Troy’s Full Out Fest celebrates the joy of dance 💃

June 02, 2026

In partnership with

Hey 518 readers! Today, we’re putting Full Out Fest on your radar. A full-throated celebration of dance and music, Full Out Fest has become one of Troy’s signature summer events. Don’t miss it on Sunday!

🎟️ We’re sooo excited for the next 518 Dinner Club on Wednesday, June 17. That’s because we’re heading to hoppin’ downtown Troy to eat, drink, mix and mingle. This month’s dinner club is generously sponsored by Bootlegger’s on Broadway, Troy’s premier destination for craft cocktails, elevated pub fare & nightlife. Save your seat now!

🍨 Due to a scheduling conflict, we are moving our first Sundae Morning brunch to July. Date TBD. Thank you to everyone who put in their 2 cents about pricing last week. The vast majority of our readers said they wanted a choice between ticket options (with and without drinks included). Only one person said $12 was an “outrageous” price for a sundae.

But Kurver Kreme, a Capital Region institution, charges $12.28 for a large “signature sundae”—and that’s just the ice cream without everything else we’ve got going on at our event! So who’s doing it wrong?

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Full Out Fest is a full-on celebration of dance along Troy’s Riverfront Park 📷️ via Instagram

Troy’s Full Out Fest celebrates the joy of dance 💃 

When Full Out Fest started in 2021, Troy Dance Factory was still rebuilding after the pandemic.

The studio had enough dancers for a short show, but founder Nadine Medina wanted something bigger and more community-driven. So she invited musician friends to perform, brought in local artists and vendors, and turned the whole thing into an outdoor celebration at Troy’s Riverfront Park.

“It was 2021 and we just wanted to party and celebrate,” Nadine says.

Fast forward to 2026, the event has grown into a full-fledged festival and one of Troy’s signature summer events. This year’s show features roughly 25 dance numbers, two headlining musical acts (Shiloh the Messenger and LACE), plus Capital Region fave DJ Intell Hayesfield throwing down the beats. There will be lawn games, a vendor market, and food trucks.

At the center of it all are the dancers: more than a hundred performers from Troy Dance Factory, across styles including jazz, hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, breakdancing, and more. 

The studio attracts adults who are not necessarily looking to make a career out of dance, but want to keep growing their dance skills and challenging themselves.

Some of the dancers taking the stage at Full Out Fest this Sunday will be performing for the first time ever. A couple of them weren't even allowed to dance growing up.

"There are so many hurdles that so many of them have had to overcome to get on that stage," Nadine says. "It just feels bigger than dance."

All of the dance numbers have been created just for Full Out Fest.

This year’s Full Out Festival comes at a time when the arts and the humanities are coming under heavy attack, so a (mostly) free festival that celebrates dance feels bold and defiant.

"Dance is for everybody," Nadine says. "The festival and studio are giving people different entry points into this art form. They might just be walking by on Sunday and suddenly be completely captivated by what’s happening on stage. Anyone is welcome to come sit on the lawn and watch."

Reserved seating is $15 per person, but the event is also designed so people walking through the park can still catch the energy, browse the market, or simply enjoy the dancing and music. There are 3 ways to attend:

🏆 Stage level seating for 5
🎟️ Amphitheatre seating (general admission)
🌳 Free public lawn area (1st come/1st served)

The deets: Full Out Fest is this Sunday, from 5 to 8:30 pm at Riverfront Park in Troy. Rain date is June 14. Get your tickets now!

A word from our sponsor

A local, career fireman-owned company, ETyler Landscaping specializes in garden design that’s functional, beautiful, and built to last. We create landscapes tailored for your space and your lifestyle, using quality plants, stone, and skilled craftsmanship.

Whether you need some simple accents or a big makeover, ETyler brings your vision to life—beautifully.

Schedule your free consultation today. Find us on Instagram and Facebook. Now serving Albany, Troy, and nearby communities.

🍤 Anyone else notice that the dining reviews in the TU have gotten a lot more critical since they hired on their tag team of critics? This is probably a good thing because a tough critic is more useful than someone who just seems to love everything. ICYMI, their verdict on Bloom Boutique Bar & Eatery in Albany is in: The restaurant is “big on style, but the food lacks consistency.” [Times Union]

🍸️ Hot on Reddit: People are confused (and also kind of irritated) to find out that the Larkin Hi-Fi is indeed still open for business. [Reddit]

🍺 The Ruck is coming to Schenectady! The popular Troy joint is opening a second location in the Electric City, dubbing it Ruck2 . [Albany Business Review]

🏮The TroyAsia Night Market was insane last week. It really ought to be more than once a year, so we are looking into organizing another one for the Autumn Moon Festival. Reach out if you would love to be a vendor at this: [email protected].

