Equipment Lending Library
Welcome
The Festivals Program assists tourism generating events in Tompkins County (NY) by providing affordable equipment rentals, technical assistance, and access to common information.
Please use this 2026 Equipment Lending Request Form to request an equipment rental.
This program is administered by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA). The program is made possible by a grant from the Tompkins County Tourism Program. The Festivals Program helps county events so they can strengthen the community and draw out-of-county tourists. Please browse this website to learn more about the resources the program provides.
For more information about this site contact the DIA at events@downtownithaca.com or info@downtownithaca.com or call 607-277-8679.
Please check out our updated resources section to check out the great content from this planning series.
Process
1) To make your equipment request, fill out this form in its entirety.
2) Wait to receive a "request approval letter". Generally you will receive a reply email in 5-10 business days of the request submission.
3) Sign and return the approval letter/contract and make any payment addressed in the letter.
4) Pick-up and drop-off equipment within the agreed upon dates and times.
5) View our service area on the Downtown Ithaca BID Map.
Calendar
This calendar is designed to be a planning calendar to assist with date and venue choice, and so that you can determine what events may be in conflict with your own. Thanks to the Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention & Visitors Bureau for providing the base calendar for this page.
Confirm dates with each entity before making decisions about your event.
Festivals Program Events Calendar 2026
JANUARY
- 2: Gallery Night
JANUARY
- 3: Gallery Night
FEBRUARY
- 7: Gallery Night
MARCH
- 1: Downtown Ithaca’s Chili Cook-Off
- 7: Gallery Night
- 29: Spring Fairy Fest
APRIL
- 4: Gallery Night
MAY
- 2: Gallery Night
- 7-11: Spring Write Literary Festival
- 18: Ithaca College Commencement
- 23-25: Cornell University Commencement Weekend
- 29-June 1: Ithaca Festival
JUNE
- 5: CFCU Summer Concert Series
- 6: Gallery Night
- 10: Taste of the Finger Lakes
- 12: CFCU Summer Concert Series
- 14: Juneteenth 2026
- 14-15: Ithaca Pride
- 20-22: Ithaca Reggae Fest
- 26: CFCU Summer Concert Series
JULY
- 3: CFCU Summer Concert Series
- 4: Gallery Night
- 10: CFCU Summer Concert Series
- 17-20: Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival
- 24: CFCU Summer Concert Series
- 31: CFCU Summer Concert Series
AUGUST
- 1: Gallery Night
- 7: CFCU Summer Concert Series
- 8: Ithaca Artist Market
- 14: CFCU Summer Concert Series
- 21: CFCU Summer Concert Series
- 28: CFCU Summer Concert Series
SEPTEMBER
- 4: CFCU Summer Concert Series
- 5: Gallery Night
- 11-14: Ithaca is Books Festival
- 26-28: Apple Harvest Festival
OCTOBER
- 3: Gallery Night
- 24: Halloween in Downtown
NOVEMBER
- 7: Gallery Night
- 28-30: Shop Small Weekend
DECEMBER
- 5: Gallery Night
- 6: Winter Holiday Bash
Equipment Rentals
The equipment lending library is a courtesy provided by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. We extend our thanks to the Strategic Tourism Planning Board and the Tompkins County Festivals Program for their funding and support in making this initiative possible. This project was made possible in part by a grant from the Tompkins County Tourism Program.
To request a loan of equipment, please fill out the following form 2026 Equipment Lending Request Form.
Information Requests
Please email events@downtownithaca.com if you are seeking information and we will contact you regarding your specific request. We maintain databases of food, beverage, and craft vendors, performers, media, volunteers, and service providers.
Email events@downtownithaca.com- Tables, 6-foot (20 available)
- Chairs, plastic folding (30 available)
- Tents, 10×10 pop-up (10 available)
- Tent Weights (80 available)
- A-Frame Sign Boards (5 available)
- Stanchions, 4-way, 10 ft (10 available)
- Traffic Cones, orange (5 available)
- Traffic Flags, orange (8 available)
- Traffic Vests, neon (15 available)
- Igloo Coolers, 5 gallon (3 available)
- Chest Coolers (1 available)
- Trash Cans, large 32 gallon (8 available)
- Trash Cans, jumbo 55 gallon (10 available)
- Recycling Bins, large 32 gallon (8 available)
- Trash Dolly Disc (2 available)
- Cash Boxes (6 available)
- Megaphones (2 available)
- Extension Cords, 15-50 ft (10 available)
- Generators (2 available)
- Cable Locks for Generators (2 available)
- Gas Can (1 available)
- Flashlights (20 available)
- String Lights, white, 21.5 ft (8 available)
- Banners, “Craft Show”, red, 72×20 (5 available)
- Banners, “Farmers Market”, red, 72×20 (2 available)
- Banners, “Live Music”, red, 72×20 (1 available)
- Banners, “Information”, blue, 72×18 (3 available)
- Gorilla Cart (1 available)
- Dolly (1 available)
- Cable Covers (30 available)
- PA System, speaker, power cord, speaker stand, microphone, microphone stand, & aux cable (1 available)
Resources
There are many resources in the community to assist you in planning your festival event. See below for our general listing of resources and contacts useful in planning and executing your event:
Key Contacts & Agencies
Volunteer Tools
The Tompkins Festivals program understands that volunteers are a major piece to every event. Below are links to service organizations where you can get volunteers and sample guides to planning your volunteer process from start to finish. These are tools to help you formulate your own guide that is more specific to your event or organization.
