From 1864 to 1870, Little Falls, New York was the largest cheese market in the world.
Set on the bustling Erie Canal, surrounded by hills covered in dairy farms, our little city became the nation’s Cheese Capital.
We strive to honor that history and support our local farmers along the way.
That’s why we began the Little Falls Cheese Festival in 2015, aiming to support our local dairy herds and spread the cheese!
With a festival powered by talented and dedicated volunteers from the Mohawk Valley, we reach out to a larger audience of people from all over New York State and further abroad. Dedicated cheese-mongers plan for the journey up from New York City and curious tourists make a festival pit stop, looking for tasty dairy gems to share with their communities back home.
The Little Falls Cheese Festival, now in its 10th year, is New York’s premier cheese festival, showcasing our state’s talented artisans and helping New Yorkers discover the wonderful world of delicious local food hidden away in their backyard (aided by the fine folks at the CNY Cheese Trail!).
This year we are celebrating our 10th anniversary and want to show off all New York has to offer. Dairy is the largest agricultural sector in the state, with small farms making up the majority of our dairying history. Today, many local cheesemakers draw inspiration from childhoods spent around a family dairy and aim to move forward, building upon the past with new ideas and experiences brought back home from further afield. We want to celebrate that drive and the diversity of produce our state offers.
In 2024, the Little Falls Cheese Festival attracted an estimated 15,000 people to our little city—a record day! Clearly people will travel for excellent New York State artisan and farmstead cheeses.
Our festival features over 90 vendors from all over New York, with 42 cheesemakers represented, and over 120 different kinds of cheese!
With a wide variety of local foods plus an ever-growing curd herd, the Little Falls Cheese Festival is the place to be! Where else could you find all that besides in New York State?