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Welcome to Ellicottville! There are fun things to do year round in Ellicottville - great skiing and tubing in the winter, hiking and exploring in the summer, and all sorts of events and parties all year long. Check out some of our favorite events in the area:
Winter Blues Weekend occurs on a friday and saturday in late January and is an annual event that invites local blues artists to come and provide live entertainment at restaurants and bars all throughout the town. The event was started in 1995 as a way to bring the town together and show off all the regional blues talent to the community. Winter Blues Weekend typically has around 20 different blues band performances over the two day time span. The atmosphere and live performances are phenomenal and tend to draw in large crowds from all over Western New York and Canada to join in on the fun filled weekend festivities!
The Winter Music Jam occurs in mid-February and is presented annually by the Ellicottville chamber of commerce. The event is typically sponsored by a local business or multiple local businesses. The jam brings in a wide variety of town members and visitors because the jam displays a wide variety of artists and genres. There are typically over 15 acts all around the town of Ellicottville for visitors and town community members alike to enjoy! The event provides another excuse to come visit the ski town and get to see live performances.
Mardi Gras, French for "Fat Tuesday," is the last celebration before making Lenten sacrifices. In Ellicottville, this is a huge annual celebration that always takes place the day before Ash Wednesday. This is one of the busiest annual events in the village with renters from all over looking to join in on the fun festivities. There is an annual department theme with a parade and giant floats. It is also custom to dress up in costumes. During Mardi Gras, everyone on the slopes is dressed in elaborate costumes and beads are being thrown off the ski lifts to celebrate.
Other activities and events that occur during Mardi Gras are cookouts, raffles, scavenger hunts, golf tournamnets, sidewalk sales, a food drive, pancake breakfast at the warming hut on the mountain top, and fireworks. There are also food trucks stopped all over town for the 3 day Mardi Gras celebration, which seem to be a big hit every year. This is the perfect time to celebrate with friends and family before lent or just have fun for those who aren't on the trip for religious purposes. New Orleans hasn't got anything on this unique ski trip version of a Mardi Gras celebration!
This is a new festival in the village of Ellicottville celebrating the unique 2% of the human population that are red heads. The celebration is two days long in June and consists of activities throughout the town. You must be red headed in order to participate and register for RedHead Days through the Ellicottville chamber of commerce website. When you register there is an option to get a free t-shirt, button, bag, drink koozie, or beer glass as a gift with your $30 registration fee.
The event begins with the Zero-K, which is a "race" between everyone to see who can get to all the town's participating bars and restaurants the fastest. All the restaurants and bars will be giving out red drinks inspired by all the beautiful redheads. In addition to the race goodie bags are handed out, there are raffles sponsored by organizations, and live music performing for the participants to enjoy. Finally, there are red head contests with prizes. Some of the contests include longest hair, largest redhead family, best red headed twins, best red ginger curls, and best ginger beard. Overall, the weekend is a celebration and appreciation of red heads and another excuse to getaway to Ellicottville for a weekend of dining, drinking, and shopping!
This festival occurs annually during the 4th of July weekend and consists mostly of rock and roll music. The tickets are available on the Ellicottville chamber of commerce website, as well as updated information about the bands and performances that will be occurring. The venue is outdoors with a stage setup slopeside in Holiday Valley. This is the perfect event for friends and family to getaway to celebrate the 4th of July weekend.
During the day, there is a village pet parade, which is a fun activity and way to get the whole family to walk around the village together. After the parade the pets must be returned home before the rock and roll concerts on the hillside. And then the night is finished with a firework show because what would a 4th of July weekend be without any fireworks? Ellicottville is the perfect place to spend the 4th of July for those who are looking for a fun weekend getaway that is much more than just your average firework display.
This event takes place over the second last weekend of July and showcases live Jazz and Blues performances all round the village of Ellicottville. There are a wide variety of performances and the bands are all dedicated to creating an event that is all about the musical experience. The venues for the performances are all walking distance apart to cater to visitors that want to "bar hop" and go around enjoying the wide variety of top notch performances.
The Jazz and Blues weekend will occur at a series of restaurants, bars, night clubs, and on the streets of the village. This is the perfect weekend for shopping and dining in Ellicottville with calming vibes and ambiance. Overall a very unique experience to share with friends and family in the village.
