Music And Art Burn Brightly At The Beacon Bonfire
The City’s Largest Music + Art Festival Returns November 5th to 9th
Beacon Bonfire, 2022. Photo by Austin Ruffer.
2025 marks the return of Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival for its third non-consecutive year. The festival starts the evening of Wednesday, November 5th (Happy Guy Fawkes Day!) and ends Sunday, November 9th.
What began during the 2021 COVID-19 lockdown as a series of small underground music-and-art-fueled outdoor gatherings across Beacon has flourished into an epic five-day music and art festival.
This year’s Beacon Bonfire promises to be even more spectacular than the sold-out event in 2023, which attracted more than 4,000 festival goers from across the Hudson Valley, New York City, and beyond. With more than 400 performers and 100+ performances in over 20 venues across the city, Beacon Bonfire will showcase a vibrant, cultural melting pot of art, music, and culture over the course of five days.
Kelly Ellenwood—a longtime Beaconite and artist and one of the festival’s co-founders—describes it as imbuing the spirit of the Edinburgh Fringe with Nevada’s Burning Man. “Beacon Bonfire exists to create space for artists to perform and for creativity and community to come together. It’s a chance to be curious and discover new artists, new ideas, and maybe even forge new connections.”
Skyla Schreter, 2023, in the space now occupied by Savage Wonder Arts Center. Photo: Darya Golubina.
Behind The Scenes At The Bonfire
The idea from which the Beacon Bonfire grew was the brainchild of award-winning actor and Beacon local, Christian Campbell. And each of the festival’s founders bring an essential element to the mix, in addition to contributing to the programming. While Kelly focuses on partnerships, funding, and administration, her husband, Tim Parsaca, who was vice president of production operations at Madison Square Gardens for 20 years, is a natural to lead the production side of the event. Award-winning singer/songwriter and filmmaker, Jeremy Schonfeld, leads the festival programming and is the brains behind the introduction of a two-day film festival at Industrial Arts Brewing Co. (511 Fishkill Avenue) on Thursday, November 6th and Friday, November 7th. Meanwhile, America Olivo Campbell and husband, Christian, set the strategy for finance and marketing respectively. Kelly is keen to point out that this entirely volunteer-driven event is supported by a broader, equally passionate group of experts who are vital to making the magic happen.
What To Expect
Getting the word out on Main Street, Beacon.
The Opening Ceremony for Beacon Bonfire is on Wednesday, November 5th with “Syncretic Liturgy—A Service Of Witness To The Bonfire. Bells At 7:00” at Prophecy Hall (1113 Wolcott Avenue), the landmark former Dutch Reformed Church. What’s a syncretic liturgy you may ask? It’s a blending of two or more religious or cultural traditions. In this case, it represents a melding of every element of the festival. The ceremony will start at Hudson Beacon Glass (162 Main Street) with a lighting of the Beacon Bonfire torch before proceeding to Prophecy Hall.
New to Beacon Bonfire: A Two-Day Film Festival
Beacon Bonfire takes over Industrial Arts Brewing Co. (511 Fishkill Avenue) Thursday, November 6th and Friday, November 7th from noon until late each day for a fully immersive Hudson Valley-related film festival. The highlight of Thursday is a Nerd Nite Hudson Valley film-themed special presented in collaboration with Story Screen Cinema and Hit House Films. Friday’s highlights include Lines of Demarcation about the history of Beacon’s Black community, produced by Beacon residents and students, Jeremy Schonfeld’s award-winning The Father Who Stayed, and a Story Screen Rockin’ Trivia Night with music by Hudson Severn.
A Main Street Takeover
Saturday, November 8th will begin with a 10K Fire Tower Run led by ultrarunner Zandy Mangold before the full mile of Main Street begins to pulse with music, dance, and street performance! Expect every musical genre—including some that defy genre—from cajun dancehall, indie, jazz, world pop-fusion, and classical to avant garde, psych-garage rock, folk, and circlesinging. The festivities continue throughout Sunday, November 9th and end at Veteran’s Place with the Bonfire Finale featuring the beloved Beacon Drum Circle, fire dancers, and a showstopping performance by Hudson Valley favorites and self-described psychedelic jam band, Marsh King’s Daughter. Expect some shops to stay open later than usual during the festival. We’ll be sure to share open-late locations as we get news of them. You’ll find the full schedule of every performance and event here.
