

Finally from 3 pm to 7 pm chef and cookbook author Arlen Gargagliano will take participants on a Sol Food Walking Tour exploring the art of fine dining. Participants will walk through downtown New Rochelle, visiting local restaurants to savor a sampling of their signature bites and sips and hear their stories. There will also be some historical tidbits shared along the way! Tickets cost $125 each from solfoodtoursnr@gmail.com

ArtsFest is organized by the New Rochelle Council on the Arts. The mission of NRCA (founded in 1975) is to encourage the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts; for the complete ArtsFest calendar go to www.newrochellearts.org.

Sponsors for this year’s ArtsFest include Golden 50 Year Grand Sponsor Cappelli Organization and LRC Construction, ArtsWestchester, The Gwendolyn Appleyard Trust Fund for New Rochelle Charities, New Rochelle CLD, Montefiore New Rochelle, Town House Kitchen + Drinks, Alvin & Friends, Orange Bank and Tecas Tacos, plus in-kind donors The Dining Lab at Monroe University, AJ’s Burgers, The Picture House, the New Rochelle Public Library, The Atelier, and Hotel NoMa. The New Rochelle Council on the Arts is proud to be a grantee of ArtsWestchester with funding made possible by Westchester County government with the support of County Executive Ken Jenkins.