Rochambeau Festival Will Come To Life In Yorktown With Reenactments, Tours, Colonial Dinner

YORKTOWN, NY — The moments that made history, and helped found a new nation will be remembered in a remarkable way — right where it all happened.

Yorktown will step back into the 18th century on June 6 and 7 as the fourth-annual Rochambeau Festival returns to Rochambeau Park, also known as the Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at 99 Moseman Road in Yorktown Heights.

The festival honors French General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, and his army. Rochambeau's forces provided critical aid to General George Washington in the fight that helped secure America's victory over Great Britain.

Organizers say the location itself is part of the story. The grounds are identified in the event announcement as one of the exact places where French forces camped in 1781 and 1782 in an area then known as Crompond, before the site was formally dedicated to General Rochambeau.

The weekend lineup includes live reenactments of Revolutionary War skirmishes and military tactical demonstrations. Visitors can also watch period political debates presented at a recreation of the historic Hunt's Tavern, along with colonial craft demonstrations, traditional games and heritage booths focused on daily 18th-century life.

Activities will continue after the daytime program ends on Saturday. A Colonial Dinner is scheduled for 6 p.m., giving guests a chance to dine with reenactors and other attendees in what the event announcement describes as a historic setting.

The Saturday evening program will include a menu of Colonial-style food and live performances of original songs tied to the ideals of the American Revolution. Dinner tickets are priced at $58.90 per person, and advanced registration is recommended because seating is limited. Tickets are available online through SimpleTix.

The festival will also include guided bus tours of Yorktown's Revolutionary encampment sites, plus live music, performances, and food and beverages throughout the day. The daytime festival is free, though organizers are requesting a $15 fee per carload for all-day parking.