The 518

06/17/2026

Want to join Nine Pin Hard Cider for a special summer solstice party at Huck Finn's Playland? 🎢 🍏

To enter for a chance to win 2 tix to the Summer Solstice Celebration at Huck Finn’s Playland:

— Follow The 518 Newsletter & Nine Pin Ciderworks
— Tag a bestie who would love to be your sidekick for this event!

Contest closes at midnight Thursday!

Rides, food, fun! Come celebrate the longest day of the year by riding the ferris wheel at sunset! 🌅

This event is 21+ and each ticket comes with a 12oz cider.

06/12/2026

💜 Feel the love with our TOP FIVE WEEKEND!

Including:

⭐️ 🌈 Capital Pride’s big day opens with the year’s best candy-tossing parade with floats, flags, and marching groups galore, beginning at 11:30a at State St. & Edgecomb. Then on to the gorgeous Washington Park. Sun, 12—4p, free. Pride Center of the Cap Region

⭐️ 🐑 The Summer Craft Fair at the historic Shaker Heritage Society is the year’s brightest chance to peruse 75+ vendors on the Shaker the historic grounds, Sat & Sun, 10a—3p, free (donations requested). Shaker Heritage

⭐️ ⚔️ The NY Capital District Renaissance Faire promises real jousting, an artisan market, a pub crawl, and a kids’ kingdom that’s sure to delight your young knights. Sat—Sun, 11a—6p. A one-day pass is just $5 for children, $25 for adults. NY Capital District Renaissance Festival

⭐️ 🖼️ Caffè Lena organizes the best street fairs, and Beekman Street Art Fair promises to be no exception. Featuring a juried fine art and craft show featuring 60 artists, plus music for the soul including the Folk Club for Kids, Jazz Mode, and more. Stroll through for a folksy good time. Sun, 10a—5p, free. Caffè Lena

⭐️ 🍓 The Mayfield Historical Society’s annual Strawberry Festival pays homage to the summertime ripening of America’s favorite berry. And you know what else spells summer? Flea market finds. The Gloversville festival also features Treasures in the Trunk, with neighbors popping their trunks and setting up card tables full of new, used, and antique goods. Sat, 12–4p, free. Mohawkvalleymuseums

06/06/2026

Scenes from today’s Art on Lark—the street fest is back, baby!

06/05/2026

The 518 Dinner Club is the most delicious way to meet new people in the Capital Region—with none of the awkward networking vibes!

This month’s dinner is generously sponsored by —Troy’s premier destination for craft cocktails, elevated pub fare, and nightlife, located in the heart of historic downtown.

Featuring 30+ draft beers, a full-service bar, live entertainment, and a vibrant atmosphere, Bootleggers is the perfect place to keep the evening going after dinner.

06/03/2026

It’s official! Costco in Guilderland will open on Thursday, August 6, according to a report in the Times Union and the Costco website.

UPDATE: So it looks like this Costco has been "conditionally approved" for a liquor license. Get ready for a bangin' wine section! 🍷

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

Huge turnout for the TroyAsia Night Market on Saturday—open until 9 pm but no guarantee there will be any food left. Some vendors were already out of food within the first hour!

We really need to do this more than once a year. Should we organize one?

05/14/2026

Have a killer time with our TOP FIVE WEEKEND!!

Including:

⭐️🎨 Painting the Night at Quackenbush Square celebrates the fresh murals changing the game in downtown Albany. Watch live mural painting, roaming circus acts, and fire dancers. Albany Center Gallery and Albany Barn will be hosting popups, and DJ King Bully will be laying down the beats.

⭐️💀The Nightmare Market, the Capital Region’s best night market, takes over Jay Street in Schenectady. Expect 70+ alternative vendors, oddities, food trucks, themed beverages, tarot readers, live music and more.

⭐️🎸Sing in the Streets returns to downtown Saratoga for a musical extravaganza with 23 acts across 10 stages, spanning folk, blues, jazz, country, and soul.

⭐️🥙 The Albany Greek Festival at St. Sophia is always a delicious affair. Expect favorites like gyros, souvlaki, spanakopita, moussaka, and all kinds of honey-soaked baked goods.

⭐️🍺 The Tap New York Craft Brew Festival moves to Blackthorne Resort in East Durham, with over100,000 people attending, the two-day event is one of the largest craft brew festivals in the country.