Every year Ellicottville's chamber of commerce puts together a food festival with different restaurants all throughout the town. The food festival is two days long with a list of restaurants that all fill up the village streets "cafe style." Tickets are sold to participants and samples are given out by all the different restaurants. There is a wide selection of foods at all the participating restaurants. There are also pamphlets distributed at the Taste of Ellicottville that have maps of where all the different restaurant's booths are located in the village. There are also live performances during the Taste of Ellicottville that provide a fun and uplifting atmosphere for the event.
This event is something that locals look forward to annually and also draws in a big crowd of foodies from Canada and Western New York. Ellicottville is always a cute and quaint town to visit but annual events like the Taste of Ellicottville always create an even friendlier environment for people looking for a weekend getaway with lots of tasty food!
Rhino Lacrosse has teamed up with the Ellicottville chambers of commerce to create a large event for girls and women's division lacrosse. This lacrosse festival has made Ellicottville an annual destination for players and their families to look forward to.
The festival promotes women's lacrosse to people who are unfamiliar and also encourages people to watch and participate in women's league sports. Families are welcomed to shop and dine while they're in town for the tournament and just enjoy everything Ellicotville has to offer their visitors.
This event includes a half marathon and a 5k. Runners of all levels are invited to come to Ellicottville and run through and enjoy this charming village. The run is Halloween themed so wear your best and most comfortable costume. The run is supported by the Ellicottville Sport Booster, which is a group dedicated to helping local children involved in athletics, as well as supporting the local food pantry. Come visit Ellicottville this October for an amazing run through the country roads!
This weekend-long festival celebrates the beginning of fall and encourages everyone to take in the beautiful scenery as the Ellicottville mountains cape transforms for the autumnal season. There is normally a large carnival hosted in Ellicottville every year for the fall festival, but it is dependent on the public health status related to COVID-19. Regardless, there is still a pumpkin patch that locals and visitors can go to, as well as a surplus of other activities that make this festival such a popular event.
The fall festival is famous for the chairlift rides to the top of the mountains where there are cookouts and live music for everyone to enjoy. In addition, the actual main strip of the town sets up vendors, arts and crafts, and entertainment for families looking to have some fall fun! There is also a 4 or 8 mile trail run and a bike race for people looking to stay active and enjoy the crisp fall weather with beautiful scenic panoramic views.
Christmas in Ellicottville is a magical experience with the town all decorated and lit up at night. The New York Times called the celebration like the "scene of an old Christmas movie." The celebration includes Horse Drawn carriage rides, fire truck rides with Santa, lights, carolers, decorations in windows, reindeer, Santa, and just a warm Christmas spirit. This event brings in a lot of people annually and is a great place to bring the family to enjoy the Christmas spirit!
The Christmas stroll was initiated by citizens of the town of Ellicottville in the late 1980s. The original idea was for citizens to dress as shepherds, wise men, angels, and other biblical characters from the nativity scene to bring everyone together. However, throughout the years the event has evolved to become much more than just a nativity scene and it has become a very exciting tradition that members of the community look forward to annually. The tradition typically begins with Santa and his elves at Villagio, an Italian restaurant in Ellicottville, for pictures and then moves to Tee bar so that everyone can indulge in some delicious Christmas cookies.
The "christmas stroll" that started the whole tradition has now been renamed the "reindog parade" because of the tradition that started where the villagers all bring their dogs dressed up with reindeer antlers along for the walk. The walk ends at the town gazebo with everyone dressed in their Nativity scene outfits. This is when the Ellicottville High School Choir performs their Christmas Carols and baby Jesus is presented to the crowd. There are also horse and wagon rides available at the nativity exhibition.
As the largest private ski club in North America and listed amongst the best in the World, HoliMont is a gem of a resort. HoliMont has one of the best ski racing programs in New York State, and can boast about so much more, including: 100% snowmaking coverage on 56 wonderfully groomed trails within 135 ski acres; short lift lines; successful programs; average annual snowfall of 180' and an average of 114 days open to membership.
HoliMont provides inclusive Winter programming, starting with learn to ski programs, adaptive skiing for all abilities, freestyle/aerial skiing and snowboarding, and competitive racing. Foundationally rooted with fundamentals, of education, training, sportsmanship and a passion to share the love of skiing, HoliMont coaches and instructors are well trained: PSIA, USSA and CSCF certified and recruited/retained for their passion to teach Winter Sports. World Class coaches and athletes are exemplified by the 5 HoliMont Alumni that participated in the 2022 Olympics, with another as an NBC commentator on the Freestyle Events.
