Arts & Entertainment
Doylestown Arts Festival Takes Over Town This Weekend
The annual festival is celebrating 20 years of art, music, food and fun.
Mosaic artist Margaret Almon is looking forward to showing her wares in Doylestown this weekend.
It will be the second time she and her husband, Wayne Stratz, who works in stained glass, have participated in the Doylestown Arts Festival.
“We heard about it through some fellow crafters at the Bucks Guild of Craftsmen, who really enjoyed it. The word was it was great,” said Almon.
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Their first experience remains a positive one.
“It was one of the best shows we’ve ever been at,” she recalled.
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“There’s a very enthusiastic audience of people who come through, plus the quality of artwork was great. We sold a lot – and we had fun.”
Nutmeg Designs, the Lansdale couple’s business, is one of 150 juried artisans set to display their artistic talents at the two-day festival, which opens Saturday.
This year is the festival’s 20th anniversary. It's the biggest fundraiser for , the group that decorates the town with hanging baskets of flowers in the summer and holiday decorations during the Christmas season, and hosts other community events during the year.
What started as a celebration of the arts – with talented artists and musicians appearing in the downtown area – has kept to the same elements, but they’ve been tweaked and expanded over the years, said Michael Woods, chairman of the arts festival for the past four years.
Of course, with the addition of the popular Univest Grand Prix Doylestown Criterium on Sunday, the world-class men's bicycling competition that winds its way around the Arts Festival on a challenging 1.4-mile course of laps totaling 50 miles, there truly is something for everyone.
“People love the Doylestown Arts Festival,” said Woods, who is looking forward to a weather forecast promising clear skies for both days of the outdoors event.
The last few years have brought more families out, Woods said.
“The economy has been very different. People are traveling less and they’re looking for more family-friendly locales to go to – not spend a ton of money, and that’s what the Arts Festival permits. They can come out, get some food, enjoy some music, and they’re not going to lose their shirts on it.”
This year, the DBCA also is taking advantage of social media outlets to promote its event. “Like” Doylestown Arts Festival on Facebook. And if you’re a Twitter fan, follow the festival at @DtownArtsFest for tweets during the weekend to let you know what’s going on.
With an estimated 10,000 people coming to Doylestown, driving through town as well as parking could be a challenge.
The festival, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, takes place in the downtown business area, centering around State and Main streets. Meters throughout town will be free both days.
If you can’t find on-street parking, free parking is available at the Bucks County Courthouse parking garage along Broad Street. There will also be handicapped parking spaces in the Dommel Way parking lot off of W. Court St., behind Starbucks.
The Doylestown DART bus will offer free shuttle service on Saturday only, from 10 am to 5 pm, to and from the three free parking sites available: the Bucks County parking garage on Broad Street, the county VIP lot at E. Court & Pine, and, after noon, the Wells Fargo parking lot on W. Court.
For complete festival details and a link to the Univest Grand Prix, visit www.doylestownartsfestival.com.