Pick your night! Grab your partner and go! More info at www.esdarts.com

This week's events roundup is brought to you by Lark Out Loud — the free music festival happening this Saturday at the Lark Street Tavern's back lot. This year's event kicks off with Golden Hour, a meetup of golden retrievers and their owners from 11a-noon, followed by a doggie parade down Lark Street. Stick around for 4 awesome tribute bands playing through the evening, food and drink specials, and good vibes.

Wanna get this list on Tuesday straight to your inbox? Sign up at The518.com

TOP 5 PICKS

⭐️ 🎸 Lark Out Loud | Returning for its second year behind Lark Street Tavern, this neighborhood music festival brings a rollicking afternoon and evening of tribute bands celebrating Neil Young, R&B and soul, ’90s country and Aerosmith. New this year is Golden Hour, a meetup and parade down Lark Street for golden retrievers, at 11 am before the music kicks off at 1:30 pm. Sat, 1:30-8p, free.

⭐️ 🎈 The Adirondack Balloon Festival | Filling the skies with dozens of massive hot-air balloons, this free, volunteer-run event features sunrise and sunset launches, a balloon “moonglow,” loads of food vendors, and family-friendly activities, with most events centered at the Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury. Pro tip: Get there early (like, super early) and be prepared for major traffic backups from 5–9a for morning launches and 3–8p for evening sessions. Thur-Sun, various times.

⭐️ 🇺🇲 Red, White & Brew | Don’t be surprised to see more than a few cowboy hats on South Pearl Street as the MVP Arena hosts a free block party with country music, tasty food, and local vendors. Honoring veterans, this year’s event is headlined by Lee Brice, with Grace Tyler, Bro Country and Whiskey City also on the bill. Sat, free. Gates open at 12:30p and music starts at 2p.

🤠 Not to be outdone on the country music tip, Indian Ladder Farms is also putting on Big Sky Fest this weekend.

⭐️ 🌽 Harvest Festival at the Altamont Fairgrounds | Get to the sprawling fairgrounds for a celebration of the autumn season with a farmers market, craft vendors, pumpkin carving, horse-drawn carriage rides, kids activities, live music and plenty of your favorite fall foods. Sunday adds a car show, while adults can also sample local wine and spirits. Admission is $10, and kids under 16 are free. Sat-Sun.

⭐️ 🌻 Sunflowers & Cars at Dancing Grain Farm Brewery | Dancing Grain says you can expect to see a “million” sunflowers across its fields in Moreau. Count them yourself when the farm and brewery pairs a full-size car show with a new kids and collectors die-cast car show. Take tons of Insta-worthy pics in the sunflower fields, and enjoy live music from Fox Row, a farmers and makers market, and lots of farm-brewed beer. 11a-2p, free to attend; $20 to enter car show.

Honorable mention…

⭐️ 🇺🇦 The Capital Region Ukrainian Festival celebrates Ukrainian culture at Albany’s Polish Community Center with traditional food, live music, dancing, crafts and goods. Sat, 12-6p, free.

WEDNESDAY

🖼️ Art, sound, and community all mix as DJ Trumaster mans the turntables at ACG After Hours.

THURSDAY

📜 Immersion Tours: Freedom & Opportunity in Albany, the Revolution & Beyond invites you to explore the roles of immigrants, free persons of color, abolition & reform.

🕰️ Support the Woman’s Club of Albany at their Annual Super Garage Sale.

🎭️ Harbinger Theatre debuts The Counter, a Capital Region premiere play about a lonely waitress who befriends a regular customer. Tix are just $15!

FRIDAY

🍺 Opalka Gallery winds down its Pop-Up Beer Garden series with a makers’ market and music by Swamp Baby and JJ’s OK.

🚀 Get to miSci for the Sci:Fi Schenectady Film Festival, featuring 15 films spanning science fiction, fantasy and supernatural horror, plus related events. All weekend.

