Downtown Syracuse Events
Festival of Trees & Light Online Auction
Traditions knit us together and strengthen the fabric of our community. For 35 years, the Everson’s Annual Festival of Trees has dazzled visitors of all ages. This year, discover the newly reimagined Festival of Trees & Light, celebrating diverse traditions as we embrace light as a symbol of hope, warmth, and welcome.
The 2020 Festival blends time-honored traditions, including a selection of beautifully decorated trees, wreaths, and holiday décor, with public performances and a new multi-day online auction. The Festival culminates with a virtual Festival Finale packed with performances, special appearances, prize drawings, and final auction bidding. Enjoy with friends from the comfort of home, and share a Sensational Swag Bag of goodies delivered to your door (included with premium ticket).
Whether in person or online, please join the Everson in celebrating the season, and all that connects us as a community. All funds raised support the inspiring exhibitions and engaging programs presented by the Everson throughout the year.
New Online Festival Auction!
November 27 – December 5
Explore a fabulous selection of fine art, jewelry, handcrafted gifts, experience packages, and wonderful holiday décor! Convenient, flexible, and easy to bid on your favorite items from your phone or computer. Visit everson.org/FOTL20 to shop and bid!
Tickets available soon! Visit everson.org/FOTL20 for info on the in-person event!
| Date/Time | 11/29/2020 (All day) |
| Runs | 11/27/2020 - 12/05/2020 |
| Cost | free |
| Contact Phone | 315-474-6064 |
| Venue | Everson Museum of Art 401 Harrison St. Syracuse, NY 13202 315-474-6064 |
An Erie Canal Odyssey: The Photographs of Frank Forte
In this exhibit, award-winning photographer Frank Forte displays multi-image panels that depict the communities, structures, activities and vessels along the New York State Canal System, from Waterford to Montezuma, New York. An Erie Canal Odyssey is on display in the Erie Canal Museum's first-floor Link Gallery.
| Date/Time | 11/29/2020 (All day) |
| Runs | 9/15/2020 - 12/31/2022 |
| Cost | Free with Museum admission. |
| Contact Phone | 315-471-0593 |
| Contact Email | ashley@eriecanalmuseum.org |
| Venue | Erie Canal Museum 318 Erie Blvd E Syracuse, NY 13202 315-471-0593 |
A Legacy of Firsts: The Everson Collects
In 1911, the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts (known today as the Everson) made history as the first museum in the country to declare that it would focus on collecting works made by American artists. This decision, implemented by Museum Director Fernando Carter, was the first of many made by directors that ultimately defined the Everson’s collection as it exists today. This exhibition examines over one hundred years of the Museum’s collecting priorities, from the Museum’s earliest acquisitions in 1911 to work acquired in 2019.
Jonas Lie, The Black Teapot, 1911, Oil on canvas, 35 x 42 inches Everson Museum of Art; Museum purchase, 13.121
| Date/Time | 11/29/2020 (All day) |
| Runs | 8/01/2020 - 1/02/2021 |
| Cost | Free with Museum Admission |
| Contact Phone | 315-474-6064 |
| Venue | Everson Museum of Art 401 Harrison St. Syracuse, NY 13202 315-474-6064 |
Gingerbread Gallery
Through January 10, 2021, admission to the Erie Canal Museum includes the 35th Annual Gingerbread Gallery, one of Syracuse’s oldest holiday traditions! Admission to the Museum is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors (65+), $4 for children 3-17, and free for children 2 & under. Timed tickets are required. We cannot accommodate walk-in visitors during the Gingerbread Gallery. You must make your reservation before entering the Museum by visiting https://www.showclix.com/event/erie-canal-museum-gingerbread or calling (315) 471-0593 during business hours.
When you visit the Museum during the Gingerbread Gallery, the delicious aroma of ginger and candy will waft through the air, leading you to the second floor gallery. Each year the Erie Canal Museum’s Weighlock Gallery transforms into a festive 1800′s canal town with gingerbread creations on display in storefront windows. These sweet creations are made locally by professional and amateur bakers.
Before or after you visit the Gingerbread Gallery, be sure to explore the rest of the Museum. We share 200 years of Erie Canal history through exhibits and original artifacts. A visit to the Museum includes a full-size replica canal boat, exhibits about Erie Canal commerce and communities, the award-winning Locktender’s Garden, and the 1850 National Register Weighlock Building.
New This Year: A Virtual Gingerbread Gallery that will include close ups of each entry and the experience of walking through the village will be available shortly after Thanksgiving. All Museum Members will receive access to the Virtual Gallery, which will also be available to the public for a small fee. If, for any reason, the Museum is required to shut down again during the run of the Gingerbread Gallery, we will continue offering the virtual experience.
| Date/Time | 11/29/2020 (All day) |
| Runs | 11/23/2020 - 1/10/2021 |
| Cost | $10 adults, $7 seniors (65+), $4 children (3-17), free under 2 |
| Contact Phone | 315-471-0593 |
| Venue | Erie Canal Museum 318 Erie Blvd E Syracuse, NY 13202 315-471-0593 |
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