On Sept. 7 and 8, the Doylestown Arts Festival returned for a vibrant and successful 33rd anniversary. The festival upheld its tradition of showcasing a wide variety of high-quality art and music for all ages while bringing the community together for a weekend-long celebration. The anticipated annual event drew tens of thousands of attendees over the weekend. Those attendees included an outpouring of locals in addition to a large number of visitors, many of which were making their first visit to Doylestown. Over the years, the free outdoor festival has become a destination event, welcoming visitors from across the region and country to discover talented creators and a beautiful small town. The Doylestown Arts Festival captures everything I love about this community. Its so well organized, bursting with creativity, and truly one of the most fun events of the year. We love wandering the bustling streets and introducing newcomers to the permanent culture and small businesses that are here in Doylestown all year. Watching my kids have such a great time this year makes it even more special, showcasing the vibrant spirit that makes Doylestown feel like home to us and so many others, stated Melissa Palermo, local resident. Attendees were greeted with streets lined with an enormous range of art that included large sculptures, otherworldly prints, yardstick creations, and even paintings created entirely from thousands of dots. Meanwhile, five stages positioned across the festival welcomed over 30 sets of live performances from hometown and regional bands. Activities popped up left and right, ranging from silk scarf painting and sand art to painting and throwing pottery. The Doylestown Arts Festival remains one of the largest free-to-attend arts festivals in the region and is cherished by both its attendees and vendors. The Bucks County Classic joined the festival on Sunday for their 20th anniversary, adding the excitement of high-speed bike races around the borders of the event. The combination of these events is a unique representation of the local area, which has equally passionate art and cycling communities. We spent many years attending art festivals around our area as patrons and deciding on where we would like to show our work. We were definitely more than happy with our choice to apply as artists for the Doylestown Arts Festival. It was one of the best experiences we have had as a small art business, said Charmaine Marchesi of Bucks County Stained Glass. The all-volunteer organizers and committee responsible for the festival worked for over ten months to carefully plan the production of this years event, which is made free to the public through generous sponsorship support and donations from local businesses. The festival is organized by Discover Doylestown in partnership with the Borough of Doylestown, Public Works, Emergency Services, local business owners, and residents. Over the course of the weekend, 130 volunteers worked from before dawn until well past sunset to make sure the event ran smoothly. The Doylestown Arts Festival supported over 160 independent artists, 30 musicians, multiple local destinations and nonprofit organizations, and a wide variety of small businesses. By the close of the festival on Sunday, a significant number of vendors and surrounding restaurants were nearly sold out. Beyond the economic impact of the weekend event and crowds, organizers partner with local businesses throughout the year in the planning and production of the annual festival. The revenue generated the the festival itself is all channeled back into the community through Discover Doylestowns events and beautification efforts. Planning is already underway for next years festival. Bucks Countys biggest weekend will return in 2025.