Downtown Doylestown's 35th annual Arts Festival drew more than 25,000 visitors and a record number of artist applications over the Sept. 12–13 weekend.
Organizers received more than 360 applications for the free, two-day event, the most in festival history, according to New Hope News. With space for about 170 artists, the selection process was competitive. Five volunteer jurors, a rotating panel of local residents, artists and business owners, reviewed every submission. Mass-produced items and AI-generated work were not accepted.
"We had a really large expansion of ceramics this year … Obviously this area has a real history with ceramics, but this year we had a real explosion of talent in that area," said Paul Boger, volunteer co-director of the festival.
Ceramics, glass and metalwork stood out among this year's exhibitors. Live demonstrations included glass blowing, pottery throwing and plein air painting. Interactive activities such as face painting, a glitter bar and sand art drew families throughout the weekend.
More than 40 performers played across five outdoor stages, with acts playing jazz, blues, rock and original songs. The lineup included regional bands Zydeco a Go Go, Ballistic Berry, Pepperwine and Pure Jerry, along with local acts Hay Sugar, Away Message, Dale Ciccarelli, The Great Bonfire and students from School of Rock Doylestown. Discover Doylestown and LBK Design Build sponsored the free music programming, Patch reported.
The festival spanned State Street, Main Street, Oakland Avenue, Hamilton Street and adjacent parking lots. A food court on Dommel Way and a beer garden in the Pine Street lot, run in partnership with Neshaminy Creek Brewing, kept crowds fed. The Doylestown Dart provided free shuttle service to offsite parking.
Saturday was one of the most attended in recent memory, with many vendors reporting record sales, according to Patch's festival recap. Rain hit Sunday morning. Crowds came anyway. The Bucks County Classic, a professional cycling race, also ran through borough streets that day.
Cultural partners included the Michener Art Museum, Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle, the TileWorks and the Oscar Hammerstein Museum. More than 130 volunteers worked over 10 months to plan and run the event, which is organized by a volunteer committee of Discover Doylestown and presented by the Thompson Organization.
The festival traces its roots to a small, one-block gathering on East State Street created by Paula and David Frame, owners of Frame Gallery and early members of what was then the Doylestown Business and Community Alliance. Paula Frame stayed involved with the festival committee for more than 25 years. When Boger joined in 2014, the event featured about 120 artists and three music stages. It has since grown to include more activities and a cultural partner program that showcases local museums and arts organizations.
No date for the 2027 festival has been announced.
Upcoming community events
- Bucks County Community College open houses — four sessions scheduled in October. Details here.
- Doylestown police Halloween costume contest — open to elementary students. More information.
- Peddler's Village OctoberFeast — the 10th annual celebration in Lahaska. Read more.
