It’s that time of year. The New York Sheep and Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck) is this coming weekend, October 18-19, 2025. With that in mind, here’s my semi-annual update with tips for making the most of your festival experience.

First, some basics about the festival itself. I’m only speaking to the actual Sheep and Wool Festival. Over the past decade or so, side-events have sprung up with indie dyers, designers, and more. I can’t speak about any of those events because I know nothing about them beyond “there are several and they change yearly”. I suggest looking at social media and Ravelry for details, though my understanding is that pre-tickets have likely sold out for many of those venues.

The New York State Sheep and Wool Festival is affectionately known by most as simply, Rhinebeck. That’s the village where the fairgrounds are located. Its close proximity to New York City makes it an easy day trip for many. It always takes place on the third weekend of October; this year that means October 18 & 19, 2025—Saturday from 9 am – 5pm, Sunday from 9 am – 4pm. There are additional workshops that start on Thursday; those required pre-registration so check out the website now if you’re interested to see if there’s any spots left.

Tickets are a requirement. You can preorder online or pay a little more at the gate. Parking is free.

Whether it’s your first time or you’re a seasoned attendee, here are updated tips to make the most of your weekend.

This post shares my tips for attending a festival in person. I walked many trade shows before I went to my first sheep and wool and thought a fiber festival would be the same. While there are many similarities, I find the differences can either make it exciting and fun or a draining lesson that ends in frustration.My first sheep and wool experience was eighteen years ago at a different festival, and it was a disaster. I cried on the drive home, overwhelmed and frustrated. I’d missed things I felt I “had to” see, made purchases I regretted, skipped purchases I wanted, and left feeling like I’d failed at something that was supposed to be fun.

At the time I didn’t know to adapt my trade show tools to help me prepare or that I might need to decompress after. I first wrote this post to help share my experience over the years as an extremely shy, anxious introvert. I have more tips specifically for trade shows.

The biggest difference I found is that a trade show is attended with a company budget, meanwhile fiber festival purchases come from your own pocket. That small shift changes the entire experience, even if your company is a solo enterprise. The result for me is I think through my purchases differently (read: even more angst). The dynamic of meetups and encounters change too. Meeting friends in a social context is very different than when you’re specifically thinking about work.

tips and advice to prepare

Note that many of the links are specific to Rhinebeck. The tips are useful for any festival.

• First and foremost: remember we’re all on this same rock circling the sun together. Please be kind and respectful to everyone. Be kind.
• Familiarize yourself with the map of the grounds, review the schedule, order your e-ticket, and take note of the festival map and vendor list. Remember that many vendors are solo or very small businesses and things happen. Be kind.
• Wear comfortable shoes. You will be walking.
• If you need mobility assistance, I recommend that you bring equipment from home (including rent at home and bring); there is no on-site rental of equipment. Not all areas of the Festival will be accessible; this is a location that mainly serves agricultural events. There are uneven walkways and some hills, they may not be easy to navigate. Also as the day progresses it will become more crowded.
• Dress for unpredictable weather. New York weather in mid-October can try to give you every season in a single day hour. Layer up!
• Don’t forget your special handmade items. Please be sure to note the yarn and pattern of anything handmade that you’re wearing. You will be asked about it. Also be prepared that people may want to know where to find those materials at the show.
• If you need a break, take one! Be kind to yourself. Respect others needs for breaks too. If you can find the info, try to take a note of large group meet up times and locations so your quiet area doesn’t suddenly become the center of attention.

tips and advice for the evening/day after

• Prepare for an emotional release. Maybe you anticipated this event for a very long time. Perhaps there was disappointment or wonderful surprises. All of your emotions are valid.
• Be kind to your feet.
• See more at my post tips for after sheep and wool.

I hope these tips can help you enjoy a sheep and wool festival.

It’s unlikely I’m making the trek upstate this year. Your reasons for attending or not attending might be completely different from mine. That’s okay.

Between the antisemitism I’ve experienced in the fiber community and the exhaustion of the past two years, I don’t feel energized for it. I don’t need more yarn or fiber, though I’ll likely make some online purchases from vendors I’d visit in person to support their businesses.

On top of that, I’ve become more frustrated by the pressure many feel around these events. The FOMO to buy the “in” things, the stash haul parades on social media (of which I once posted), the sense some people have that they’re not a “good enough knitter” to even attend—all of it feels off in today’s environment.

But I especially need to call out what’s happened with the Rhinebeck Sweater. Eighteen years ago, finishing something new for the festival and showing it off was exciting and personal. As social media has evolved, I’ve watched this shift. In recent years it feels like peer pressure to make one of a handful of patterns released by a few designers with significant reach. The massive creativity that used to exist has been crowded out by uniformity. If you don’t want to fit that mold, you can feel unwelcome, even though that’s likely unintentional. This isn’t about jealousy or reach. It’s concern about how sameness has replaced individuality.

Things may change. I might wake up and decide to go anyway. But right now, I’m choosing to step back from something that no longer feels like my space. If you do attend, I hope these tips help you have the experience you’re looking for.

Note: Photos are from my past attendance at both Maryland Sheep & Wool and NYS Sheep and Wool.

This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated over the years and for October 2025.