The week concludes with the Turning Point Festival on August 8, 2026—a celebration along the Hudson River that blends music, food, and fireworks with place-based storytelling. It is a reminder that heritage tourism thrives not only in preservation, but in community life, where history is experienced alongside hospitality. Bring your family, appetite, and a chair for this can’t-miss summer tradition!

The Turning Point Parade & Festival commemorates the American Victory at the Battles of Saratoga on October 17, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War.  In the months prior to October 8, 1777, the British suffered about 2,000 casualties. Burgoyne’s forces, now down to about 6,000 men, took refuge in a fortified camp on the heights of Saratoga (today’s Schuylerville).

There an American force that was approaching 20,000 men surrounded the exhausted British army.  Faced with such overwhelming numbers, Burgoyne surrendered on October 17, 1777. By the terms of the Convention of Saratoga, Burgoyne’s depleted army marched out of camp “with the Honors of War” and stacked their weapons along the west bank of the Hudson River at Fort Hardy. Saratoga was a decisive and important victory. It was the turning point of the American Revolution.