That’s how it started. We just…wanted friends. Upstate.
With some seasoning.  

In January of 2022, an Instagram post declaring “People of Color in Catskills, NY – get at me. Looking for community – I know we out here, just trying to find ya” inspired a Discord channel where the name Hudson Valley BIPOC Block Party was born. The name was a literal reflection of our desire for this community to be a celebratory safe space representative of BIPOC folks calling New York’s Hudson Valley home.

In July of 2023, we hosted our first event at Harana Market! We put out surveys and asked the community about their vision and offerings for the group, which allowed us to clarify a vision for the group's future. We gathered business recommendations, hosted Zoom community hangs, and planned for what was to come next. With that, a new name and identity was born. Like a caterpillar that gets its wings, we are embracing change – we have stepped into our truest form and would love to re-introduce ourselves to you all.

We are Upstate Color. UPCO is by color, for color.

Upstate Color creates and supports BIPOC community events in Upstate NY that get us out of the house and into our surroundings – without being 1 of 1. By supporting community members, existing groups and local businesses – where we know we are welcomed warmly – we will utilize a variety of spaces that include but are not limited to: park/nature hangs, food pop-ups, family/youth gatherings, home soirees, etc.

In addition to in-person gatherings, our WhatsApp community acts as a chill BIPOC-centered forum to meet your upstate neighbors through conversation, resource exchange and recommendation sharing, local event promotion, and question-asking.

Welcome to Upstate Color. We bring the color and connections to Upstate NY.

Let’s create something together.