Arts and Culture

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts gearing up for its 59th Annual event

STATE COLLEGE -- The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will once again fill the streets of downtown State College and the adjacent Penn State campus with a celebration of the arts beginning Wednesday, July 9, through Sunday, July 13.

Founded by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State's College of Arts and Architecture, the Festival attracts approximately 150,000 visitors each summer. The Festival features the nationally recognized Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, a juried gallery exhibition, Children and Youth Day, Street Painting, educational opportunities, music, dance and theatrical performances in a variety of outdoor venues.

The 59th Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts kicks off with our special Children and Youth Day on Wednesday, July 9, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. This day will showcase young artists, provide educational opportunities and celebrate diverse cultures. On this special day, young artists sell their wares at the Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale, with more than 300 young artists ages 8 to 18 participating!

Returning again this year, families can enjoy a cultural journey. Consider starting your day in Sidney Friedman Park where you can enjoy cultural performances from around the world including performances by Black Cat Egyptian Belly Dancing, Packard Highland Dancers and more. Then, swing by our passport stations to grab a program guide and begin your journey. There will be six passport stations located in Sidney Friedman Park. Each location will share information about a unique culture, and once you complete the activity, you will earn your sticker! Complete your passport and return it to the designated box located at the Festival Shell stage on Old Main Lawn for your chance to win a DelGrosso's Amusement Park prize pack! Children & Youth Day will be packed with an all-new lineup of performances geared towards entertaining but also showcasing what becoming a professional artist could look like!

Young visitors can also explore their artistic talents through free creative activities in Sidney Friedman Park and on the Old Main lawn starting at 10 a.m.

Finally, everyone in the family can choose their favorite giant puppet and march in the Children & Youth Day Grand Procession of giant (and not so giant) papier-mache puppets from Old Main Lawn to Sidney Friedman Park, accompanied by drummers and a pep band from State College Area High School. The procession steps off promptly at 3 p.m. from the Old Main lawn.

The day is a great way to support young creative entrepreneurs and allows them an opportunity to explore their own creativity. Of course, it is also just a great day to bring your little ones to the Festival to let them blow off some steam in the dumping buckets water sculpture, too!

The lineup for Children & Youth Day at the Festival includes:

Wednesday, July 9

Children's Workshops & Creative Activities - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Sidney Friedman Park

Children's Workshops & Creative Activities - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Old Main Lawn

Cultural Showcase - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Sidney Friedman Park

Children & Youth Sidewalk Sale - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Yoga Lab - 10 a.m. - Old Main Lawn

CC4H Robotics - 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. - Old Main Lawn/Festival Shell

Adam Swartz Puppets - 11:30 am - Allen Street

Erin Jeannier - The Queen of Hoops - 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. - Old Main Lawn

Heartfelt Music & Mantra Experience - 11 a.m. - Borough Plaza

Suzuki Strings at Arts Fest - 1 p.m. - Allen Street Stage

Children & Youth Day Procession at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts - 3 p.m. - Old Main Lawn

Chip Mock Caricatures - $ additional cost involved - 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. - Allen Street

The Superman Cartoons of Max Fleischer - $ additional cost involved - 4 p.m. - State Theatre

Thursday, July 10

The Annual Juried Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition takes center stage. Our Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition is the perfect place for shopping while you support the more than 300 independent artist-entrepreneurs from across the country. Whether you're looking for a work of art, piece of jewelry, housewares or all of the above, our artists have something for you. You'll find some of the country's most talented artists in a wide variety of media from ceramics to wood. A panel of four jurors will award $20,000 in prize money to winning exhibitors during a ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 12, at the Allen Street Stage.

The Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition is open from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m., Thursday, July 10, through Saturday, July 12, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 13.

Live performances are another highlight of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. ALL of the live entertainment hosted by the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts continues to be FREE for our guests again this year! This summer, we'll again be offering a mix of old favorites and new performers on our outdoor stages. Performance venues include the Festival Shell on the Old Main lawn, the Allen Street Stage, Sidney Friedman Park Stage and two new stages on the Penn State campus at the intersection of Pollock & Burrowes and at Willard Plaza. Additionally, you can plan to escape the mid-day heat thanks to our partnership with the State Theatre. You will find a selection of performances in the Theatre on both Thursday and Saturday afternoons. The theatre will remain open between performances as a cooling station where guests can simply relax in the air conditioning and/or grab a bottle of water before hitting the Festival streets again. Please note that there are a few indoor events sponsored by the CPFA that are ticketed by their host organizations, including Happy Valley Improv and The State Theatre (Roseanne Cash & Superman Cartoons).

