Drake White Delivers an Emotional Headlining Set at GlassFest 2026 in Corning, NY

By Renee Clark Quade

We came to GlassFest Friday night expecting a concert. What we didn’t expect was discovering just how much live music is woven into the entire festival experience.

Held annually in Corning, GlassFest fills Market Street with local vendors, food trucks, live glass blowing demonstrations, and artists showcasing incredible handmade work. One of the biggest surprises of the weekend was how much music could be found throughout the festival grounds. Small stages and tents featured local performers all day long before the main Rock the Park Concert Series even began.

By the time the main stage kicked off Friday night, the festival already felt alive.

Fall Creek Brass Band opened the evening at 5:30 p.m. and immediately turned the crowd into part of the show. The Ithaca-based group blended funk energy with party band fun, mixing originals with unexpected covers from Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Locals packed in early to support them, and the atmosphere quickly shifted from casual festival traffic into a true community gathering.

Next up was John King, who brought a more stripped-down country set that fit the night perfectly. Backed by only a guitarist and his younger brother, Andrew on drums, King relied heavily on storytelling and crowd interaction to pull people in.

He moved easily between covers and originals throughout the set. From a crowd-pleasing rendition of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishing in the Dark” to his own songs like “Country Happy” and “Your Man,” King kept the audience fully engaged. Before playing “Your Man,” he shared the story of marrying his high school sweetheart and encouraged couples in the crowd to slow dance together. A few songs later, the mood shifted again as he had the audience jumping during “Shut Up and Dance” and dancing along to “Uptown Funk.”

King’s personality carried the set just as much as the music. His story about Randy Houser accidentally droppi