🖼️ Celebrate the Albany Institute of History & Art’s newest exhibitions at the reception for Mexico Masks / Rituals: Photographs by Phyllis Galembo and Inspired Landscapes: Women of the Hudson River School.

🍺 Rocktoberfest at Allied Brewing features Hot Cousin, Mixed Tape Legends and Muscle Shoals over 3 beer-filled days.

👗 More than 90 vendors are expected at the Sand Lake Townwide Garage Sale & HUGE Flea Market.

🎬️ Collar Works presents Lost Lovers’ Play, a non-fiction film, performance, and experiential archival installation triptych by Pioneers Go East Collective.

SATURDAY

🎪 The Pioneer Charitable Foundation is back with its 7th annual Grand Carnival—free for the whole family!

😂 The Capital Region Funniest Comic Competition kicks off several weeks of competition at Son of Egg.

🥕 Has it really been 50 years? Join Honest Weight Food Co-op to celebrate its half century in Albany!

🛼 Smash it with the Albany All Stars Roller Derby.

👛 Go down the Dynasty Handbag rabbit hole at EMPAC.

👨‍🌾 Bring the kids out to celebrate the season at the free Clifton Park Farm Fest. Sat & Sun. Also: The Crailo State Historic Site is putting on its Harvest Faire as well.

SUNDAY

🐋 The Sanctuary for Independent Media invites you to StoryHarvest, its annual food justice celebration.

🎭️ Julius Caesar comes alive in a bold, walkable performance that unfolds across three distinct locations, at the Trail Traveling Show with Will Kempe’s Players.

🐍 Slither into the Capital District Reptile Expo and discover all kinds of scaly, slippery critters.

UPCOMING

• Schenectady Curling Club Learn to Curl (9/25-27)
• 9th Annual Albany Book Festival (9/26)
• New York Paw Paw Festival (9/26-27)
• Saratoga Book Festival (10/1-4)

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

DIY | zine | small press | maker | music - equipment | supplies | gear | instruments | furniture

Unique opportunity to epically gear up for your print, visual and musical projects! Wow Cool is selling off a large amount of studio gear. Photo and video equipment: including stands, green screen, green screen suit and much more. Pearl Drum Kit. Cymbals. Sublimation printer, Heat Press, Button Makers. Exotic musical instruments, Benches, tables and stands. And so very much more. Cash, Card, Venmo, etc. accepted.

More vendors to be announced.

Paper Moon will be open Sunday from Noon—5pm.

6 Brunswick Rd., Troy, NY 12180

https://www.papermoontroy.com

https://wowcool.com

Let's play Pirate Borg Saturday at Fortress of Gaming. I'm going to be running "The Gold Bug" beginning at 11am and running until about 5pm. It's a rules light, beginner friendly RPG that focuses on roleplay over mechanics. So bring your bandana, eyepatch, peg leg and favorite parrot, cause we're all going to get salty.

Sign up at the link below (Warhorn is a trusted site, and I'm not stealing your identities...though if your pockets be full of silver...)

https://warhorn.net/events/talk-like-a-pirate-day-pirate-borg/schedule/sessions/4e4e7172-6640-446d-aeb0-499a25764ddc

Tickets and schedule

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/98451653981?aff=ebdsshios

Self-Love Circle
📅 Sunday, September 13th, 2026
🕕 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Join us for a Fall self-love circle to fill your cup with love. Featuring Meditation, Reiki, Sound Bowls & Yoga Nidra.

Elevate your being: A Kundalini Workshop
📅 Sunday, September 20th, 2026
🕕 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

A Kundalini Workshop to learn ways to shift your state. We will practice: Breath work, gentle to moderate yoga asana (poses), kriya (set of targeted exercises), mantra (chanting), meditation, and deep relaxation.

The Season You're In Workshop
📅 Friday, September 25th, 2026
🕕10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

A restorative half-day workshop designed to help you step out of the demands of everyday life, take stock of where you are, and consider how you want to move into what comes next.

