Downtown Ithaca

The Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-Off
2026-03-07 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Downtown Ithaca, United States
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 12:00 to 4:00 PM
DOWNTOWN ITHACA COMMONS
Winter doesn’t stand a chance. The Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook Off returns to the Commons for a one-day tasting experience filled with bold chili, lively crowds, and friendly competition. Sample a wide range of chili styles, explore Downtown Ithaca shops and restaurants, and vote for your favorites as the district comes alive.
This annual event is also a fundraiser. Proceeds go toward making events free in Downtown Ithaca all year, helping support accessible, community-driven programming that brings people downtown in every season.
Local participants compete for top honors including Best Meat Chili, Best Vegetarian or Vegan Chili, Best Chili-Inspired Item, and the fan-favorite People’s Choice Award.

Chasing Neon Live in Room K @ K-House Karaoke & Arts Hub
2026-03-07 19:00 - 21:00 | K-House Karaoke & Arts Hub, 121 W Martin Luther King Jr St, Ithaca, 14850
⚡️ CHASING NEON is taking over ROOM K ⚡️
Saturday, March 7th • 7–9PM
📍 K-HOUSE Karaoke & Arts Hub
121 W MLK Jr St, Ithaca
$10 in advance or at the door
Venmo: Nicholas-stark-4
Cashapp: $yonickstark
*Room K
Get ready for a party band with the genre range of a DJ — pop, rock, hip hop, country, throwbacks, sing-alongs and everything in between.
If you love the energy of a DJ but want the electricity of a live band… this is your night. 🔥
Start downstairs in Room K with Chasing Neon
Then head upstairs for karaoke after and keep the party going all night 🎤✨

Ithaca Trans Center Book Club
2026-03-08 14:00 - 15:00 | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
Join us to discuss ‘So Many Stars’ by Caro De Robertis!
A book club hosted by the Ithaca Trans Center
all book club books have a 10% discount

Abolition of White Democracy Reading Group
2026-03-09 19:00 - 21:00 | ithaca writing studio, 1729 Slaterville rd, Ithaca, NY, 14850, United States
Description written by host, Ashley Cake: I’ve been threatening to do a community read of Abolition of White Democracy for some years now, and the time is finally nigh. Georgia at Ithaca Writing Studio is gonna host, and I’m asking $30 for six meetups, $20 for the Writing Studio and $10 for me. I’m capping it at 10 participants for space and “let’s take it easy” reasons and I’m asking for folks who are local, can commit to reading the book and coming to all 6 Monday evening meetings, and ideally are living that white democracy life. What do i mean? You check a majority of these boxes:
– you are a person of pallor (and not defensive or penitential about it)
– You have a liberal arts education with at least a BA
– You have a vehicle (maybe two, lease ok)
– You own your home (maybe two, with mortgage ok)
– you have investment accounts (IRA, 401k, mutual funds, CDs, etc)
– you have life insurance
– you are registered to vote as either a Democrat or a Republican
– You serve(d) on boards and/or commissions (foundations, PTAs, not for profits, city/county/state appointments, etc. mutual aid doesn’t count)
– Relatively high earning (80k – 200k/year)
– Manager or C-suite for most of your career
– Broadly familiar with North Atlantic political and social histories and thinkers of race & class (especially W.E.B. Dubois, Karl Marx, Michel Foucault, James Baldwin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexis de Tocqueville, Malcolm X, et. al.)
I won’t turn away anyone who wants to commit to the reading group (up to ten participants), but you will get the most out of this conversation if you’re navigating racial capitalism without too much trouble. I can make a PDF of the book available for free and everyone should read it, and participants should be able to order copies through our independent bookstores and pay full price.
I believe white democracy is white people’s problem because we built it with our ambitions and maintain it with our participation. I believe it’s possible for white folks to unravel these genocidal structures, and there’s no better time than now.
Bio: Ashley Cake was born and raised in Ithaca, NY and has been a lifelong service worker in the hospitality industry, most recently owning and operating The Watershed & The Downstairs. She is an award-winning labor and public safety advocate, serving on the boards of organizations from Ithaca Underground to Alternatives Federal Credit Union. In her academic career, Ashley has written and taught extensively on Enwhitenment European philosophy — particularly Soren Kierkegaard and Lacanian psychoanalysis — as well as comparative religion — particularly American social justice and liberationist histories. Her current praxis seeks to work the critical junctures of abolition, emergent strategies of care and transformative justice, which is to say: Land Back & Reparations.

