Your Guide To September’s Second Saturday Weekend
BAU Gallery at 506 Main Street unveils three new shows this weekend.
Beacon buzzes with gallery openings, performances, and community events on the second weekend of each month—an arts tradition founded and championed by BeaconArts, the creative force behind this cultural celebration. The organization has not only nurtured the city’s creative spirit over the past 20+ years, but it’s also launched signature events like Beacon Open Studios and Beacon Spring, anchoring the arts firmly in the city’s identity.
Thanks in part to BeaconArts, every weekend (not just Second Saturday) is now an opportunity to take in a rich offering of cultural experiences occurring at more than 25 arts & music venues. Yet, Second Saturday is still an important draw for anyone wanting to keep up with what’s new and happening locally. So, take time to walk Main Street this weekend and soak up Beacon’s art, music, performances, and celebrations.
Tickets are available in advance for all live performances. See our Events Guide for more details and links.
Check Out New Exhibitions
Visit BAU Gallery (506 Main Street) for three standout shows on display from September 12th to October 5th. Join the artists for the opening reception which takes place from 6 PM to 8 PM on Saturday.
Earthly Delights, by Joan Harmon and Aubrey Roemer, offers a vibrant collection of paintings and sculptures exploring their shared fascination with rich color, organic form, and the tension between the natural and surreal.
The Gallery’s artists’ group show, Gradually Then Suddenly, focuses on contemporary notions of transformation explored through painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and ceramics. The participating artists are Robin Adler, Karen Allen, Bob Barry, Daniel Berlin, Joel Brown, Nataliya Hines, George Kimmerling, Linda Lauro-Lazin, Nansi T. Lent, Soli Pierce, Eileen Sackman, Ilse Schreiber-Noll, and Pamela Zaremba.
Anne Harmon’s Dormiveglia is described as a collection of mixed-media paintings exploring the “impermanence of place and the layered texture of memory.”
Super Secret Projects (484 Main Street) unveils Dream Logic this weekend. This video-based group exhibition explores the blurred line between dream and waking life, and it invites the viewer into shifting worlds of memory, imagination, and perception. The opening reception takes place on Saturday, September 13th between 4 PM and 7 PM.
Focus On Photographers II opens at the Howland Cultural Center (477 Main Street) on Saturday with a reception between 1:00 PM and 3 PM. Featuring work by Hillary Clements, Ross Corsair, Ron Hershey, Amy Finkel, Wilbur Norman, and Robert Tirrell, Jr, the show is curated by Larry Kerschberg and Ronnie Beth Sauers.
Also on show: Threads of Love by Delvin Lugo and Amber Mustafic continues at Distortion Society (155 Main Street) until October 4th. Savage Wonder’s colorful KaleidoSCAPE runs until the end of December, 2025. Visit Dia Beacon for Renée Green’s The Equator Has Moved (showing until August 2026) and Mary Heilmann’s Starry Night which closes on October 13th, 2025, as well as for its impressive long-term collection.
Julius Caesar Comes To Bannerman Island
Shakespeare, an outdoor theater performance, and sunset over the Hudson River. What more could anyone possibly want for a memorable Hudson Valley weekend in September? Catch Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s Julius Caesar at Bannerman’s Castle from Thursday, September 11 to Saturday, September 13th. Take the Estuary Steward boat from Beacon’s waterfront at 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM. Learn more and book tickets here.
High Energy At Estilo Y Vino
Estilo Y Vino Wine Bar (173 Main Street) promises that Sherry Vine: The Second to Last Showgirl will be a performance to remember. On Sunday, September 14th, choose from the 3:00 PM or the 5:30 PM sessions. Expect music, laughter, and high energy from actor, drag queen, and musician, Keith Levy who’s also the creator and host of She’s Living For This, a variety show on Here TV.
Beacon Natural Market Celebrates 20 Years of Doing Business
This weekend marks 20 years of business on Main Street for Beacon Natural Market (348 Main Street). To celebrate, owners Kitty and LT will be hosting a weekend full of events including incredible raffle prizes, gift baskets, demos, generous samplings, and even some live music to mark the special occasion. This milestone is seriously worth celebrating, so be sure to stop by the store to congratulate them and enter your details for a chance to win one of many prizes which include a gorgeous gift basket of Evan Healy organic skincare products, and personal training sessions. Plus, there’s grand prizes of a bicycle and a folding wagon filled with groceries.
The ARTICHOKE Storytelling Show Returns
Drew Prochaska, host and creator of The ARTICHOKE Storytelling Series.
The ARTICHOKE Storytelling Series is back with a bang at the Howland Cultural Center (477 Main Street) after a summer hiatus for its first Main Stage show of the fall, featuring Kenice Mobley, Time Out Magazine’s “Comics to Watch”; Eli Walker, founder of the internationally acclaimed brand Drunk Yoga; Esmond Fountain, winner of Best Standup at the 2025 New York Fringe Festival; Kaitlin Becker, Emmy-nominated actor, singer, and writer; Sharon Spell, a Moth StorySLAM winner; and Sean O’Brien, a Moth GrandSLAM winner. Tickets available here. Show starts promptly at 8 PM.
Listen & Dine
If a combination of good music and good food sounds appealing, then the Towne Crier Café might be for you. On its Main Stage this weekend, you’ll find The Meraki Trio on Friday, September 12th which brings together genres including trance, world beat, jazz, and folk. On Saturday, there’s the crowd-pleasing Bookends Band, Westchester-based rockers who delivers classics from the 1960s to 1980s. See the Towne Crier’s Salon Stage calendar for free shows this weekend.
Howland Chamber Music Circle Returns For The Fall
On Sunday, September 14, the Howland Chamber Music Circle Presents Joseph Lin & Friends’ Beethoven Celebration, which includes the 10th Violin Sonata, “Serioso” Quartet, and “Archduke” Trio. The concert takes place at the Howland Cultural Center (477 Main Street) and is followed by a meet-the-artists- reception.
Savage Wonder Arts Center, 141 Main Street.
An “Unhinged” Performance at Savage Wonder
Every Saturday in September you can see The Elephant Delivery by Bill Smith and six veteran-authored 10-minute comedies in the Parlor at Savage Wonder. Here’s the lowdown if you’re wondering what The Elephant Delivery could possibly be about: Set on a train station platform, two men are waiting for unusual deliveries—elephants for one man and pigeons for the other. Savage Wonder describes its performance readings as “unhinged,” and you can take them at their word. Get tickets here and check their calendar for a packed weekend of music, improv, comedy, and more.
Tap Into Your Creativity
Registration for fall Workshops are open at That Creative Space, which launched last weekend in the same building as Beacon Music Factory (333 Fishkill Avenue). Its diverse offering of creative programs range from one-day workshops to seasonal retreats. Join founder Stacey Burgay for Embellish This! An Intro to Embroidery (for adults and 16+) on Saturday, September 13th between 11 AM and 2 PM. Upcoming events include Baby Science, Listening with Plants, Classic Drawing, and Hand Quilting with Sashiko Thread.
Plus get ready for fall with the Witch Hazel team (176 Main Street) which is hosting a Seasons Changing: Custom Perfume-Creation Workshop with Harbinger perfumes this Saturday, September 13th at 1 PM.
And in between all this activity, there’s still plenty of time to explore the one-of-a-kind independent shops that line Main Street, or chow down a scrumptious burger or a plate of pasta at one of Beacon’s 90+ places to eat and drink. Take advantage of our Shop and Eat & Drink Directories to discover everything the city has to offer. Need a place to park? We’ve got you covered there, too.
Until next time…
The Beacon Beacon🧡