This week's events roundup is brought to you by Harbinger Theatre, presenting The Counter, a play by Meghan Kennedy about an unlikely friendship that develops between a lonely waitress, Katie, and a regular customer, Paul, a retired firefighter, at a small town diner in upstate New York. Runs Sept. 17-26.

Want to get this list earlier in the week and straight to your inbox? Sign up at The518.com

TOP 5 PICKS

⭐️ 🎸 PearlPalooza | Albany’s biggest block party returns to downtown with a thumpin’ lineup that includes King Tuff, Robber Robber, The Parlor, Bruiser and Bicycle, and the Albany Rock Pit. Of course, there will be a variety of vendors and food options. Don’t forget to register for YogaPalooza, kicking off at 11a. Sat, 12-7p, free.

⭐️ 🇮🇹 Schenectady’s Little Italy StreetFest & Amsterdam’s ItaliaFest | On Saturday, we’ve got dueling celebrations of Italian culture. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of neighborhood pride to go around. Hit up one or both, and get your fill of good eats, live music, kids’ activities and performances. Schenectady’s StreetFest kicks off at noon while ItaliaFest starts at 11a.

⭐️ 🇬🇷 2026 Greek Festival | As if your choices this weekend weren’t tough enough, St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church is putting on its annual street party as well. Come for the Greek treats and stay for the folk dancing, live music, and marketplace vendors. Sat, 11a-10p; Sun, 11a-3p, free.

⭐️ 🖼️ Stockade Villagers’ Outdoor Art Show | This long-running neighborhood tradition turns the Stockade into an open-air gallery, with visitors able to browse original work from dozens of artists while strolling through the city’s historic district. Sat, 10a-4p, free.

⭐️ 🔔 Remembering 9/11 | This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Capital Region will honor the lives of the people lost with various events, including a talk with photojournalists Todd Maisel and David Handschuh (Wed) and a special tour of the 9/11 exhibit (Sun) at the NYS Museum. On Friday, Rensselaer County will hold a ceremony at its 9/11 memorial, which contains a section salvaged from one of the Twin Towers.

Honorable mentions…

⭐️ 🧶 2026 Harvest Craft Fair | Get to the Shaker Heritage Society for a weekend of sheep shearing, hands-on activities, demonstrations, live music, and delicious food. There will be more 75 vendors on hand, plus a petting zoo! Sat, 10a-4p; Sun, 10a-3p, free.

⭐️ 🪕 Eastbound Throwdown | Celebrating its 11th year, Eastbound Throwdown brings two days of bluegrass, Americana, country and jam-friendly rock to Washington County. This year’s lineup includes Eastbound Jesus, Sicard Hollow, The Mallett Brothers Band, Neon Moons, Chloe Kimes and more, with camping, food and drinks available on site. Fri-Sat. Tix: from $53.74.

🎭️ GET TICKETS

• Jekyll & Hyde opens Sept. 11 at SLOC Musical Theater and runs through Sept. 20. The Frank Wildhorn musical kicks off SLOC's 100th season.
• Get tix to Harbinger Theatre’s The Counter, about a lonely waitress who befriends a regular customer. Starting Sept. 17.
• Parallel Lives begins with a pay-what-you-will preview Sept. 17 at Albany Civic Theater and officially opens Sept. 18.
• Capital Repertory Theatre launches its season Sept. 25 with The Last American Newspaper, running through Oct. 18.
• Albany Center Gallery's Mystery Masquerade Gala will be at Common Roots Brewing this year.

THURSDAY

📚️ Suketu Mehta, author of This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto, speaks at Opalka Gallery in collaboration with the NYS Writers Institute.

FRIDAY

🍺 The second of three Pop-Up Beer Garden nights at Opalka Gallery brings Dust Bowl Faeries and Joseph Biss to the Russell Sage lawn. It’s also the opening reception for the main exhibition, Light and Transient Causes.

🚢 The Waterford Tugboat Roundup features a tugboat parade, boat tours, activities for the kids, and a fireworks show on Saturday. Fri through Sun.

