Lily Dale is a hamlet, connected with the Spiritualist movement, located in the Town of Pomfret on the east side of Cassadaga Lake, next to the Village of Cassadaga. Located in southwestern New York State, it is one hour southwest of Buffalo, halfway to the Pennsylvania border.
Lily Dale's year-round population is estimated to be 275. Each year approximately 22,000 visitors come for classes, workshops, public church services and mediumship demonstrations, lectures, and private appointments with mediums. In recent years, guest lecturers have included Lisa Williams, Dee Wallace, members of Ghost Hunters, Tibetan monks, James Van Praagh, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and Deepak Chopra.
Lily Dale was incorporated in 1879 as Cassadaga Lake Free Association, a camp and meeting place for Spiritualists and Freethinkers. The name was changed to The City of Light in 1903 and finally to Lily Dale Assembly in 1906. The purpose of Lily Dale was to further the science, philosophy, and religion of Spiritualism.
Lily Dale was featured in the HBO documentary No One Dies in Lily Dale. Most of the hamlet was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.