- Write-up by Michelle Winters
Rock City Park is home to the world's largest formation of quartz conglomerate sandstone, which is essentially pebble sized pieces of quartz all bound together by hardened clay and sand. The formations and outcroppings were all formed around 320 million years ago by melting glaciers that drained into the area and became fast moving streams. The streams brought the quartz sediment that shaped the modern day "rock city." The Park also has a long history that is discussed in the paper guide with additional information and mementos in the museum available to all the guests.
Today, the Rock City Park has become a fun destination for people in Olean, NY and around the town of Ellicottville to come visit. The area is frequently visited by families looking to hike the scenic trails embedded throughout and above the enormous geological formations. There are also beautiful mountain top views from certain points along the hiking trails. In addition to hiking, the park also has a souvenir and rock shop, museum, and fluorescent light rock room. There are refreshments, Ice cream, and snacks available for guests as well. The Rock City Park is a great destination if you're looking for a location for any events (Weddings, picnics, birthday parties, family reunions, etc.) or just a good spot for a day trip with the family.
A two day festival each spring that has occurred every year since 1962. Great fun for families with Local maple producers, their maple syrup/maple products highlighted every year.
https://www.facebook.com/Franklinvilles-Annual-Western-New-York-Maple-Festival-195089277197301/
Griffis Sculpture Park was the first sculpture park in the country and has now grown to also be the largest sculpture park in the U.S. It was founded in 1966 with original steel sculptures from Larry Griffis Jr. The park still contains the original sculptures that are now over 50 years old and has also added over 225 additional sculptures from local, national, and international artists over the decades. The park is a mix of nature and art that is spread across 450 acres of land.
The Sculptures are scattered throughout miles of hiking trails across different terrain. There are forests, meadows, fields, ponds, and wetlands where the sculptures reside. The park is split into two main sites: the Rohr Hill Road Site and the Mill Valley Road Site. The Rohr Hill Road Site are large sculptures all set in the woods and fields close by the road and The Mill Valley Road Site consists of sculptures set further back into the trails through a wide variety of different terrains. Both locations provide their own unique vibe so that guests can get a new perspective every time they walk through the park.
The Griffis Sculpture Park is open from May 1st-October 31st. The price of admission is $5 for Adults, $3 for Seniors, and free for children 10 and younger. There are picnic tables available in the park for guests looking for somewhere to gather with friends/family or take a quick break to eat or rest their legs and just soak in the beauty all around them! The park is also notorious for their interactive learning environment associated with Arts in Education. Griffis Sculpture park provides educational tours, workshops, and other programs for guests to look forward to every year!
https://griffissculpturepark.org/
Live music on most weekends - see the website for schedules of live bands and festivals!
Join us for the Distilled and Chilled Music Festival
https://ellicottvilledistillery.com
Megan Sackman founded One Yoga in 2014 after becoming a certified yoga instructor after years of perfecting her craft. The business is centralized in Lewiston but offers group and private classes all around Western New York. The website, OneyogaWNY.com, lists all the different events and classes that are available to sign up for annually and at least one of those events will typically take place at a venue in Ellicottville, NY. The classes are meant to provide a scenic experience for participants while rooting them in nature. The instructors believe in the connection between nature and yoga, which is why they have started mixing hiking and yoga events together. The owner, Megan stated that yoga is a gateway to healthy living and helps relieve stress. One Yoga classes have the power to stabilize and balance your natural systems, reconnect you with your inner self, and help you create a healthier lifestyle and have a more positive outlook on life, according to the instructors. If you're looking to get in tune with nature and start a healthy workout look into One Yoga events on their website or schedule your own group or private lesson, and Ellicottville is the perfect location for a group hike and yoga session!
A family farm providing Christmas trees, pumpkins, sweet corn, maple syrup, fresh vegetables, turkey, chicken, goat products and so much more!
Located on Tug Hill
https://www.facebook.com/masicfarmsimplelife/
https://websitesbycook.com/thecrosspatch/
https://www.ellicottvillesaltcave.com
https://enchantedmountains.com/place/holiday-valley-tubing-company
https://www.facebook.com/NannenArboretumSociety/
https://salamancamallantiques.com
https://senecaalleganycasino.com
https://www.holidayvalley.com/summer/sky-high-adventure-park/
https://watsonschocolates.com/pages/watsons-ellicottville
https://www.zippo.com/pages/zippo-case-museums