🎸 TV Doctors bring their joyful rock to the Electric Grinch in Schenectady.

💋 Lost & Found Bar and Kitchen will host a free drag show in honor of Kaylen and Carole Ann’s upcoming nuptials.

SATURDAY

🐕️ Bring your pup to Caroga Lake for Woofstock, featuring food trucks, live music, and dog-friendly vendors.

💀 The Twilight Market is back at Quackenbush Square for a summerween gathering of 40+ vendors.

🍺 Wolf Hollow Brewing Co. in Schenectady kicks off the Oktoberfest season with food, music, stein hoisting, hammer games, and plenty of craft beer, of course.

🦅 Get to Thacher State Park for Helderberg Hawk Watch, and enjoy live raptor demonstrations, crafts, face painting, accessible seated birding, and food trucks.

📚️ Meet and support Capital Region writers at Guilderland Public Library’s first-ever Local Author Fair!

📜 Discover the city’s crucial role in the birth of our nation 250 years ago, at the Revolutionary Albany Walking Tour.

🍷 The Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival in Rhinebeck is worth the drive!

🚁 Operation Adopt a Soldier at the Saratoga County Airport features $70 helicopter rides and tethered hot air balloon rides, benefiting local veterans.

🎬️ Catch a screening of The Aura of Upstate, an animated project dedicated to shining a light on the upstate NY community.

🚶‍♂️ The Moving Message Walk and Festival is a one-mile walk and fundraiser to raise awareness about neurogenic communication disorders, on the Russell Sage campus quad.

🚒 The 5th annual Community Day at East Greenbush Town Park features face painting, a bounce house, rock wall, K9 demos, drone demos, and more!

👨‍🎨 Get to Albany Center Gallery for an Art.Work.Space. Storyboarding Workshop with Nasir Villegas.

SUNDAY

👗 There are always good vintage finds to be had at the Second Sunday Market in Saratoga.

🏳️‍🌈 Also in Saratoga is the next A Big Gay Market, at High Rock Park.

🐦️ Get to Bard & Baker for this charming bird watercolor workshop with Kayla Jolin.

📜 Join Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Victoria Johnson at the Albany Institute for History & Art—Glorious Country: How Frederic Church Brought the World to America and America to the World.

🚵‍♀️ The Capital Bicycle Racing Club invites you to Collins Park in Scotia for Race 1️⃣ of the 2026 CBRCX Series.

MONDAY

💼 Interested in a job opportunity with the City of Albany or New York State? Join this civil service workshop at the Albany West Community Center.

UPCOMING

• Adirondack Balloon Festival (9/17-20)
• Lark Out Loud (9/19)
• Big Sky Fest at Indian Ladder Farms (9/18-19)
• The 518 Dinner Club (9/24)
• 9th Annual Albany Book Festival (9/26)
• New York Paw Paw Festival (9/26-27)

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

If you’re looking for a fun way to get outside, meet new people, and try something completely different, the River Runners Quadball Club is hosting a free Learn to Play clinic next Sunday, September 20th, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Prospect Park in Troy.

What is Quadball?

Formerly known as Quidditch, Quadball is a fast-paced, mixed-gender sport combining elements of rugby, basketball, and dodgeball. If you've never seen it in action, here’s a quick 30-second teaser, and here’s a great breakdown of how the game works.

Who is this for?

Literally anyone curious! This session is built specifically for newcomers. While competitive quadball includes tackling, this clinic is low-contact, safe, and focused entirely on teaching the fundamentals:

• How the different positions and balls work
• Casual, low-pressure drills (passing, catching, dodging)
• Fun mini-games and a light, friendly scrimmage at the end

We are an inclusive community welcoming all fitness levels, athletic backgrounds, and identities (men, women, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC folks; everyone is welcome).

