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 populated with 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 are finding a larger audience of people from all over New York State and further abroad. Dedicated cheesemongers make the journey up from New York City, looking for little dairy gems to share with their communities back home.
The Little Falls Cheese Festival, now in its 8th year, is New York’s premier cheese festival, helping increase interest in the festival itself and other local outreach events (like our friends over at the CNY Cheese Trail!).
This year we are focusing on highlighting the many accoutrements served alongside cheese. From pickles to jams to ciders to chocolates, cheese is only a true star when the supporting cast rises to the occasion.
Visit the festival and chat with fellow cheese enthusiasts as you assemble your very own dairy masterpiece. Vendors can suggest pairings between the many cheeses made in NY and the wide variety of handmade beverages and snacks.
In 2022, the Little Falls Cheese Festival attracted an estimated 10,000 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 New York State vendors from all over the state, with 42 New York State 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 in New York State?