The 28th annual Doylestown Arts Festival, which is held in a town renowned for its year-round commitment to arts and culture, will involve 160 juried artists, 30 musical performances on five stages, and a variety of art activities and local food vendors along with the shops, galleries, and restaurants that line the streets of what USA Today called the “best small town cultural scene” in a nationwide vote. Expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors, the Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8, will be preceded by Art Week, an initiative that celebrates the town’s distinctive identity for arts and culture. Art Week will take place Monday, Sept. 2, through Sunday, Sept. 8.
“We are immensely proud of how the Doylestown Arts Festival has expanded so dramatically in recent years and has introduced so many new visitors to our small, very special town,” said Paul Boger, festival director. “We are equally excited to celebrate Doylestown’s permanent arts and culture attractions, including two significant museums, many art galleries, several historical societies, and dozens of retail enterprises, restaurants, and inns showcasing work by local artists.”
The Doylestown Arts Festival will be held on Doylestown’s downtown streets, converted to lively pedestrian-only avenues during the event, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days.
Home to 8,000 residents as well as the James A. Michener Art Museum, the Mercer Museum, Fonthill Castle, the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works museum, the County Theater, and the Bucks County Civil War Library and Museum, as well as a robust array of galleries, restaurants, and locally-owned shops and boutiques, Doylestown is nationally recognized as a “destination” town. In June 2017, Philadelphia magazine named Doylestown “best fun suburban town,” and in 2013, Travel + Leisure magazine called Doylestown one of “America’s (top 20) favorite towns.”
While Boger is expecting large crowds, he emphasizes that the organizers plan very carefully to ensure there is plenty of parking, access, space, and amenities so that attendees feel welcomed and comfortable. “Our mission is to communicate to festival visitors the ever-present hospitality and warmth of Doylestown, while at the same time celebrating the region’s artists and artistic heritage,” he said. “We encourage everyone from near and far who has any interest in the arts, music, community, or sightseeing to attend Art Week and this remarkable festival, and to experience the energizing ambiance of Doylestown.”
The Doylestown Arts Festival is made possible by a small volunteer committee of Discover Doylestown and is presented by the Thompson Organization. Major sponsors of the Doylestown Arts Festival include Paul B. Moyer & Sons, Green Mountain Energy, Volpe Enterprises, and Terra Vida Holistic Centers. The James A. Michener Art Museum is the official cultural partner of the festival.
For more information about the Doylestown Arts Festival, visit www.dtownartsfestival.com.