As the midnight hour approaches on a hot Ulster County summer night, most of our towns and hamlets are all tucked in for bed. But night owls need not worry: Our county does have a simmering summer nightlife if you know where to look.
What qualifies as nightlife? It’s somewhat arbitrary, but my criteria is: “Are there multiple bars, restaurants and music venues open past 10 p.m. and within walking distance of each other?”
I wholeheartedly recommend spending a wild night out in Woodstock, Kingston or New Paltz.
Perhaps the best way to highlight the greatest nightlife attractions each spot has to offer is to imagine the ultimate crawl in each locale.
Woodstock
You might not think a town of less than 6000 could be one of the main nightlife attractions in the region, but let’s be real. This is Woodstock we’re talking about. There’s been a party here since the turn of the century, when adventurous artists took to the woods to form their own creative colonies.
In 2024, Woodstock is decidedly less hippified than it was even a couple of decades ago, with head shops replaced by real-estate offices and once-seedy bars now renovated to look like they’re straight out of Brooklyn.
The village green is operating at only a fraction of its former freakiness. And gone are the days when the Rainbow-Gathering people got naked around a bonfire up at the Magic Meadow. Today, much of Woodstock’s tie-dyed, free-lovin’ mythos lives in museums and merchandise.
Things still can get freaky, though. The people of Woodstock’s nightlife are perhaps its most fun and unpredictable asset, but the town also boasts some great after-hours live-music venues, still taking seriously its reputation as a music haven (at least for those not supporting draconian Nimby noise ordinances).
I’d recommend starting at Station Bar, where you can often catch a live honkytonk band in the large outdoor area, then dip inside into a super-eclectic atmosphere that ranges from antique ski lodge to Seventies basement game room. You’re bound to run in some real Woodstock locals tying one on, and the staff themselves are colorful characters.
Definitely visit Colony, with its professional-grade stage and sprawling outdoor beer garden. You can catch live music here most nights, everything from tribute bands to local acts, karaoke, dance parties and open mics. The food here is quite tasty, and the full bar will keep you lubricated.
Make time for a top-shelf cocktail at Early Terrible, where the ambience is rustic chic, and the food and drink pricey but well-curated.
Right across the street is Pearl Moon Woodstock, where late-night music lives – often some eminently danceable mix of funk, jazz, rock and R&B. Shows here sometimes don’t even start until 9 or 9:30 p.m.
Tinker Street Tavern is a fun bar to visit for its classic Woodstock ambience dialed up a notch with better-than-average bar food and a great drink selection. It’s casual but classy with a decent karaoke scene, and open past midnight on the weekends.
And while not within walking distance, don’t forget Bearsville Theater, which has awakened from its slumber to offer a full bill of accomplished musical acts. It’s a super-fun place to see a show, have a few drinks and kick back.
If you’ve still got energy at the end of the night, you could hit up Big Deep for some spirit-of-Woodstock-approved skinny-dipping. Actually, I’m not sure how legal that is. You didn’t hear it from me.
Kingston
After an unfortunate real-estate deal led to stilling the beating heart of Kingston’s nightlife years ago as the massive music venue BSP closed, it understandably took the city a while to bounce back.
In 2024, Kingston nightlife has officially returned, albeit with a more Brooklynized vibe (what else is new?)
Somehow Tubby’s has filled BSP’s spiritual shoes while being about 1/25th of the size. Perhaps that’s the charm – shows here are super-intimate (and frequently sold out), and the musicians being booked here rival those that headlined the much-bigger BSP back room.
Like a miniature UPAC, Tubby’s is often where larger artists go to enjoy the energy of a smaller venue, swinging through after a tour date in NYC. Besides the always-stellar music (you can watch and hear the show from the bar and hear it on the outdoor patio), Tubby’s has really good drinks at reasonable prices, and often some tasty pop-up food. This is where Kingston’s communal spirit lives on, and any music-lover will feel right at home.
Salt Box is a choice late-night hang in Kingston, appreciated by locals and tourists for its mirthful staff, its maze-like arrangement of colorful rooms and outdoor areas (a smoker’s paradise), and its well-made cocktails. Karaoke on Sundays is a wild scene.
The best cocktail you can drink in Kingston after 10 p.m. will be made at Stockade Tavern. This place pioneered the kinds of speakeasy-style, old-fashioned drinks you can now find at least one of on most local menus. Its staff are super-cool, the atmosphere is cozy, and every glass is filled with love.
