Come out to our very own Ithaca old time Gathering, The Big Hoedown, Thursday, Aug. 27th to Sunday, Aug. 30th 2026! Gates will open at 3pm on Thursday (do not arrive early) and close at 2pm on Sunday. It will take place at 1149 Teeter Road in Enfield, NY at a beautiful location with flat campsites and a view of the Finger Lakes hills. Camp out for the weekend, or come for the day.
This is not a festival of performances, but rather a get-together of fellow Appalachian old time stringband musicians and lovers of the music. You might also hear related musical styles such as cajun, country or gospel at this gathering. There are some organized events and community jams, but mostly folks will be sitting around their own campsites with friends and new acquaintances playing fiddle tunes. The typical lineup of such a jam might be a fiddle (or 2), banjo, guitar, bass and/or other similar string instruments. You might also come across folks having more intimate musical experiences such as a fiddle/banjo duo or 2 folks singing songs together.
If you are a musician looking to join a jam, it is important to read the signals of the people already playing. In general folks are very welcoming, but it can get hard to hear if there are too many musicians in one session. Please be aware of that, and don’t get discouraged if you ask if you can join, and get turned down. It is not personal. Everyone is welcome to join in on the Community Jams!
In addition to a weekend of jamming, there will be a number of special events:
- Thurs/Fri/Sat facilitated Community Jams
- Friday Ice Cream Social
- Saturday morning Yoga
- Saturday evening Square Dance called by Nancy Spero and Marc Faris
- Saturday evening Gumbo Dinner for purchase, by Cole Stearns
- Sunday morning Shape Note Sing
There will be walk-in tent camping in the shady woods and car/camper camping in the field. No electric hookups at camp sites so make sure you bring your headlamps. Small open fires are permitted. Bathrooms, showers, and drinking water provided. We will have a general store with essentials including ice, hot coffee, hot dogs, and seltzer. Dogs are permitted, but you are responsable for cleaning up after them.
**Please buy your tickets now so we can plan accordingly. Camping is also limited, so this will help with a head count. Kids under 15 are free!
Please contact us (below) with any questions, and if you are interested in doing a work trade for the weekend. And please join the Mailing List to hear all the latest news.
Hosted by Rosie Newton and friends