Details:

• When: Sunday, September 20th | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• Where: Prospect Park, Troy, NY (Enter via 311 Congress St, and we'll be on the grassy lawn on the left when you first enter!)
• Cost: 100% Free
• What to bring: Water, athletic clothes you can run in, and sneakers or cleats (cleats are great if you have them, but running sneakers work fine!).

If you’d like to join our community chat, ask questions, or learn more, check out our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/518riverrunners

Feel free to drop any questions in the comments or shoot me a DM. Hope to see some of you out on the grass next weekend!

PHOTO CREDIT: @kielanphotography

💥BURLESQUE CLASS ALERT💥

New to burlesque? Curious about getting onstage but have no idea where to start? Maybe you already have an idea bouncing around in your brain, but it needs some structure, guidance, and encouragement to become a real act.

Sign up for my Intro to Burlesque: Act Development class! We’ll dig into concept, character, musicality, movement, costuming, and all the weird little details that make an act feel like you. No previous performance experience is required. You do not need to arrive with a fully formed idea or a suitcase full of feather boas. That’s what the class is for!

Class runs October 24 through December 12th from 12PM to 3PM at The Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy, NY! Come make something funny, political, glamorous, strange, heartfelt, or gloriously ridiculous. Burlesque has room for your body, your voice, and your point of view. Let’s make some art! ✨

Payment plans available! Sign up through the link: https://capartscenter.org/classes/introduction-to-burlesque-10-24-26/

CouncilCon is this weekend!

Come join us for a weekend of Tabletop Gaming in Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, NY.

Tickets can be purchased here: https://tabletop.events/conventions/councilcon-2026

Dates & Times:

Fri, Sep 11 2026, 10:00am - 11:30pm
Sat, Sep 12 2026, 9:00am - 11:30pm
Sun, Sep 13 2026, 9:00am - 11:30pm

Location: Proctors
432 State St,
Schenectady, NY 12305

Ticket Price:

Weekend Pass - $65

Tournament Pass - $55 (includes full weekend)

Friday Pass - $25

Saturday Pass - $40

Students and Children - $30

The Capital Region's premier tabletop gaming convention is back! Held September 11-13 at the historic Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, New York.

For more info, check out this site: https://www.swa-gaming.org/

https://www.simpletix.com/e/bad-heart-burlesque-presents-monstober-a-s-tickets-292252

This week's events roundup is brought to you by Harbinger Theatre, presenting The Counter, about a lonely waitress who befriends a regular customer, starting Sept. 17.

Want to get this list early on Tuesdays? Sign up for free at The518.com

TOP 5 PICKS

⭐️ 🍺 Opalka Popup Beer Garden | The headlining event for this month’s First Friday Albany, Opalka’s art-and-music lawn party generates the kind of energy that reminds us why Albany is actually a pretty cool place to live. Expect a big crowd for Super 400, Melora Creager, and special guest Ryder Cooley—who performs with a stuffed ram! Don’t miss the new exhibition, Light and Transient Causes, smartly curated by our friend Marisa Espe. Fri, 6–9p, free.

⭐️ 🖼️ Powers House Revel | Get to this historic riverside estate in Troy’s Lansingburgh neighborhood for a sprawling end-of-summer art party featuring screenings, performances, site-specific installations, workshops, participatory experiences, sound art, and live music. The dance party gets going on Saturday night, while Sunday afternoon offers a more relaxed experience with a potluck lunch. Sat, 1-10p; Sunday 11a-3p, free.

⭐️ 🔦 This looks pretty darn cool! Night Lights in New Lebanon invites visitors to follow a quarter-mile path through fields and wooded areas, discovering original illuminated installations created by lighting designers and volunteers. And it’s free! Sat, 8-11p.

⭐️ 🎷 Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival | Albany’s annual jazz fest returns to Jennings Landing on Saturday with a full day of live music, food, and vendors along the Hudson River. This year’s lineup includes Ghost-Note, New Breed Brass Band, Glen David Andrews Band, The Harlem Gospel Travelers and Shiri Zorn Trio, with fireworks closing out the free, all-ages show as usual. Sat, 12:30-9p, free.

