What's Happening in the Hudson Valley This Weekend? Events for May 16-17, 2026
By Brian Caplicki · Caplicki Home Team · Updated May 11, 2026 · 6 min read
Storm King opens, Beltane returns to New Paltz, and the Goshen car show rolls in. Here is your vetted guide to 15 Hudson Valley weekend events across Orange, Ulster, Sullivan, and Dutchess Counties for May 16-17, 2026.
Quick Answer
The weekend of May 16-17, 2026 features 15 confirmed Hudson Valley events. Saturday leans into Ulster and Dutchess with the Beltane Festival in New Paltz, Wings & Wheels for Warriors in Ellenville, the Beacon Art Book Fair, and the Hudson Valley Renegades Military Appreciation Night in Wappingers Falls. Sunday is an Orange County day, anchored by Storm King Art Center's 2026 season opening in New Windsor, the Goshen Car Show & Food Truck Festival, and the Crystal Lake Spring Garden Celebration in Newburgh. Most family events are free or under $15.
Spring in the Hudson Valley hits its stride this weekend. Storm King opens its 2026 outdoor sculpture season. New Paltz hosts its 35th Beltane Festival. Goshen rolls classic cars onto the oldest active harness racing track in the country. From Beacon to Wurtsboro, the calendar runs from 10 a.m. through sunset both days. If you are house hunting in Orange County, selling in the Hudson Valley, or just trying to figure out how a Hudson Valley weekend actually feels, here is the rundown.
What is happening Saturday, May 16, 2026 in the Hudson Valley?
9 AM-3 PM. 11th Annual Wings & Wheels for Warriors (Ellenville, Ulster County). Joseph Y. Resnick Airport. Car show, aviation, and a veteran benefit. Proceeds go to the Disabled American Veterans of NY. First 150 registered vehicles get dash plaques.
9 AM-2 PM. Kingston Farmers Market (Uptown Kingston, Ulster County). Wall Street at the County Courthouse. The anchor of an Uptown Kingston weekend morning.
10 AM-3 PM. Fairy House Festival (Wurtsboro, Sullivan County). Mamakating Environmental Education Center, 762 South Road. $5 admission, registration required to build a fairy house. Costumes encouraged.
11 AM-4 PM. Senate House 18th-Century Growing Season (Kingston, Ulster County). 296 Fair Street. Free, hands-on day at New York's first state capital, exploring how 18th-century New Yorkers grew and produced food.
11 AM-4 PM. Beacon Art Book Fair (Beacon, Dutchess County). VFW Memorial Hall, 413 Main Street. Free admission. 28 vendors of zines, art books, and self-published work. Wheelchair accessible via the Teller Avenue ramp.
11 AM-6 PM. Open Studios by Upstate Art Weekend (all four counties). 240-plus artists across 10 counties opening their working studios to the public, including Newburgh-based sculptor Ashley Lyon. Free self-directed art crawl.
11 AM-6 PM. 25th Annual GARNER Arts Festival (Garnerville, Rockland County). A short drive from southern Orange. $12 advance, kids 12 and under free. Live marble sculpting, screen printing demos, a 250-person Flash Sketch Mob, a regional student art show, food, and music.
11 AM & 7 PM. Leadership Sullivan Movie Day (Hurleyville, Sullivan County). HPAC, 219 Main Street. Zootopia 2 at 11 a.m. and Superman (2025) at 7 p.m. $10 per showing. Benefits the Leadership Sullivan Class of 2026 Comfort Closet Project.
12 PM-7 PM. 35th Annual Hudson Valley Beltane Festival (New Paltz, Ulster County). Stone Mountain Farm, 312 River Road Ext. Donation-based. The Beltane Pageant begins at 4 p.m. with giant puppets, dancers from the Vanaver Caravan, and seasonal ritual. No entry after 3:30 p.m.
5:05 PM. Hudson Valley Renegades Military Appreciation Night (Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County). Heritage Financial Park. The Renegades, the High-A Yankees affiliate, host the Frederick Keys. First 1,000 fans get a Military Appreciation hat. Kids run the bases after the game.
What is happening Sunday, May 17, 2026 in the Hudson Valley?
9 AM-2 PM. Warwick Valley Farmers Market (Warwick, Orange County). South Street parking lot, Bank and South Streets. The Sunday market that holds Warwick Village together through the growing season.
10 AM-3 PM. Goshen Car Show & Food Truck Festival (Goshen, Orange County). Goshen Historic Track, 44 Park Place. Free admission. Classic cars on the 20-acre infield of the oldest active harness racing track in the country, with food trucks and live music. Rain date May 31.
11 AM-4 PM. We Love Crystal Lake Spring Garden Celebration (Newburgh, Orange County). Crystal Lake, 61 Temple Avenue. Free, family-friendly. Hosted by Newburgh Sanctuary. 11 a.m. water and land blessing with Munay Wasi, 1 p.m. shared community meal from Sabores de Mi Tierra, 2 p.m. yoga and acupressure, 2:15 p.m. guided hike with Outdoor Promise, and a 3:15 p.m. sound bath.
11 AM-6 PM. Storm King Art Center 2026 Season Opening Day (New Windsor, Orange County). 1 Museum Road. $25 adult admission, members free, library Museum Pass gives free entry for two adults plus kids. Three new commissions debut this season: Anicka Yi's Message from the Mud, Saif Azzuz's weych-pues / tàkhòne (where the rivers meet), and Liz Glynn's Open House.