💰️ More than 8 million New Yorkers are set to get a check this year to offset rising utility costs. Find out if you qualify for a rebate in this article… [WAMC]

Spiral staircase and Hudson river views? Count us in! Bluebird Bungalow is a 1911 Arts and Crafts residence in the historic village of Castleton-on-Hudson, set on three quarters of an acre with sweeping views of the historic Hudson. The original woodwork and architectural details have been preserved and tastefully updated.

This absolute gem of a property celebrates indoor-outdoor living. The enclosed sunroom is lined with vintage windows and flows seamlessly to the deck and gardens beyond. Outside, a pollinator garden, two raised cedar beds, peonies, native white pines, a cherry tree, and apple trees have been cultivated with care. The river-facing porch is oriented to catch ships passing at sunset.

Five Mitsubishi Hyper Heat pumps handle whole-home heating and cooling year-round. The rockwool-insulated garage fits an SUV and home gym, complete with a workshop. Just 15 minutes to Albany, and a short reach to Hudson, Kinderhook, and Troy.

The deets: 3 bd, 2 ba, 1324 sf. Asking: $435,000. Days on market: 5. See the full listing  here.

Note: The 518 Weekender now publishes on Thursdays. Watch your inboxes! 

SUMMER FUN

🎬️ Check out Masters of the Universe and other great summer daze movies at Spectrum Theatre.

🎡 The admission-free Clifton Park Carnival continues through the weekend.

WEDNESDAY

🎸 Fitz and the Tantrums & Vertical Horizon headline the free Belmont on Broadway concert, part of the festivities surrounding the 2026 Belmont Stakes.

🎙️Opera Saratoga’s Portraits is a series of hour-long concerts at Saratoga Arts featuring 20 rising opera stars.

🏳️‍🌈 Indian Ladder Farms kicks off PRIDE month with Orchard Opulance—The Queens’ Feast.

THURSDAY

🎸 Albany’s iconic summer concert series, Alive at Five, kicks off the season with R&B Night.

🇬🇷 From moussaka to souvlaki, delicious Greek food is the main draw of the 2026 Saint Basil Troy Greek Festival.

🎭️ The Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York presents “Wedding Band,” about an African-American seamstress and her white companion during the First World War.

🍸️ The Center for Disability Services throws a gala called An Aficionado Experience at Forts Ferry Farm.

🎸 The Mostly Modern Festival, a sprawling music fest celebrating bold, contemporary classical music, happens at various venues in Saratoga.

🎬️ Celebrate the 200th birthday of artist Frederic Church with the premiere screening of WMHT Public Media’s new documentary, Language in Landscape: The Art of Frederic Church at Hudson Hall.

🤣 The comedian Tig Notaro has added a late show at The Egg after selling out her first show there.

🎸 The Seven Wonders, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, plays Electric City SummerFest.

FRIDAY

🔥 The 24th annual Cambridge Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival features 4 massive launches of hot air balloons, plus a carnival, craft fair, a car show, and more!

🎷 The Capital Jazz Collective plays the New Scotland Spirits Tasting Room.

🚶‍♂️ Discover a new side of Albany when Capital Streets hosts its Walk & Talk.

🎙️ Put your records on—Corinne Bailey Rae celebrates 20 years since her debut album, at UPH.

SATURDAY

🖼️ Art on Lark is back, baby! Thousands of people are expected to converge on Lark Street for the return of this iconic street festival.

🇫🇷 This sounds charming—this year, the Kids Art Festival in Schenectady will transform into a Parisian arts district with special activities to celebrate the beauty, music, and art of France.

🥚 The Egg’s Open House features arcade games, DJ sets, and movie screenings—all free. The RED Bookshelf will also be hosting one of their monthly Family Circle events.

🎨 Openbaar, Albany’s local art market, is down in the Warehouse District—and free!

🍄‍🟫 Join Luke Sarrantonio for a Forest & Fungi Ecology Walk at the Pine Hollow Arboretum.

🚤 The historic Erie Canal boat Seneca Chief is scheduled to dock at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady at 3:45 pm this Saturday.

🖼️ Your Friend, Frederic E. Church opens at the Albany Institute of History & Art. The exhibit focuses on the friendship between the famed painter and Albany-based sculptor Erastus Dow Palmer.

📚️ Mingle with local authors and browse one-of-a-kind bookish vendors at the 2nd annual Book Fest, hosted at Wolf Hollow Brewing West.

🚣‍♂️ Did you know that Saturday is National Learn to Row Day? And you can try it for free at the Albany Rowing Center.

SUNDAY

💃 Full Out Fest celebrates the joy of dance!

🏳️‍🌈 Celebrate PRIDE at Gay for Clay Pottery Brunch at Context Collective.

ON VIEW

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

GET YOUR EVENT ON THE LIST 🎸

Our rolling deadline is the Saturday before your event!

 💌 GET IN TOUCH!

Got an awesome business, event or personality we should feature? Let us know! Contact: [email protected]

Reply

or to participate.