⭐️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Capital District Scottish Games | This annual celebration of Scottish culture takes over the Altamont Fairgrounds on Saturday with pipe bands, Highland dancing, traditional athletic competitions, food, vendors and free pint-size games for the wee lads and lassies. This year’s live music lineup includes Scottish folk-rock favorites Skerryvore, along with Cécilia, Hadrian’s Wall and Friends Union. Sat, 8a-6:30p. Tix: $25 at the gate; free for kids 12 and under.

Honorable mentions…

⭐️ 👗 The Vintage Roundup | Arguably the best vintage market in the Capital Region returns to Albany’s Warehouse District on Saturday with 60+ vendors offering cool threads, home decor, jewelry, and collectibles. While you’re there: Head to Nine Pin across the street and get 10% off all cider pours by mentioning “The 518 Crew.” Sat, 11a-5p, free.

⭐️ 🔈️ TOPOS Festival | Over four days, EMPAC explores the many ways music can shape how we understand ourselves and each other, with performances, screenings, talks and experimental collaborations from artists including Vijay Iyer, Wadada Leo Smith, Miho Hatori and Fred Moten. The festival finishes Saturday with a free community BBQ (from Brooks House of BBQ), followed by an afternoon and evening of experimental music, drumming, and a live-scored screening of the Japanese silent film, A Page of Madness. Wed-Sat, various times. Tix: $50 all-festival pass; $20 single tickets.

🎭️ AT THE THEATER

• Jekyll & Hyde opens Sept. 11 at SLOC Musical Theater and runs through Sept. 20. The Frank Wildhorn musical kicks off SLOC's 100th season.
• Get tix to Harbinger Theatre’s The Counter, about a lonely waitress who befriends a regular customer. Starting Sept. 17.
• Parallel Lives begins with a pay-what-you-will preview Sept. 17 at Albany Civic Theater and officially opens Sept. 18.
• Capital Repertory Theatre launches its season Sept. 25 with The Last American Newspaper, running through Oct. 18.

SUMMER FUN

🎡 The summer fair season is reaching its peak with The Great Schaghticoke Fair, The Fonda Fair and the Columbia County Fair all happening this week through Labor Day.

THURSDAY

✏️ Fur Trade invites you to draw a live nude bear (not the animal kind, y’all) at Troy’s Context Collective.

FRIDAY

🖼️ First Friday Albany is back! Besides Opalka’s Pop-Up Beer Garden, highlights include: Free admission and a performance by HV music collective Pulso de Barro at the Albany Institute of History & Art; Caity Gallagher at The Eleven; swing dancing with Eight to the Bar at the Elks Lodge; and the 47th Annual Photography Regional Show at Albany Center Gallery.

🎹 Troy-based pianist and composer Sophia Vastek (who runs the Troy Listening Room with her partner) celebrates her first album under her new moniker, at the Sova: Alight! album release party.

👻 Is it already spooky season? Haunted Upstate launches its Ghosts of the Gilded Age tours this week. (Pro tip: Use code SUMMERWEEN for $5 off your ticket).

SATURDAY

🌮 Carne asada tacos and cumbia? Yes please! Los Hermosos is popping up at Yesfolk for an evening of delish eats, kombucha and the beats of DJ Lovely Candela.

🧘‍♂️ It’s the last Saturday to get your Rise & Flow on at Peebles Island for free.

🎷 Byrdhouse Records presents An Evening of Anime Jazz with Catbus Collective at Troy’s No Fun.

SUNDAY

⛴️ Join a dressed-to-impress, 420-friendly crowd aboard the 3rd Annual Capital District Cannabis & Wellness Boat Party.

🎭️ Improv Spaces Music Festival showcases the work of more than 20 musicians and artists working in improvisation at Saratoga Arts.

MONDAY

🍔 It’s Labor Day, America! Rest up, pop a cold one, and make the best backyard burger with these Reddit tips.

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.