11 AM-6 PM. Open Studios Day 2 and GARNER Arts Festival Day 2 continue from Saturday.
Why Hudson Valley sellers should pay attention to weekend events
If you are selling a home in Goshen, Warwick, Cornwall, Newburgh, or any Orange County village this weekend, the festivals are already doing some of the marketing for you. Weekend events pull out-of-area buyers into towns they may have only seen on a map. Aligning an open house with a nearby event, even loosely, can mean a sharper Sunday afternoon. Storm King's Sunday opening day in particular brings cultural buyers into New Windsor and Cornwall who may be sizing up the Hudson Highlands for the first time. Plan your open house when the village is at its best, not when it is empty.
Why Hudson Valley buyers should pay attention to weekend events
If you are buying in Orange County or anywhere in the Hudson Valley, weekend events are the cheapest, fastest way to test a town before you commit to a zip code. Walk Goshen on Sunday during the car show. Drive through Warwick at noon when the farmers market is full. Stop into Kingston on Saturday and feel Uptown on a market morning. The way a town feels on a busy weekend tells you something a Tuesday morning drive-through never will. Buyers we work with in Orange County often pivot their target zip code after one good Saturday in a place they had not considered.
The bottom line
Spring in the Hudson Valley is short. Use the weekend. Saturday May 16 leans into Ulster and Dutchess, with Beltane, the Renegades, Wings & Wheels, and the Beacon Art Book Fair anchoring the day. Sunday May 17 is an Orange County day, led by Storm King's season opener and the Goshen car show, with Crystal Lake in Newburgh and the Warwick farmers market filling in the corners. If you are working with us on a buy or a sell, ask which towns would suit you best to spend the weekend in. The right town shows itself when you walk it.
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Hudson Valley Weekend Events FAQ
What is happening in the Hudson Valley this weekend?
The weekend of May 16-17, 2026 features 15 confirmed events across Orange, Ulster, Sullivan, and Dutchess Counties. Highlights include Storm King Art Center's 2026 season opening on Sunday, the 35th Annual Hudson Valley Beltane Festival in New Paltz on Saturday, the Goshen Car Show & Food Truck Festival on Sunday, and the Hudson Valley Renegades Military Appreciation Night on Saturday evening.
Is Storm King Art Center open May 16-17, 2026?
Storm King Art Center holds a VIP preview on Saturday, May 16 and closes at 1 p.m. that day. The 2026 season officially opens to the public on Sunday, May 17, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Adult admission is $25. Members and library Museum Pass holders enter free. The 2026 season debuts three new commissions by Anicka Yi, Saif Azzuz, and Liz Glynn.
What free family events are happening in Orange County NY this weekend?
Free Orange County family events on May 16-17, 2026 include the Goshen Car Show & Food Truck Festival on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Goshen Historic Track, the We Love Crystal Lake Spring Garden Celebration in Newburgh on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Warwick Valley Farmers Market on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Open Studios by Upstate Art Weekend running both days from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
What is the Hudson Valley Beltane Festival?
The Hudson Valley Beltane Festival is a 35-year-old donation-based outdoor spring celebration held at Stone Mountain Farm in New Paltz, NY. Produced by the Vanaver Caravan, it blends folk tradition, dance, music, and giant puppetry. The signature event is the 4 p.m. Beltane Pageant, a theatrical performance of myth and seasonal ritual. The 2026 festival runs Saturday, May 16 from noon to 7 p.m. No entry after 3:30 p.m.
Where can I find a farmers market in the Hudson Valley on May 16 or May 17, 2026?
The Kingston Farmers Market runs Saturday, May 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wall Street in Uptown Kingston. The Warwick Valley Farmers Market runs Sunday, May 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Street parking lot in Warwick Village. Both markets run weekly throughout the growing season.
Is the Goshen Car Show & Food Truck Festival free to attend?
Yes. The Goshen Car Show & Food Truck Festival is free to attend on Sunday, May 17, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Goshen Historic Track, 44 Park Place in Goshen, NY. The event is held on the track's 20-acre infield and features classic cars, food trucks, and live music. The rain date is May 31.
How can I find more Hudson Valley weekend events?
For ongoing Hudson Valley weekend coverage, watch the Caplicki Home Team blog for weekly event roundups across Orange County, Sullivan County, Ulster County, and Dutchess County. We publish a fresh guide every week leading into the weekend, with confirmed times, locations, and costs.
Sources
- Storm King Art Center, 2026 Visit page
- Chronogram, Storm King 2026 Season Preview
- Vanaver Caravan, Hudson Valley Beltane Festival
- Town of Mamakating, Fairy House Festival
- Goshen Historic Track, Events
- Mid Hudson Times, Crystal Lake Spring Garden Celebration
- Eventbrite, We Love Crystal Lake
- I Love NY, Renegades Military Appreciation Night
- Beacon Photo Club, 2026 Beacon Art Book Fair
- I Love NY, Senate House Growing Season Event
- Warwick Valley Farmers Market
- Kingston Farmers Market
- Garner Arts Center, 2026 Arts Festival
- CarCruiseFinder, Wings & Wheels for Warriors
- Chronogram, Hudson Valley Events May 2026
The Caplicki Home Team is a Keller Williams HVU real estate team based in Middletown, NY, serving Orange County, Sullivan County, Ulster County, and the broader Hudson Valley. Reach Brian Caplicki at 845-656-4498 or brian@caplickihometeam.com.
