F.L.X. Summer Fest (Finger Lakes Wine Festival) - No longer taking place

Note: This event has been permanently canceled.

The F.L.X. Summer Fest in Watkins Glen, New York, transformed this storied village at the southern tip of Seneca Lake into eleven days of celebration honoring the Finger Lakes region’s distinctive character.

Against the backdrop of the deepest of New York’s eleven glacially carved lakes, the festival wove together live music, artisan markets, culinary showcases, and community gatherings that captured the relaxed yet vibrant spirit of this remarkable corner of upstate New York. The opening Friday evening set the tone with a community gathering along the waterfront, followed by a full Saturday of interactive craft workshops, regional food and drink tastings, and performances by local musicians. The festival would culminate on a Sunday morning with a leisurely lakeside breakfast and a 5K fun run that wound through town before participants dispersed to explore on their own terms.

What made a visit during the festival particularly rewarding was the opportunity to extend a stay and discover the layers of experience the region offered. Watkins Glen State Park, accessible directly from Main Street, delivered one of the most extraordinary gorge walks in the northeastern United States, where nineteen waterfalls cascaded over two hundred feet of ancient cliffs across a two-mile trail of stone steps, tunnels, and mist-shrouded passages. The Gorge Trail passed through Cavern Cascade itself, allowing visitors to walk beneath and behind waterfalls in a setting that earned the park third place among six thousand state parks nationwide in a USA Today reader poll. For those traveling with dogs, the rim trails remained open to leashed companions and offered dramatic overlooks above the gorge.

The festival’s timing aligned beautifully with the height of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail season, when the region’s twenty-eight member wineries welcomed visitors to taste cool-climate Rieslings, Cabernet Francs, Pinot Noirs, and distinctive sparkling wines that earned the Finger Lakes genuine international recognition. Glenora Wine Cellars, the first winery established on Seneca Lake, remained a favorite for its sweeping views and elegant tasting room, while smaller producers like Boundary Breaks and Lamoreaux Landing offered intimate experiences with winemakers who knew every vine on their hillside properties.

When hunger called between festival events, Watkins Glen’s dining scene reflected the region’s farm-to-table ethos with genuine warmth. Graft Wine + Cider Bar downtown paired locally sourced small plates with an exceptional regional beverage program, while Nickel’s Pit BBQ served smoky brisket and burnt ends on an outdoor patio that filled quickly on summer evenings. For Italian comfort food, Jerlando’s Ristorante delivered hand-tossed pizzas and classic pasta dishes in a room painted with countryside murals, and Thai Elephants earned a devoted following for its drunken noodles and green curry. Breakfast seekers arrived early at Curly’s Family Restaurant near the state park entrance or made the pilgrimage to Art & Nancy’s for cheesesteaks and hearty morning plates that locals long treated as their own secret.

Beyond the gorge and the vineyards, the area rewarded exploration. Captain Bill’s offered dinner cruises on Seneca Lake as the sun dropped behind the western hills, while Farm Sanctuary provided tours of its 275-acre refuge for rescued animals just west of town. The Catharine Valley Trail beckoned cyclists and walkers, and Shequaga Falls in nearby Montour Falls offered another dramatic cascade without the crowds. The historic Watkins Glen International racetrack, whose checkerboard crosswalks downtown commemorated the village’s road racing heritage, hosted events throughout the summer for motorsports enthusiasts.

Whether visitors once came for the festival’s opening night energy, the Sunday morning fun run, or simply the excuse to immerse themselves in one of New York’s most beautiful lakeside regions during the warmest month of summer, the F.L.X. Summer Fest offered a genuine sense of place. Travelers can still experience the beauty of Seneca Lake and the Finger Lakes region by booking a vacation rental on Lake.com and settling into the rhythm of the lake, where days stretch long and waterfalls never stop flowing.