Snapper Magee’s is under new ownership but no less divey. Frequented by hard-drinking 20-and-30-somethings, you’ll also find a smattering of older locals and curious tourists wandering in after having a few too many. Sometimes open to the legal limit of 4 a.m., Snapper’s has been the finish line for many late-night drinking adventures, and the atmosphere can still get crazy when the right combination of people bump into each other. Chic’s Sports Bar and Kelly’s Shamrock Tavern are even more divey if you’re into more of a freewheeling after-hours atmosphere.
The newly opened Unicorn Bar is a fun place to visit for people of any persuasion, and the scene is specifically warm and welcoming to the LGBTQ+ crowd. They’re open ‘til midnight on the weekends with a stunning back-room music venue and classic up-front bar. Small bites and reasonably priced drinks abound.
Nightswim is the newest nightlife contender, opening where beloved neighborhood bar The Anchor used to be. It’s open past midnight, with an artfully decorated, large interior space and a fun outdoor space.
You might find something going on late night at performance venues Big Cat or the Art Buoy downtown by the Rondout – check it out if you do, because these are some of the funnest, most underground and countercultural events in the area.
Often overlooked as a late-night destination, Patel’s Kingston Lanes is a bowling alley and arcade open late on the weekends, with its own well-stocked bar and inimitable, local-friendly atmosphere.
One more late-night Kingston tip: You can’t go wrong with Kennedy Fried Chicken, which is open until 2 a.m. on the weekend, 1 a.m. otherwise (and they deliver). Being a Halal establishment that takes pride in putting out a good product, it’s fast food that’s a cut above.
New Paltz
Summer nightlife in New Paltz can be a paradox. Of all the locations in Ulster County to let loose after hours, this college town is best equipped to take you to the wee hours of the morning. However, college obviously isn’t in session during the summer, and while a few students stay behind, the nightlife scene in New Paltz changes drastically after graduation.
Things take a turn for the touristy, but school being out can also be a boon to locals who have the village’s venues more to themselves.
Despite closing at 10 p.m. on weekends, Jar’D Wine Pub in the Water Street Market area deserves an honorable mention as a hidden gem. Great wine and cocktails can be found in this super-cozy bar, and the view of the ‘Gunks from the back patio is one of the best in town.
Bacchus also technically closes at 10 p.m., but deserves mention anyway for their encyclopedic beer selection and spacious billiard hall.
Another great pre-game spot. Well, this is awkward. P&G’s normally would be a must-stop spot as the quintessential hometown college bar and restaurant. At the time of this writing, jowever, it was operating on a 30-day court-ordered window to sell booze after police caught many underage drinkers imbibing there months ago. Not sure where they’ll be at by the time you read this, but it’s a great casual spot to unwind.
P&G’s counterpart is McGillicuddy’s, it being more of a dive/party bar. Things can be more raucous late-night, as it’s been known to stay open as late as legally possible. During the summer, you’re likely to find a more subdued scene, but there’s still action to be found.
The most raucous bar of them all is alternately known as Snug’s, Snug Harbor, or Snug Harbor Bar & Grill (the venue itself can’t quite decide). With live music that ranges from jam band to punk rock, Snug’s has been a New Paltz institution for decades. It’s a dive with heart, where inebriated passion can be let loose with abandon. The communal-trough-style urinal in the men’s bathroom is an unforgettable experience, Watch out for splashes.
If you want late-night music that’s more sophisticated and can be enjoyed without braving a mosh pit, head to The Lemon Squeeze, a piano jazz bar that’s open until 1 a.m. on weekends. It’s got a swanky, upscale ambience, well-crafted food and drink, and generally classy vibes.
Also relaxed, but more rustic-chic is Huckleberry, open until midnight every night, with a kitchen that closes at 10 p.m. Don’t miss the kitchen – the food here consists of elevated versions of classic dishes. The craft cocktails are inventive. and there’s a lot of great beer on tap.
Huckleberry is something of a model example of the new-school Hudson Valley watering-hole style. A little Catskill Mountains, a little Brooklyn, and a lot of love put into the details.
One of the best parts about being out late in New Paltz is that you can grab a slice of pizza between destinations to fuel your late night. Gourmet Pizza is open super-late and has that old-school pizzeria vibe, but Apizza swernes one of the best pies in the county, so try to make it there before it closes at 10:30 p,m.
Join the family! 
