FESTIVAL FAQs

  • The Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival takes place in the “coolest small city in the USA“ Beacon, NY.

    The 2023 Festival is scheduled for November 4 + 5, 2023. The full Festival schedule can be found here.

  • There is plenty to explore in Beacon, and beyond. Here are a few links with resources to help you plan your visit:

    Dutchess Tourism

    A Little Beacon Blog

    City of Beacon - Guide to Visiting Beacon

    Where to Stay

    Beacon Art Walk

  • Many events at the Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival are family-friendly (including pets); however, not all venues allow pets and not all events may be appropriate for children, and alcohol may be present at some venues or locations. Dogs should be on a leash and under your control at all times, and children under 14 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Certified service animals and ESA animals are allowed throughout the festival. The ADA requires the animal to be under the control of the handler at all times.

  • You can buy a Festival Pass which gives your access to all events and shows during the festival, in a couple of ways:

    Purchase in advance on our ticketing site Eventbrite and pick up your Festival Pass during the festival at 1 of 3 locations:

    • Welcome Camp at the Beacon Welcome Center located at the corner of Main Street & Route 9D (Saturday & Sunday, 11:30am)

    • LotusWorks Gallery at 261 Main Street (Saturday & Sunday, 11:30am)

    • KuBe Art Center Theatre Lobby located at 211 Fishkill Avenue. (Saturday & Sunday, 12:30pm)

    You can also buy your Festival Pass in person at these same locations. There will be a small upcharge for Festival Passes purchased on Saturday or Sunday.

    If you only wish to see one event in one venue, you may purchase a wristband at that venue for a lesser “cover charge.” Your color coded wrist band will get you into that venue, only on that day.

    There are also plenty of free events and shows for everyone at several venues, including:

    • Welcome Camp @ Polhill Park

    • Art Camp @ Cross & Main

    • Steam Camp @ the DMV Parking Lot, Main & S. Elm Streets

    • Center Camp @ Veterans Place

    • Chill Camp @ Eliza & Main Streets

    • The Beacon Building @ Main & Schenk Avenue

    • And more to come!

  • Festival Passes are available for $59 for a 2-Day Pass, and $39 for a 1-Day Pass.

    Click here to purchase a Festival Pass.

    We also have a premium Patron Pass for festival goers who wish to support our efforts. The Patron Pass is $99.

    In addtion, you can purchase a single wristband for a single venue on Saturday or Sunday, at the door of each venue. Your color-coded wristband gives you access to that venue only for the full day.

    There is also abundant Free programming throughout both days throughout the city.

  • You can purchase a single wristband for a single venue on Saturday or Sunday, at the door of each venue, ranging from $5 - 20 depending on the performance. Your color-coded wristband gives you access to that venue only for the full day.

  • There is an abundance of free events and shows for everyone at several venues, including:

    • Welcome Camp @ Polhill Park

    • Art Camp @ Cross & Main

    • Steam Camp @ the DMV Parking Lot, Main & S. Elm Streets - “Roll Out” is a fantastic community printmaking event using a steamroller! (Saturday only)

    • “Finding Nemo” Preview @ Beacon Performing Arts Center

    • Center Camp @ Veterans Place

    • Chill Camp @ Eliza & Main Streets

    • BoogieRez Experience @ GarageWORKS Studio (B)

    • The Beacon Building @ Main & Schenk Avenue

    And more to come!

  • Your purchase goes towards paying every artist, and providing production support for every performance. It also helps offset costs related to the safety and wellbeing of the Festival attendees.

    Examples of other things that tickets sales supports includes:

    • Artist Materials

    • Event Insurance

    Your ticket price only covers a portion of the cost of presenting this massive Festval showcasing local artists - our nonprofit the BonfireWORKS Foundation also raises money to pay artist fees and supplies & materials, through sponsorships and partnerships, as well as individual donations.

  • We will have 9-10 campfires at outdoor locations all along Main Street. The term “Bonfire” is also metaphor for the abundance of creativity and community on display at the Festival. The Festival was created during Covid when a group of community-minded creatives organized smaller events featuring art, music and a fire - with the goal of gathering safely and meeting new neighbors.

    The Bonfire Team also chose the dates of festival to correspond with “Bonfire Night” or Guy Fawkes Day - a tradition of dubious reputation celebrated in Britain. For more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

    Please gather with us around one of the fires during the festival - there will definitely be s’mores!

  • The Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival is a walking/biking/public transportation Festival. We are encouraging festival-goers to park at the Metro North Station and walk to Main Street.

    On SATURDAY 11/4 the Beacon Free Loop will be running all day until 9:00 pm - please consult the schedule to make sure to avoid the driver’s mid-day lunch break !

    Beacon Free Loop Schedule

    There is also an app that can help you use the Beacon Free Loop efficiently and see where it is in real time. Download the NEW DCPT app from DoubleMap in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to your smart phone.

    On SUNDAY 11/5, we have secured a Yellow School Bus that will take you from the Metro North Station to Main Street and to the KuBE Art Center, which is a hub of activity, including the BACK TO SCHOOL event and exhibition! The shuttle will be running all day Sunday from 12 - 7p.

    There is parking in locations adjacent to many of our outdoor venues - click here for a link to a City Parking map.

    Parking at City Hall is available on the weekends!

    More to come - please check the website and your email for updates for this important informational item.

  • Art, Music, and Word submissions for the 2023 Festival are currently closed. If you have questions about the submission process or how to apply for the 2024 festival, drop us a line at info@beaconbonfire.com - please keep in mind that most of the artists performing at the Festival are from Beacon and the Hudson Valley - that’s our mission!

  • The Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival is a city-wide Main Street festival in existing venues. Most are accessible; please reach out to an individual venue if you have concerns. Volunteers are available on-site at each location to offer support and direction as well as indicate the nearest accessible restrooms.

    There will be amplified music at each venue; please consider bringing ear plugs as needed.

    Some venues may have light projections or visual displays – please see the Festival schedule for more information to help plan accordingly.

  • The Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival will happen rain or shine! There is so much to do and see, inside, outside, everywhere for everyone.