Taste NY Marketplace

Dozens of New York food and beverages made by New York farmers and small businesses will be front and center at the 2024 Great New York State Fair, when the Taste NY Pop-Up Market, Taste NY Marketplace, and the Taste NY Tasting Yard return this year.  The Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Marketplace will have expanded offerings in a new location inside the Horticulture Building, directly across from and next to the Maple Booth. Taste NY will also partner with the Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Urban Farms and Community Gardens Program to show how anyone can join with their neighbors to grow delicious, fresh food in their own community. In addition, Taste NY is expanding its Tasting Yard, which will, this year, feature 13 local breweries and cideries from across the State at the Fair’s Suburban Park concert area.

 

Taste NY Marketplace and Pop-Up Market

Taste NY will also return to the Horticulture Building, directly across form and next to the Maple Booth, with a new configuration of its Taste NY Pop-Up Market and the Taste NY Marketplace. Featuring more than 300 unique products from over 80 vendors from across the State, the Pop-Up Market gives fairgoers an opportunity to sample and shop for food, beverage, and gift items sourced from across New York State.

Operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County, the Taste NY Pop-Up Market will provide fairgoers an opportunity to discover their new favorite locally made foods and beverages, such as sweet treats, sauces, cheese, gourmet nuts, cold beverages and much more.

Open every day at the Fair starting at 10 a.m., the Taste NY Marketplace will feature more than 40 New York State producers that will be sampling and selling their products over the 13-day run of the Fair.  Up to 12 New York food and beverage producers from across the State will be sampling daily. Vendors will be offering free samples of a variety of foods and other products that can be purchased on site. Businesses will rotate during the Fair, providing guests a new experience each time they visit the Marketplace.

This year, to provide an easier shopping experience for fairgoers, Taste NY will provide a Purchase Check area that will allow fairgoers to store products purchased at the Taste NY Marketplace and Taste NY Pop-Up Market while they enjoy The Fair and to return to pick them up before the Horticulture Building closes. Only Taste NY items may be stored, and alcohol items may not be checked.

Together, the Taste NY Marketplace and Taste NY Pop-Up Market will feature producers from every New York region. Find a complete list of Taste NY vendors featured at the Great New York State Fair here.

 

New York State Tasting Yard

Returning after its debut last year, the Taste NY Tasting Yard will be once again located at Suburban Park. The outdoor, patio-style beverage experience will feature a rotating selection of 13 New York State craft breweries and cideries over the course of The Fair, giving visitors a taste of New York's world-class craft beverage products while they enjoy the musical acts and giving the producers an opportunity to connect with new customers. The breweries and cideries that will be showcased in the rustic taproom-inspired pop-up for the 8pm concert are:

• Dublin Corners Farm Brewery (Linwood)
• Keegan Ales (Kingston)
• Lake Drum Brewing (Geneva)
• McGraw Box Brewing Company (McGraw)
• Millhouse Brewing (Poughkeepsie)
• Next Chapter Brewpub (Auburn)
• Nine Pin Cider Works (Albany)
• Nine Spot Brewing (Rochester)
• Prison City Brewing (Auburn)
• Skaneateles Brewery (Skaneateles)
• South Hill Cider (Ithaca)
• Strangebird Beer and Barrel House (Rochester)
• WeBe Brewing Company (Geneva)

 

Community Gardens Growing Space

Taste NY will also partner with the Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Urban Farms and Community Gardens Program to highlight the State's unique growing spaces and the communities they serve. The Community Gardens Booth complements the Department's ongoing efforts to establish and expand community growing spaces and strengthen local food systems.  A new virtual reality experience, provided by Cornell, will be available Friday, August 30 through Sunday, September 1, allowing fairgoers to “experience” walking through a community garden. The booth will also direct visitors to the Voice of the Farmer Garden to see a live growing space, and the Master Gardeners and CCE Onondaga booths’ expertise on gardening.

 

Other Attractions in the Horticulture Building

The Horticulture Building brings together some of the very best growers, producers, manufacturers, and apiculturists from across the State. A variety of interactive exhibits, seminars, and product booths highlight the diversity and quality of agriculture in New York State. Empire Honey Producers Association, New York State Maple Producers Association, SUNY Cobleskill, Morrisville State College, New York Farm Bureau, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also have exhibits in the Horticulture Building.

The Horticulture Building also showcases spectacular arrangements of colorful plants and flowers, and New York's harvest of fresh produce. It also gives guests a chance to get up close to a working bee colony and hundreds of amazing butterflies.

Attractions include:

• Bee Colony and Honey exhibit
• Butterfly exhibit
• Flower and Produce exhibits
• Horticulture talks and demonstrations; a full schedule can be found here.
• The New York Maple Center, where you can buy candy, syrup, and ice cream made with New York maple syrup.
• The Suds & Spuds baked potato and sweet potato booth, home of the $1 baked potato with all the toppings.

 

Find Me at the Fair Contest and Passport Program

Earlier this summer, to promote New York's county and youth fairs and highlight New York State food, beverages, and agritourism, the Taste NY program once again kicked off the "Find Me at the Fair" contest. County fairs across the state are offering a "Find Me at the Fair" New York State-themed selfie station that fairgoers can interact with for a chance to win prizes, including Taste NY regional gift baskets and the Grand Prize, VIP seating for concerts at The Great New York State Fair.  Fairgoers can also get their County Fair Passport stamped at the Great New York State Fair.

 

About Taste NY

Taste NY highlights the quality, diversity, and economic impact of food and beverages grown, produced, or processed in New York State. Taste NY aims to create new opportunities for producers through events, retail locations, and partnerships, such as at The Great New York State Fair and the Barclays Tournament at Bethpage State Park.

Taste NY has grown significantly since its launch in 2013, bringing over $100 million in economic impact to New York State producers over 10 plus years of the program. Over the last decade, Taste NY has supported nearly 2,000 food and beverage producers participating in the program through retail outlets, events, and sponsorships. Taste NY's food and beverage businesses also support the state's farmers by using New York grown and produced ingredients in their products.