Women's Adventure Film Tour
2026-03-10 08:00 - 17:00 | Cinemapolis, 120 W Green St, Ithaca, 14850
The Women’s Adventure Film Tour will present a thrilling selection of films that span extreme sports, personal journeys, and boundary-pushing storytelling from across the globe. This year’s program highlights the resilience and creativity of individuals navigating the challenges of both the outer world and their own inner landscapes. Each night will feature a different selection of films, storytellers, and/or panelists.

Protecting Local Communities from AI Data Center Impacts
2026-03-11 12:00 - 13:30
March 11, 2026
12:00-1:15 PM Eastern Time
Zoom (Register: bit.ly/sflxwebinar1)
Across the country, local communities are organizing to protest plans for massive AI data centers in their neighborhoods that drive up electricity prices for everyone, while threatening water supplies and disrupting lives. New York needs to get ahead of the problem by imposing a temporary moratorium on data center development while we figure out how, and if, their negative impacts can be eliminated.
Join us on March 11 to hear from Eric Weltman, Senior Organizer for Food & Water Watch, who helped push for a moratorium in NYS, Assemblywoman Anna Kelles, sponsor of the moratorium bill in the Assembly, and Aimee Caffrey, member of the FLX Strong citizen group protesting the creation of a 400 MW hyperscale AI data center on the shores of Cayuga Lake.

MIX Art Gallery presents: Jazz with Jesse Collins Quartet
2026-03-13 19:00 - 21:00 | MIX Art Gallery, 156 E. State Street, Ithaca, 14850
Experience a special evening of live jazz with the Jesse Collins Quartet at MIX Art Gallery. Blending improvisation, soulful rhythms, and contemporary jazz influences, this dynamic ensemble transforms the gallery into an intimate, vibrant listening space. Join us for an unforgettable night where art, music, and community come together in downtown Ithaca right on the Commons.
Limited seating – get there early!
$10 at the door, March 13, 7-9 pm
156 E. State St. (2nd Floor) on the Ithaca Commons!

Gelli Plate Printmaking
2026-03-14 13:00 - 16:00 | SewGreen, 112 W Green St, Ithaca
Gelli plate printing is a form of monoprinting that uses a flexible printing plate to create textures and layers. It is a very spontaneous way of creating one-of-a-kind prints on paper or fabric. We will explore several different ways of using the gelli plate, including using stencils, found objects, and mark-making tools.

Exquisite Corpse Cut-up Poetry Workshop
2026-03-14 16:00 - 18:00 | ithaca writing studio, 1729 Slaterville rd, Ithaca, NY, 14850, United States
ithaca writing studio presents
Exquisite Corpse Cut-Up Poetry Workshop
with Mack Rovenolt
March 14, 4-6pm
-Join journalist, poet, and artist Mack Rovenolt for a creative and inspiring Exquisite Corpse and collage workshop. This class blends collaborative writing and visual art to help you express yourself and draw inspiration in community with others.
-In this workshop, the group will create a poem together using the Exquisite Corpse method. Then the poem will be cut up line by line and placed into a hat where participants will have to pick new lines to go towards generating a new piece of writing.
The writers will have time to share the work at the end. All supplies provided. Some snacks and drinks provided. Come ready to create in community with others.
NOTE: Please use venmo if you need to pay on a sliding scale and be sure to provide your email in the caption of the payment. The studio has a venmo handle: ithacawritingstudio
BIO:
Mack Rovenolt is a local journalist, poet, and artist with a focus on printmaking and collage, though they enjoy learning new art forms and techniques. Both their art and poetry center on nature motifs and they draw inspiration from the physical and spiritual world around them. Their pets also make frequent appearances in their work. Mack has previously been featured in two galleries: print art featured in the Generating Joy Show at the Cherry with Ithaca Generator, and collage work featured in Queer Visions Queer Voices June 2025 at the CAP Artspace. Their work can be found at MRoven Prints on Instagram.

Open House and 9th Grade Info Session!
2026-03-15 13:00 - 14:30 | New Roots Charter School, 116 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca
New Roots curious? We’d love to see you at our March 15th Open House! 1- 2:30 PM
💚 Tour our historic building
Meet Teachers & staff, and dive into our real-world curriculum
🌟 Special 9th grade info session – learn about our award-winning high school program
Details and optional RSVP at newrootsschool.org/open-houses

LET’S READ + TALK ABOUT CLIMATE - CLIMATE LIT DISCUSSION GROUP
2026-03-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
Community-led conversations about climate change, as we discuss The Unworthy.
Climate Literature Book Discussions meets the third Wednesday of the month.
Shop with us for 10% off these titles!