What’s New for 2025
In addition to the Beacon Bonfire Film Festival, there will also be a new concept called a Seat At The Table on Eliza Street, was conceived of by BonfireWORKS Foundation Board Member, Donna Mikkelsen, who is also the festival’s art programming director. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, the community will be able to sit at a 50 ft-long grass-adorned table and take part in any number of experiential activities. The installation was funded by a grant from the Dutchess Partners in the Arts (Destination Dutchess and Arts Mid-Hudson).
Plus, in partnership with the Beacon Unicorn Fund, there will be “Buy One / Give One” ticketing this year: Which means every festival pass purchased can fund a pass for a community member who may not otherwise attend. Here’s an easy link to purchase and learn more. Good new is The Beacon Beacon readers get 20% off their purchase if they use Promo Code TBB20 at checkout.
Tips for Making The Most Of The Festival
With more than 100 performances taking place, you may be wondering what’s the best way to make the most of the festival. We asked Kelly for some tips, and she said, “Leave the car at home, if you can. Beacon is such a walkable city, you really don’t need a car to enjoy the festival. Anyone who’s coming by train can pick up the Beacon Free Loop from the train station to get to Main Street or follow the signs for a slow walk that takes no more than 10 minutes.”
That said, those who opt to bring a car can access these 12 free parking lots for off-street parking.
Kelly’s top tip is to buy a Festival Pass in advance rather than individual tickets which range from $10 to $35 each. So, a $75 ticket is an absolute bargain for anyone wanting a fully immersive weekend of music and art. (Seniors and students can snag a ticket for only $49.00). Beacon Bonfire is a non-profit venture, so every ticket ensures the performers are fairly paid and festival operations are safe and secure.
Those looking for VIP perks (backstage passes, merch, and access to super-secret popups during the weekend) can pay a little more to enjoy some fun benefits and show their support for this very special event.
You can buy tickets in advance online until Friday, November 7th. Thereafter you’ll be able to buy a last-minute ticket as well as pick up a map and some Beacon Bonfire see-and-be-seen merch at 380 Main Street (the former Kitchen & Coffee location) and the KuBe Art Center (211 Fishkill Avenue). You can also pick up tickets and a map at the Beacon Welcome Center at Polhill Park.
Finally, Kelly recommends planning in advance. The Beacon Bonfire website has the full schedule, so you can toggle the buttons to build your own program and give yourself the best shot of not missing out on something you really wanted to catch. And remember to use Promo Code TBB20 at checkout for 20% off your pass.
If you’re planning to spend the weekend in Beacon for Beacon Bonfire, explore our Stay directory for hotels and bed & breakfasts , as well as our Eat & Drink and Shop directories for everything you need to know about Beacon while you’re here.
The Beacon Moose. Just one of the outdoor performance venues during Beacon Bonfire.
Participating Venues:
Beacon Building (427 Main Street) | Beahive (6 Eliza Street) | B-House (194 Fishkill Avenue at Verplanck Ave) | Center Camp (Veterans Place & Main Street) | Chill Camp (Eliza Street & Main ) | Dennings Point Distillery (10 N. Chestnut Street) | Factory Salon (147 Main Street) | Farmers Market (223 Main Street) | KuBe Auditorium (211 Fishkill Avenue) | Lyonshare (246 Main Street) | The Moose (162 Main Street) | Happy Valley Arcade Bar (296 Main Street) | Howland Cultural Center (477 Main Street) | Industrial Arts Brewing Co. (511 Fishkill Avenue) | Passion Dance Studio (473 Main Street) | Prophecy Hall (1113 Wolcott Avenue) | Quinns (330 Main Street) | Saint Andrew & Saint Luke (15 South Avenue) | Saint Rita’s Music Room (85 Eliza Street) | Savage Wonder (139 Main Street) | The Wild (416 Main Street) | Welcome Camp (Polhill Park)
Until next time…
The Beacon Beacon🧡