New York’s #1 Bagel Festival Set to Return for 2024

Popular festival set to return this summer to the bagel capital of Monticello, NY.

Who doesn't love the bagel? The bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland, bagels are traditionally made from yeasted wheat dough that is shaped by hand into a ring, briefly boiled in water, and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior, often topped with poppy or sesame seeds.

National Bagelfest Day is celebrated on July 26, which recognizes the kosher carbohydrate that is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. But people will have to wait a couple more weeks for the number 1 bagel festival in New York.

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Monticello, NY is known as the birthplace of the bagel, and it's the self-proclaimed bagel capital of the world. You may think that the reason for having that distinction would be beacuse Monticello is home to a local landmark, the Monticello Bagel Bakery which opened in 1967 and makes an average 25,000 bagels a week. Apparently, that is not the reason according to festival organizer Jeff Siegel, who gives credit to an area resident by the name of Louis Wichinsky, who filed a patent in 1966 for a bagel-making machine that could make 600 bagels an hour. See the story here.

Last year, The Bagel Festival in Monticello celebrated 10 years and the fun returns this summer, when bagel lovers from all over will reunite and convene on Broadway. Event organizers this year are promising an even bigger and better Bagel Festival for 2024 with even more music, food, Games, vendors, and an incredible car show.

Monticello, the birthplace of the bagel, and official bagel capital of the world, is becoming known not only for the quaint charm of the town, but for the annual Bagel Festival                         

                               -festival founder Jeff Siegel. Aug 8, 2023

I remember the very first Bagel Festival in Monticello back in 2013. I got the opportunity to host the Bagel Fest Kickoff Party with comedian Daniel McRitchie. The event has continued to grow over the years and has become a must-do summer activity here in the Hudson Valley area.

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When is The Bagel Festival?

The Bagel Festival in Monticello is held on the second Sunday in August each year. This year's event is set for Aug. 11 from 9 am to 4 pm.

Vendor registration for the 2024 Bagel Festival is sold out. Get tickets and more info on The Bagel Festival 2024 here.