My family and I enjoyed a weekend full of music, dance, environmental education, juggling, artisan vendors, and picturesque views of the Hudson River last weekend at the Clearwater Festival at Croton Point Park, Croton-on-the-Hudson in New York. My husband and I had heard of the Festival and the performers, but were able to spend our first time at the festival with our two boys, ages 4 ½ and 2 1/2. The festival was a celebration of the environment founded by the late Pete Seeger, who passed away this year and was remembered in many ways throughout the festival, including a memory tent.
We started out the day looking at all of the boats on the river and checking out hands-on exhibits of the fish in the Hudson River in the Discovery tents.
Then we headed through the artisan tents and over to Todd’s Musical Petting Zoo, where we were able to touch all kinds of instruments, including banjos, violins, and accordians, to name a few.
My boys then tried out the hula hoops and learned how to juggle using juggling sticks. We spent some time at the Children’s area for face painting, bubble making, Frisbee throwing, and we enjoyed a concert at the Family Stage. Then, the boys got their hands dirty making clay sculptures.
One of the highlights of the day was a puppet show at the Arm of the Sea Theater. The boys were intrigued by the beautifully decorated puppets. They are still asking me if we can see the puppet show again!
The boys had so much fun on Saturday that we headed back to the festival again on Sunday to watch the Laurie Berkner concert and participate in some of our favorite activities again.
Overall, it was a great weekend of family fun. We definitely plan to go back next year and hopefully for years to come!!
Macaroni Tips:
Bring plenty of water, snacks, and sunscreen.
Bring a blanket or lawn chairs to enjoy the musical performances, story time, and puppet shows.
The park is expansive, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. I was glad to have my stroller on hand: even my older son wanted to sit in it after awhile.
There were many great food trucks but there are also picnic areas, so bring a lunch or money to buy some of the delicious food.
Next year we hope to go later in the day one afternoon so that we can enjoy some of the popular artists that we missed this year, like Norah Jones and moe.
