Inaugural New York Pawpaw Festival Features More Than Music

Hosted by the owners and community of Magic Forest Farm, the inaugural New York Pawpaw Festival will be held September 26 and 27 in Coeymans Hollow.

The New York Pawpaw Festival is a two-day celebration of the Pawpaw fruit and permaculture featuring music, live art and educational workshops. The festival will be the first of its kind in New York state. Artists including Ghosts of Jupiter, The Spooklights and Leon Trout will perform.

The event is partnered with Shepheard Productions, who has put on events in the New England music scene such as Circus of Life, Carniroll and Grass is Greener and many others. The festival will last from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. each day.

Workshops will cover a range of topics from movement to mindfulness. Educational speakers representing organizations such as Center for Bioregional Living, Cornell University and Fields Without Fences will present talks. The event will also feature curated art installations and outdoor activities.

In addition to the music, the festival’s primary focus is on increasing awareness around the PawPaw fruit. Magic Forest Farm said they intend to connect the regional, ecologically focused Pawpaw, horticulture and environmentalist communities to educate and inspire the next wave of enthusiasts. Organizers said they hope the festival will serve as a launchpad for the native Pawpaw fruit — North America’s largest edible native fruit — and the revival of homesteading culture.

The event will target a tight-knit, cross-generational crowd with most attendees between 15 and 50. Homesteaders, music lovers, artists, entrepreneurs and experience seekers who care about the spaces they inhabit are all invited to enjoy the New York Pawpaw Festival and find something that speaks to them.