Address: Seamon Park
5 Malden Avenue
Saugerties, NY 12477
Phone: Jeannine 845-853-9677
Heidi 845-389-1448
Email: jmmayer@hvc.rr.com and/or heidi.brandt1@gmail.com
The Mum Festival is a longstanding early October Saugerties tradition. Held at Seamon Park, it is a celebration of the time of the year when chrysanthemums are really coming into their own.
The festival has a flexible lineup of events, typically including kickoff opening remarks by the Mayor or the Mayor's representative, various stands offering handmade items/foods, music and art. But the real stars of the show are the thousands of mums that have been planted at Seamon Park. A stroll on the grounds is often accompanied by numerous photos of the beauty surrounding the festival participants.
Date:
The 2023 Mum Festival was held on Sunday, October 8th. Typically, the festival is held the week after the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival weekend. So, in 2024, it will be held on Sunday, October 6th.
Calling All Volunteers
The Mum Festival Committee is looking for new members. If you are interested, please contact Jeannine Mayer at jmmayer@hvc.rr.com
The committee meets monthly from June until the festival date.
Activities:
The Mum Festival weekend actually begins with the preceding Mum Bowl, the Saugerties High School football game, where the coronation of the Mum Queen and her Court takes place.
The following day, Sunday, the festival begins at Noon and runs to 5:00 p.m. Mum Festival lineups vary, but they typically include:
- The Mum Queen and her court presenting flowers courtesy of the Saugerties Society of Little Gardens
- Live music (band and chorus)
- An art show
- Children's activities
- Free horse rides
- Local food and craft vendors
So come wander Seamon Park's paths, take in its views, visit the bandstands and fountains and of course enjoy the thousands of mums on display. You'll perhaps never see as many "Kodak moments" as you will during your Mum Festival visit and any other visit to the park during the year.
And of course, the thousands of Mums that decorate Seamon Park for the Mum Festival will be available for viewing for the remainder of the fall.
2024 will be the 215th anniversary of Seamon Park, and this year will be the 60th annual Mum Festival. Seamon Park was named after John Seamon, who generously donated the beautiful park to the Village of Saugerties in 1809.
Fees:
The Mum Festival is free.
Directions:
Image Gallery:
Photos by Nancy Campbell (2003). From top left:
- Row of mums leading to the Children's Fountain.
- Fountain in the upper part of the park,
- Brooke Littlefield and Marissa Schatzel (Mum Queens)
- Upper bandstand performance.
- Lily pads and koi in a pond.
- Ralph DiMayo performing martial arts.
- Large wooden clog courtesy of Willy Neumann.