The lineup for this year's festival is as follows:

Thursday, July 10

Chip Mock - $ additional cost involved - 10 a.m. through 7 p.m.; Allen Street

Tussey Mountain Moonshiners - 11 a.m.; Allen Street

Central Pennsylvania Dance Workshop - 11 a.m.; State

Celtic Nations Duo - 12 p.m.; Pollock

The Music Academy - 1 p.m.; Schlow

JT Thompson Piano - 1 p.m.; Allen

Jim Colbert - 1 p.m.; Willard

Laura Boswell - 2 p.m.; Pollock

Erin Jeannier - The Queen of Hoops - 2 p.m.; State Theatre

Centre Dance - 2 p.m.; Shell

Code Blue - 2:30 p.m.; Park

Mary Madigan - 3 p.m.; Willard

The Music Academy - 3 p.m.; Schlow

JR Mangan Band - 3 p.m.; Allen

Mountain City Acoustic - 4 p.m.; Pollock

Nittany Valley Wranglers - 4 p.m.; Shell

Natascha & the Spy Boys - 4:30 p.m.; Park

The Music Academy - 5 p.m.; Schlow

The Sorters - 5 p.m.; Allen

Megan & Doug Irwin - 5 p.m.; Willard

Briggs & Strayer - 6 p.m.; Pollock

The Woods Family Band - 6:30 p.m.; Shell

Joe Baione - 6:30 pm; Park

Western Range - 7:00 pm; Allen

Happy Valley Improv - Youth Show – $ additional cost involved - 7:00 pm; Blue Brick

Eric Mintel Quartet - 8:30 pm; Shell

The Jaded Lips - 9:00 pm; Allen

One Acre West - 9:00 pm; Park

Friday, July 11

Yoga Lab - 10 a.m.; Old Main Lawn

Chip Mock - $ additional cost involved - 10 a.m. through 7 p.m.; Allen Street

The Music Academy - 11 a.m.; Schlow

Adam Hallacher Septet - 12 p.m.; Park

Biscuit Jam - 12 p.m.; Pollock

The Music Academy - 1 p.m.; Schlow

Jeff Mamett - 1 p.m.; Willard

Wanderlost - 1:30 p.m; Allen

Below Centre - 2 p.m.; Pollock

PennSoulvanians - 2:30 p.m.; Park

The Music Academy - 3 p.m.; Schlow

Conner Gilbert - 3 p.m.; Willard

Making State - 3:30 p.m.; Allen

Black Cat Belly Dance - 4 p.m.; Pollock

Astral Shakedown - 4 p.m.; Shell

The Triple A Blues Band - 4:30 p.m.; Park

Big Red & Zoe Makenna - 5 p.m.; Willard

Urban Fusion - 5:30 p.m.; Allen

Hops & Vines - 6 p.m.; Pollock

Os Mutantes - 6:30 p.m.; Shell

Chivalrous Crickets - 6:30 p.m.; Park

Happy Valley Improv - $ additional cost involved - 7 p.m.; Blue Brick

Ted McCloskey & the Hi Fi's - 7:30 p.m.; Allen

Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal - $ additional cost involved - 8 p.m.; State Theatre

Velveeta - 9 p.m.; Shell

The Plate Scrapers - 9 p.m.; Park

Happy Valley Improv - $ additional cost involved - 9 p.m.; Blue Brick

Habbina Habbina - 9:30 p.m.; Allen

Saturday, July 12

Instrument-Making Station - 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., MLK Plaza

Chip Mock - $ additional cost involved - 10 a.m. through 7 p.m.; Allen Street

Early Childhood Music Class! - 10:30 a.m. - MLK Plaza

State College Municipal Band - 11 a.m.; Park

Honey Pie - 11:30 a.m.; Allen

Crooner & Co. Swing Band - 12 p.m.; Shell

Chase Campbell - 1 p.m.; Willard

The Coal Aly Band - 1 p.m.; Park

Blue Cactus - 1:30 p.m.; Allen

Eyes of Age - 2 p.m. ; Pollock

Zydeco-A-Go-Go - 2 p.m.; Shell

Trout Fishing in America - 2 p.m.; State Theatre

OverheaD Duo - 3 p.m.; Willard

Zeropoint Big Band - 3 p.m.; Park

House of Hamill - 3:30 p.m.; Allen

Caryn Dixon - 4 p.m.; Pollock

Ma'am - 4:30 p.m.; Shell

Acoustic Artifacts - 5 p.m.; Willard

Plaza La Fiesta Band - 5 p.m.; Park

Sweet Desire - 5:30 p.m.; Allen

Hannah Bingman - 6 p.m.; Pollock

Project 22 - 7 p.m.; Shell

Ady Martinez y Orquesta Mi Amor - 7 p.m.; Park

Happy Valley Improv - $ additional cost involved - 7 p.m.; Blue Brick

The Soul Benders - 7:30 p.m.; Allen

Trout Fishing in America - 8:30 p.m.; State

Happy Valley Improv - $ additional cost involved - 9 p.m.; Blue Brick

My Hero Zero - 9:30 p.m.; Shell

Pure Cane Sugar - 9:30 p.m.; Allen