Rochambeau Festival returns to Yorktown

Huzzah!

Yorktown will again be front and center with history as the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of signing of the Declaration of Independence.

For the fourth year in a row, folks will able to relive the dawn of the Revolutionary War as the Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds are transformed into a bustling 18th-century encampment for the Rochambeau Festival.

The immersive event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, and Sunday, June 7 at 99 Moseman Road, Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

Admission is $15 per carload for all day parking.

 It honors French General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, and his army, whose critical aid to General George Washington secured America’s victory over Great Britain.

Also known as Rochambeau Park, the site itself is steeped in history.

It’s one of the places French forces, in an area then known as Crompond, camped in 1781 and 1872.

History buffs and families can look forward to costumed Revolutionary War reenactors participating in skirmishes and military tactical demonstrations.

French and American dignitaries are expected to participate.

There will be period-accurate political debates hosted at a recreation of Hunt’s Tavern, which was located at the intersection of today’s Baldwin Road and Crompond Road (Route 202).

Camp life and culture will be experienced firsthand through colonial craft demonstrations, working animals of the day, traditional games, and heritage booths.

Guided bus tours will explore Yorktown’s encampment sites.

Live music, performances, and food and beverages can also be enjoyed throughout the day.

And the fun doesn’t end there.

On Saturday at 6 p.m., the festival will host a special dinner.

Guests will dine alongside reenactors and fellow history buffs. The menu features Colonial-style food and live performances of original songs “rooted in the ideals of the American Revolution,” organizers said.

Dinner tickets are $58.90 per person.

Because seating is limited, folks are advised to register in advance.

To buy tickets, click here.

Proceeds will support programs, events, and activities promoted by The Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route – New York, Inc. (W3R-NY).

The festival is being produced by W3R-NY, Yorktown Heritage Preservation Commission/Yorktown 250, and Yorktown Grange P of H #862 in partnership with the Embassy of France in the United States, the Brigade of the American Revolution, and the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson Valley National Heritage Area.

W3R-NY, a charitable organization, says its mission is to educate the public about New York’s importance during the American Revolution and its focus is on Rochambeau and the French army’s journey through the state.

By collaborating with “diverse, like-minded organizations,” it strives to develop “a fuller, more inclusive realization of our shared history of America’s founding ideals, the cause for independence,” W3R-NY says.

It also promotes heritage tourism and economic development. 

W3R-NY is one of nine state affiliates of the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association – United States (W3R-US), a partner to the Washington Rochambeau National Historic Trail.

Click here for more information.