LET’S READ + TALK ABOUT CLIMATE – CLIMATE LIT DISCUSSION GROUP
2026-03-18 16:00 - 17:30 | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
Community-led conversations about climate change, as we discuss The Unworthy.
Climate Literature Book Discussions meets the third Wednesday of the month. See 2026 titles here.
Shop with us for 10% off these titles!

Brookdale Continuing Education Series
2026-03-19 12:00 - 13:00
We’re excited to share that we are relaunching our March CE program for our professional referral partners, and we would love for you to join us for our second CE of the year!
Date: Thursday, March 19th, 2026
Time: 12:00–1:00 PM
Location: Zoom
Credit: 1 CE credit
Cost: Free
Our March CE Course is titled: Proactive End-of-Life Care Planning: Starting the Conversation Early.
This session will be informative, engaging, and designed to support you in your work with older adults and their families—while making it easy to earn your CE credit over lunch.
Please RSVP over email to junobr@brookdale.com by Wednesday March 11th, 2026 to reserve your spot.
Thank you for your partnership and we hope you can join us!

Fairy Fest
2026-03-21 10:00 - 18:00 | Downtown Ithaca, United States
Step into a day of enchantment during Fairy Fest in Downtown Ithaca, where magic and creativity fill the streets and shops of the Commons. Visitors of all ages are invited to dress as their favorite fairy, elf, woodland creature, or magical character and explore a whimsical celebration throughout Downtown Ithaca.
Throughout the day, participating businesses host hands-on activities, crafts, story times, themed treats, and magical experiences for families and visitors. From the Dewitt Mall to Press Bay Alley and shops across Downtown Ithaca, each location offers its own fairy-inspired activity.
Fairy Fest celebrates the creativity and community spirit of Downtown Ithaca while encouraging visitors to explore local shops and discover the magic inside each storefront. Activities are primarily hosted inside participating businesses, making this a perfect event to wander, discover, and enjoy the imaginative atmosphere of the district.
✨ Costumes are encouraged! Come dressed as a fairy, elf, imp, or magical creature and join the fun.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Fairy-themed crafts and hands-on activities
Storytime and creative workshops
Costume contest and magical characters
Fairy-inspired treats and special menus
Activities hosted inside participating Downtown Ithaca businesses

Faerie Market
2026-03-21 11:00 - 17:00 | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
For lovers of the fae, unicorns and all things magical!
Flutter on over to Buffalo Street Books for Down Ithaca’s Fairy Fest for all things magical and knowledgeable. 🍄🧚‍♀️🧚‍♂️🦄🌷

One Night With You: Elvis Dinner Show Comes to K-HOUSE Karaoke & Arts Hub
2026-03-23 19:00 - 21:00 | K-House Karaoke & Arts Hub, 121 W Martin Luther King Jr St, Ithaca, 14850
K-HOUSE Karaoke & Arts Hub invites oldies lovers to spend an evening with Elvis. One Night With You is a dinner show featuring the comedy and vocal stylings of The King himself, a three-course meal and guest performances, all in the intimate setting of Room K (formerly The Downstairs).
Elvis, who has been touring small-town venues since his supposed death in 1977, tells hilarious stories about his life, interspersed with classic songs, underrated tracks and beloved covers, during the 90-minute show. Duets throughout the evening will feature stars from the rock & roll era, including Neil Diamond and guest interaction and accompaniment are encouraged. Blending live performance with dinner theatre and the dietary restrictions of the aging The King, guests will enjoy a healthy meal with gluten-free and vegetarian options, as well as some of Elvis’ favorite treats.
“If you’ve got a suspicious mind and want the full story, you’ll just have to come hear it from The King himself.” -Sylvie Froncek, producer of One Night With You
The show takes place on the fourth Monday of each month at K-HOUSE this spring. Tickets include dinner and the show. Beverages will be available to purchase from the bar.
Upcoming performances include:
• Monday, March 23 — 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• Monday, April 27 — 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM and 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM (during Old Greeny Fringe Fest)
• Monday, May 25 — 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tickets are $35 per person or $120 for a table of four, and reservations are required.
Guests can expect an evening of classic songs, theatrical storytelling, and opportunities to interact with Elvis and sing-along.
Reservations:
https://www.viecycle.com/elvis-dinner-show.html

