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New This Year, New York State Tasting Yard, Featuring New York’s Craft Beverages, Joins Taste NY Marketplace and Pop-Up Market in Expanded Horticulture Building Presence
The Taste NY program is gearing up for another exciting year showcasing the best of New York State agriculture with an expanded list of local food and beverages being featured in the Horticulture Building at The Great New York State Fair, offering even more locally made products to fairgoers. New this year, the New York State Tasting Yard has moved to the Horticulture Building to join forces with the Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Marketplace, creating a one-stop shop for fairgoers to discover their favorite New York product.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said, “I’m excited to see our Taste NY program continue to grow and expand its presence at The New York State Fair, providing a unique platform for our New York farmers and food and beverage producers to introduce their homegrown products to thousands of new consumers. I encourage everyone to stop by the Horticulture Building to learn more about New York’s food and agriculture industries and buy some delicious local products to take home with them.”
Fair Director Julie LaFave said, “The Great New York State Fair is about showcasing all there is to love about New York – and of course, that includes the food. The Taste NY Pop-Up Market, Marketplace, and Tasting Yard are fairgoer favorites for good reason, and I’m excited that this year our visitors will be able to discover so many locally made food, beverages, and locally made products all in one place.”
New York State Tasting Yard
This year, the New York State Tasting Yard has moved to the Horticulture Building to ensure that fairgoers interested in discovering local New York products can find their favorites all in one spot. The Tasting Yard is now located around the corner from the Maple Booth. The rustic taproom-inspired bar again features a selection of New York State craft beverages, with 13 local businesses showcasing New York beer, cider, wine, mead, and spirits on a rotating schedule. Craft beverage producers that will be joining the Tasting Yard include:
- Breezy Hill Orchard (Hudson Valley)
- Brooklyn Cider House (New Paltz)
- C. Cassis (Rhinebeck)
- Do Good Spirits (Roscoe)
- Four Maples Vineyard and Winery (Champlain)
- Frog Alley Brewing (Schenectady)
- Giving Tree Cidery (Penn Yan)
- Good Nature Brewing (Hamilton)
- Lakewood Vineyards (Watkins Glen)
- Second Act Spirits (Amsterdam)
- SingleCut Brewsmiths (Astoria, Queens)
- The Bull and Bee (Albany)
- WeBe Brewing Company (Geneva)
Next to the Tasting Yard, fairgoers can also enjoy a new mural called “Sip the State,” designed by Caroline Corrigan as a tribute to New York craft beverages. In addition, the space next to the Tasting Yard also features a small indoor green space with Adirondack chairs, providing a spot for fairgoers to relax and enjoy their beverages and snacks before seeking out their next Fair adventure.
The New York State Tasting Yard will operate from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm daily. In addition, the Seminar Room next to the Tasting Yard will host several classes for fairgoers interested in learning more about New York agriculture. Design student Megan Chelednik of Syracuse University designed the floor plan for the Tasting Yard and Seminar Room, bringing a fresh feel to this new space.
Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Taste NY Marketplace
The Tasting Yard’s new home brings it closer to the Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Taste NY Marketplace. These Fair staples return to the Horticulture Building, directly across from and next to the Maple Booth, and are open from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm daily. Together, the Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Taste NY Marketplace feature locally made items sourced from each of New York’s 10 regions.
Featuring more than 290 unique products from over 85 vendors from across the State, the Taste NY Pop-Up Market allows visitors to sample and shop for food, beverage, and gift items sourced from businesses throughout New York. The Taste NY Pop-Up Market provides fairgoers an opportunity to discover their new favorite locally made foods and beverages, such as craft beverages, cheese, chocolates, sauces, dips, snacks, coffee and tea, crackers, popcorn, and more. The Pop-Up Market is operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County.
Additionally, 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 producers from across the state will be sampling daily, featuring products ranging from soaps, lotions, candles, and paper straws to baked goods, fudge, garlic scapes, hot sauces, BBQ sauces, peanut butter balls, jams, chips, salsa, teas, coffee, spices, roasted pumpkin seeds, jerky, spirits, mead, and wine. Businesses will rotate during The Fair, providing guests a new experience each time they visit the Marketplace.
