The Babylon Beautification Society's Annual Fair usually happens in September. This year it falls on Sunday, October 11, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Argyle Park, the Village Gazebo and Bayman Park. The Chamber of Commerce's Fall Harvest Festival takes over downtown six days later, on Saturday, October 17, from noon to 5 p.m.
That puts the village's two largest fall gatherings on back-to-back weekends. One sits on the lake end of West Main Street and the other is on Deer Park Avenue. The Society has also called October 11 the final date. If weather cancels it, there is no rain date to fall back on.
How a September Fair Landed on October 11
The Society's vendor FAQ, posted in March, listed the 2026 fair for Sunday, September 13, with Sunday, September 20 as the rain date. On September 21, the day after that rain date, the Society posted a vendor notice for October 11. It described the date as "newly added" and "not part of the original 2026 Fair schedule." The main fair page now links to information for "vendors impacted by the rain delay."
The notice spells out the terms plainly:
"This is the final date; there will not be another rain date."
Existing vendors got three choices. They could move their space and full fee to October 11, roll the full fee into the 2027 fair with guaranteed acceptance, or take a 50% refund and leave the 2026 fair. Vendors who chose October 11 also agreed that if that date falls through, there will be no refund, transfer or credit. Answers were due September 26, and any vendor who didn't pick an option had their fee moved to 2027.
The same notice also invited new vendors to apply for open spaces. That means Sunday's lineup is a mix of returning makers who chose the October date and newcomers who filled open spaces. Anyone looking for a favorite booth from past years can check the Society's 2026 vendor map and directory, which can be searched by name, category and product.
Sunday, October 11, at the Lake End of Main Street
The fairgrounds cover Argyle Park, the Village Gazebo and Bayman Park, listed at 244 West Main Street. The Society says the fair has featured more than 325 craft makers in past years and has drawn more than 35,000 people. Its Specialty Food Market lists more than 35 vendors selling items like jams, honey, artisanal cheeses and hot sauces.
That's a lot of people for one corner of the village, so the parking rules matter:
- Where to park: The Society points visitors to the LIRR station, Trolley Line Road and Locust Avenue.
- Lots to avoid: The Argyle Park lot holds vendor spaces and event operations. The Babylon Masonic Lodge lot at 250 West Main Street is private, and vehicles parked there may be towed.
- Pets: The Society strongly recommends leaving them at home because the grounds get very crowded.
- Weather check: Any cancellation goes out at 5 a.m. on the morning of the fair by email, on the Society's website and on its Facebook page.
Food and drink are clustered around the Gazebo. There are hot dogs, roasted corn and pretzels, plus beer, wine and Surfsides with photo ID for anyone 21 or older. The Gazebo also has a used book, DVD and CD booth and a pie booth with pumpkin, apple crumble and blueberry pies. Across the canal at Bayman Park, the Kid Zone has bounce houses, glitter tattoos, fairy hair, face painting and shaved ice. A food truck parks on Trolley Line Road.
The money stays in the village. Volunteers run the fair, and all net proceeds go to beautification projects in Babylon Village. A 2017 Greater Long Island report listed hanging baskets, Christmas lights, shrubs and trees, and the Robert Moses statue on Main Street among the projects the fair has paid for. The Society called its 2024 event the 50th Annual Fair. That year it was held on September 8.
Saturday, October 17, Downtown on Deer Park Avenue
Six days later, the action moves from the lake to the middle of downtown. The Chamber's Fall Harvest Festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. It has food from Babylon restaurants, two performance stages, rides, games, inflatables and a kids' zone. The I Love Babylon October guide adds activities at the Conklin House.
The festival's listing on BoothCentral, a vendor-booking platform, says Deer Park Avenue closes to cars from Main Street to Park Avenue. It also says the street closes at 11 a.m., an hour before the festival starts, so vendors can set up. The Chamber's own listing doesn't include those street details, so plan around the hours and check with the Chamber for the final closure plan.
The two weekends ask different things of the village:
| Annual Fair | Fall Harvest Festival | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, October 11 | Saturday, October 17 |
| Hours | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Noon to 5 p.m. |
| Organizer | Babylon Beautification Society | Babylon Village Chamber of Commerce |
| Footprint | Argyle Park, Village Gazebo, Bayman Park | Downtown, centered on Deer Park Avenue |
| Main draw | Handmade goods and specialty food vendors | Village restaurants, two stages, rides |
| Weather backup | None; October 11 is the final date | No rain date published by the Chamber |
| Where the money goes | Beautification projects in the village | Not stated in the Chamber listing |
Neither organizer published a 2026 admission price in the sources reviewed for this post.
Two New Addresses at Opposite Ends of Main Street
Both festival weekends land just as two businesses change the edges of downtown.
On the east side, Whiskey Down Diner opened Monday, September 28, at 175 East Main Street, the former Ristorante Gemelli space, as Patch reported. According to Greater Long Island, it's roughly twice the size of the original Farmingdale location, which opened in June 2019. The Babylon space has high ceilings, an outdoor patio and a bar in the middle of the room. Co-owner Alyson Kanaras lives in the village. "I always wanted to be in Babylon. I live in Babylon. I love it there," she told the outlet. The family signed the lease in December, and construction started in April. That makes Harvest Festival Saturday one of the restaurant's first big downtown weekends.
On the west side, by the fairgrounds, Village trustees on September 22 approved an application for a neighborhood market at 185 West Main Street. The business is Argyle Bloom, a flower shop and grab-and-go café from Donna Sesto, who also owns Babylon Mercantile. At the July 28 public hearing, she described grab-and-go bouquets, herbs, terrariums, succulents and giftable plants. The café side would serve coffee, ice cream and small grab-and-go food, with fewer than eight seats and nothing cooked on site. Food would come mostly from the Mercantile or other local businesses. The applicants said they plan to keep hours in line with Argyle Park, roughly sunrise to sunset. They also want to use the space behind the shop for seasonal classes for families and kids, such as wreath making, flower arranging and pumpkin decorating. No opening date has been announced. When asked at the hearing about timing, the applicants said the renovation "shouldn't take too long."
So the October calendar covers the whole stretch of Main Street. The fair fills the lake end, where Argyle Bloom is expected to open, and the Harvest Festival fills the center, a short walk from the new diner on East Main.
The Fairgrounds Get One More Day This Year
The Beautification Society brings vendors back to the same grounds in December. Its outdoor Christmas Market is set for Saturday, December 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Village Gazebo and Bayman Park, with a rain date of Sunday, December 13. More than 75 vendors are expected. Unlike the fall fair this year, the December market starts out with a backup date already set.
If fair weekend has you wondering what your home near Argyle Lake or off Deer Park Avenue would sell for today, John Newsom and the team are happy to look at it with you, calmly and with no pressure. Get a Free Home Valuation and see how your block compares this fall.
