The grand hotels that once dotted the Catskills are mostly gone, but the culture they created—where comedians and musicians honed their craft, and generations of families spent their summers—continues to shape the region’s identity. This weekend in Ellenville, that legacy becomes something visitors can experience again at Borscht Belt Fest.
“It’s comedy, cuisine and culture,” said festival director Jami Lee Anson, describing the two-day Borscht Belt Fest, which returns with live music, historical programs, food, vendors and activities for all ages.
The festival has steadily expanded beyond a history lesson into a community celebration. Anson describes it as “a village,” built by volunteers, local businesses and sponsors who have helped transform it into one of the region’s signature cultural events. This year includes everything from a children’s area with crafts and princess meet-and-greets to local breweries, kosher cuisine, a street fair and a bus from New York City featuring a comedian entertaining passengers on the ride to Ellenville.
But amid the entertainment, the festival keeps returning to the story of the Borscht Belt itself.
One featured program, Before Woodstock: The Music of the Original Catskills Counterculture, explores how the region’s resort era laid cultural groundwork long before the famed 1969 music festival just miles away. Another presentation, Borscht Belt Rhythm & Beats: The Musical Melting Pot, examines a part of the Catskills’ history often overshadowed by its legendary comedians.
“Before Woodstock was the Borscht Belt,” Anson said. “It’s about the history of our whole area and how it’s changed over the years.”
For younger visitors, crafts and interactive activities offer an introduction to a chapter of regional history they may know only through documentaries or television shows.
Anson says interest from younger audiences continues to grow, helped in part by renewed attention to the Borscht Belt in popular culture. But she believes the festival’s appeal reaches beyond history enthusiasts.
“I think it brings a little history, a little laughter, a little cuisine,” she said.
Image: Borscht Belt Fest returns to Ellenville, NY, July 25-26. (Borscht Belt Fest)