Find a complete list of Taste NY vendors featured in the Taste NY Marketplace at agriculture.ny.gov/2025-fair-taste-ny-vendors.
Taste NY will again provide a Purchase Check area that allows 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. Please note that only Taste NY items may be stored, and alcohol items may not be checked.
Taste NY is also celebrating the New York natural fiber industry this year with a limited-edition Great New York State Fair belt bag. A special collaboration with Battenkill Fibers and Lilly Marsh Studios, this unique New York wool and US-sourced hemp-blended bag is offered for purchase at the Taste NY Pop-Up Market.
Christopher Ian, Taste NY Market Manager, Hudson Valley Catskills Welcome Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County, said, “Each year at the Great New York State Fair, the Taste NY Pop-up Market gives us the chance to share the stories and flavors of New York’s incredible producers. From farm to fair, and from artisan workshops to local kitchens, we celebrate the creativity and passion behind every product. On behalf of CCE Sullivan, my team and I are proud to lead, with the support and collaboration of the other Taste NY Welcome Centers, in creating a memorable experience for visitors and communities alike.”
“Sip the State” Mural Artist Caroline Corrigan said, "I was thrilled for the opportunity to create a mural design for The New York State Fair. Working with the team at the Department of Agriculture and Markets, I tried to represent and honor the different craft beverages that are made in New York: beer, wine, spirits, cider, and mead. The mural is designed to be interactive, so visitors can have fun by inserting themselves into the piece by standing inside a glass, plucking a grape, taking a bite of an apple, etc. The bold colors and graphic patterns are a typical part of the visual language in my work and I had fun using them to tell the story of craft beverages in our state."
Paul Leone, Executive Director of the New York State Brewers Association, said, “The New York State Fair has always been a great place to discover some of the best food and beverages this state has to offer, and this year is no exception. With the move of the Tasting Yard to the Horticulture Building, fairgoers will now be able to enjoy an even wider variety of New York State craft beer than ever before, and have the opportunity to meet the brewers and owners behind the beer, a perfect complement to all of the other incredible Taste NY vendors in that space.”
Scott Ramsey, Executive Director of the New York Cider Association, said, “NY Cider is deeply woven into New York’s agricultural heritage and future because every sip tells the story of our incredible growers, producers, orchards, and communities that make our state’s landscape so unique. From our orchards to your glass, NY Cider made with NY apples is a vibrant part of New York’s agricultural story and we’re thrilled to showcase and celebrate it at the New York State Tasting Yard at The Great New York State Fair.”
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. The Empire Honey Producers Association, New York State Maple Producers Association, SUNY Cobleskill, Morrisville State College, and New York Farm Bureau also have exhibits in the Horticulture Building.
The Horticulture Building also showcases spectacular arrangements of colorful plants and flowers, and the winners of New York's harvest. It also gives guests a chance to get up close to hundreds of amazing butterflies.
Attractions include:
- Produce and flower exhibits
- The New York Maple Center, where you can buy candy, syrup, and ice cream made with New York maple syrup
- Yard and Landscaping Display
- Honey Exhibit
- Butterfly Exhibit
- The Great Potato Booth, home of the $1 baked potato with all the toppings
Check out a map of exhibits at The Fair, including those in the Horticulture Building.
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.
About The Great New York State Fair
The Fair starts Wednesday, August 20, and runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 1. All concerts are included in the price of admission. Tickets are on sale now at The Fair’s website, nysfair.ny.gov. Packed with value, a single admission ticket costs $8 and includes access to all grounds entertainment and the Chevrolet Music Series. In addition, a Frequent Fairgoer ticket option is available for $25. The Fair continues to be one of the most affordable fairs in the nation, with admission remaining free for those aged 65 and older along with children 12 years old and under.
Founded in 1841, The Great New York State Fair showcases the best of New York agriculture, provides top-quality entertainment, and is a key piece of the state’s CNY Rising strategy of growing the Central New York economy through tourism. It is the oldest fair in the United States and is consistently recognized as being among the top five state fairs in the nation.
The New York State Fairgrounds is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. Audiences are encouraged to learn more about The Great New York State Fair online, browse photos on Flickr, and follow the fun on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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