Launch Event: Tompkins County Minimum Wage Discussion
2026-03-24 18:00 - 19:30 | Tompkins County Whole Health, 55 Brown Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, United States
Join us in Tompkins County to chat about the minimum wage and what it means for you!
Launch Event: Tompkins County Minimum Wage Discussion
The Tompkins County Legislature is exploring the possibility of establishing a countywide minimum wage. To help inform this decision, Cornell ILR School’s Ithaca Co-Lab has been commissioned to organize a series of community convenings that bring together voices from across the county.
Over the coming months, ten convenings will focus on key issues affecting local stakeholders, including business, labor, the care economy, and the public sector. Insights gathered from these discussions will be compiled into a report for the County Legislature.
We will officially launch this series of convenings with a launch event on March 24, bringing together stakeholders from across Tompkins County.
Join us for the first convening:
📅 March 24
🕕 6:00 PM
📍 Tompkins County Whole Health
At this first session, you will:
• Meet the research team, local legislators, and fellow community members
• Share your perspective and lived experiences
• Ask questions and raise key concerns
• Help shape the issues that will guide future convenings
Your voice is an important part of this process.
For questions, contact Ian Greer at icg2@cornell.edu.

BIPOC Voices In Romance & Fantasy: "Cinderella is Dead" by Kalynn Bayron
2026-03-25 08:00 - 17:00 | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
Join us to discuss Cinderella is Dead joined by local author Kalynn Bayron ˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀
Whether you are a romance or fantasy reader, BIPOC VOICES in Romance and Fantasy is a staff run bookclub that provides a safe space to discuss books about the experience of marginalized groups through these genres, uplifts BIPOC authors and challenges the community to read diversely!
We will meet the last Wednesday of every month ✨⚔️📖

Yappy Hour at The Strand Cafe
2026-03-25 08:00 - 17:00 | the strand cafe, 324 E. State St., Ithaca, NY, 14850, United States
Welcome back to YAPPY HOUR at The Strand Cafe!
Join us every 4th Wednesday from March–October | 4–7PM for drinks, dog-friendly vibes, and pup social time!
Bring your furry friends to mix, mingle, and make new besties 🐕
Even better? 50% of proceeds benefit Stay Wild Rescue — every sip supports animals in need.
Drinks for you. Social hour for them. A great cause for all. 🐶

Yappy Hour
2026-03-25 16:00 - 19:00 | Canopy By Hilton, 324 E. State St., Ithaca
Sip, socialize, get to know some adoptable pets from Stay Wild Resue. We will have drink specials, pet games, treats and more. All well-behaved pets are welcome to join. Help us support Stay Wild Resue with 50% of all Strands proceeds go to Stay Wild Rescue.

Cafe Do What?
2026-03-25 17:00 - 19:00 | Cafe DeWitt, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, N, 14850, United States
Come for an art jam, stay for the creative juices!
Join So What? Studio + Creative Reuse of Ithaca at Cafe Dewitt for an art social! Come by yourself or with a friend to imagine, play, tap into that inner child, and see what happens when you give yourself permission to just have fun being creative in the presence of others. All materials will be provided. Zero experience encouraged!
So What? Studio is a new social arts club dedicated to the transformative power of the creative arts to connect community and heal from the inside out. To learn more, visit @sowhatartclub on Instagram or www.sowhatsocialclub.com

Trans Rights Readathon Read-In @ BSB
2026-03-27 17:30 - 19:00 | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
The Trans Rights Readathon is an annual call to action to readers and book lovers in support of Trans Day of Visibility!
Join us at Buffalo Street Books in reading books written by trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit & gender-nonconforming authors in support of Ithaca Trans Center.
For more information on how to become part of this annual event you can visit: https://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co/

No Kings: An Evening of Music & Community hosted by Annie Burns
2026-03-27 19:00 - 21:00 | First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, 306 N. Aurora St., Ithaca, 13077
A free concert on the eve of the No Kings March, hosted by Annie Burns, with Joe Crookston, Doug Robinson, Harry Aceto, Mark Zabel, and many other musical guests. An opportunity to lift our voices together in songs of solidarity and hope.

