Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts (60th Annual)

Organizer's Promotional Message

Celebrating its 60th year, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts brings approximately 135,000 people to State College and the University Park campus of Penn State over five days each July for what is commonly known to artists as "the Penn State show." While the Festival includes performances on several outdoor stages and at indoor venues, a full day of children's activities, a gallery exhibition and more. The centerpiece of the Festival is the annual Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition. 
Each year about 600 artists apply to be one of the 300 exhibitors in the Sidewalk Sale. The show is juried by a panel of four jurors using a ZAPP monitor jury.
Booths are located both in downtown State College and on the adjacent Penn State campus. Most booths are located on pavement; a small number are located on grass. 
Like Penn State football, the Festival is part of the quintessential Penn State experience for students, parents, and alumni. Penn Stater alums return to the show every year and are often an artist’s best customers.  Penn Staters are proud to note that the university has the largest dues paying alumni association in the country, with over 170,000 members!  
The jurors who selected artists for the show via ZAPP return in July for on-site jurying.  Artists receive over $20,000 in prize money; the top prize, the Arete Best in Show Award is almost $3,000. 
Amenities provided to artists include discounted hotel rates, limited host housing, FREE overnight dry RV parking, lunch delivery program, booth sitters, an artist breakfast or dinner (varies by year), complimentary coffee, and free parking.
A large number of arts related events take place during the weekend of the festival. These include professional and community theatre, literary events such as poetry readings, special exhibitions and tours at Penn State, and even a stained-glass tour at a landmark church.  The festival is proudly promoted by our local visitors bureau, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. 
More information can be found at http://arts-festival.com