Theatre Incognita presents ANGELS IN AMERICA, PT 1: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES
2026-03-27 19:00 - 22:30 | Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State Street, Ithaca, 14850
America in the mid-1980s. In the midst of the AIDS crisis and a conservative Reagan administration, six New Yorkers with interconnected lives grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell.
Theatre Incognita is proud to present Tony Kushner’s ANGELS IN AMERICA, PT. 1: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES in collaboration with Kitchen Theatre Company’s Kitchen Sink Series.
Performances are at 7 pm Friday & Saturday, March 27 & 28, 2 pm Sunday March 29, and 7pm Wednesday April 1 – Saturday April 4, with a closing matinee Sunday April 5 at 2 pm. kitchentheatre.org for tickets
Kushner’s epic two-part drama about AIDS, queer life, national politics, and so much more, received the 1993 Pulitzer, as well as the Tony Award for Best Play (as did its 2017 revival). Widely perceived as one of the greatest plays of the later 20th century, in it’s still young 35 year history, Angels continues to astonish and reverberate.
Incognita’s cast is led by Seth Koproski as Prior Walter, Daniel S. Baruch as Louis, Eric Hambury as Joe, Elizabeth Seldin as Harper, Erik Lucas as Roy Cohn, McDonald Morris as Belize, Karen Veaner as Hannah/Ethel Rosenberg, and Meg Elliott as the Angel and others. Completing the cast are local favorites G-Quan Booker, Lindsey Cahoon, Cortney “CJ” Johnson, and Andrew Hertzberg.
Artistic Director Ross Haarstad stages the production, joined by Oliver Canales Greenwood as Scenic and Lighting Designer, Sarah Marks Bechtel as Costume Designer and Zeke A.B. Lawrence as Sound Designer. Priscilla Hummel serves as Intimacy Director.

Kaplan Cousins Improvise Again
2026-03-28 19:30 - 21:30 | Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca, 14850
The Hangar Theatre continues its In Flight Entertainment Series with “The Kaplan Cousins Improvise Again” on March 28.
Ilan and Gavin Kaplan, who have been improvising together for eight years, will bring the chemistry they’ve been building since childhood to a hilarious improv performance that creates an entire show on the spot out of a single word suggestion. For a preview, see this video.
Opening for the Kaplan Cousins are members of Ithaca’s Third Place Theater, a local improv comedy theater that hosts shows, jams and other events almost every week.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. March 28 at the Hangar. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students, and can be purchased online or at the door.
A community-driven arts campus for regional audiences and tourists alike, the Hangar Theatre is a year-round venue approaching its 52nd MainStage season. The Hangar offers professional theatrical productions during an expansive and diverse summer season, and hosts local and national musical acts, community arts groups and events, and education programs from September to May.

Readings & Conversation on Art, Grief, and Gratitude
2026-03-29 14:00 - 15:00 | State of the Art Gallery, 120 W State St #2, Ithaca, 14850, United Kingdom
Darcy Binns and Patty Brown will read from their art books .

Sunday Fungay, Trivia Edition! Queer Trivia in Room K at K-House with T41 and Tilia Cordata
2026-03-29 16:00 - 19:00 | K-House Karaoke & Arts Hub, 121 W Martin Luther King Jr St, Ithaca, 14850
Dust off your thinking caps for this special Sunday Funday!! Come on down to Room K – Home of QSpace – Where T41’s Gina will be on the mic queery-ing you all on your common knowledge and queer smarts. With performances by Tilia Cordata between each round!
$10 to play (discounts for QPass Members)
March 29th, 4:00 – 7:00
Happy hour social 4:00-5:00 with trivia starting at 5:00

Downtown Ithaca Egg Hunt
2026-03-30 - 2026-04-05 | Downtown Ithaca, United States
Celebrate spring with a self-guided egg hunt across Downtown Ithaca. Explore participating businesses, discover hidden eggs, and win prizes along the way! Inside each egg is a treat, prize, or raffle ticket. On Monday, April 6, the winning raffle ticket number will be posted on our social media @downtownithaca, so be sure to keep an eye out!

So What? Studio presents Creative Recess!
2026-03-30 19:00 - 21:00 | The Nocturnal Café, 103 S. Geneva St., Ithaca, 14850
Join So What? Studio for its first Creative Recess: Game Night!
Do you enjoy Pictionary? Quick Draw? Exquisite Corpse? Join So What? Studio for a heated rivalry between oodles of doodles – we’ll be gathering for an evening of art and drawing based games. Materials will be provided and zero experience encouraged!
So What? Studio is a new social arts club dedicated to the transformative power of the creative arts to connect community and heal from the inside out. To learn more, visit @sowhatartclub on Instagram or www.sowhatsocialclub.com

Breaking the Banyard Barrier
2026-03-31 18:00 - 19:00 | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
Join author & large animal veterinarian, Linda Rhodes in conversation with Cornell University graduate & local large animal veterinarian, Dr. Paul Coen as they discuss Breaking the Banyard Barrier.
