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The 27th annual Doylestown Arts Festival, which is held in a small Pennsylvania town renowned for its year-round commitment to arts and culture, will this year 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 Philadelphia magazine last year called the "best fun suburban town." Expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors, the 2018 Doylestown Arts Festival weekend-on September 8 and 9-will be preceded by Art Week, a new initiative that celebrates the town's distinctive identity as a year-round destination for arts and culture. Art Week will take place Sunday, September 2 through Friday, September 7. "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, the festival director. "We are equally thrilled to introduce Art Week, which emphasizes 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 quaint, historical downtown streets-converted to lively pedestrian-only avenues during the event-from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 8 and Sunday, September 9. On Sunday, the Thompson Bucks County Classic will roll into town with six bike races involving professionals, amateurs, and children. 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"; 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 Steaz, Berkshire Hathaway, and Penn Community Bank. The James A. Michener Art Museum is the official cultural partner of the Festival. For more information about the Doylestown Arts Festival, visit dtownartsfestival.com.
The 27th annual Doylestown Arts Festival, which is held in a small Pennsylvania town renowned for its year-round commitment to arts and culture, will this year 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 Philadelphia magazine last year called the "best fun suburban town." Expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors, the 2018 Doylestown Arts Festival weekend-on September 8 and 9-will be preceded by Art Week, a new initiative that celebrates the town's distinctive identity as a year-round destination for arts and culture. Art Week will take place Sunday, September 2 through Friday, September 7.
"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, the festival director. "We are equally thrilled to introduce Art Week, which emphasizes 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 quaint, historical downtown streets-converted to lively pedestrian-only avenues during the event-from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 8 and Sunday, September 9. On Sunday, the Thompson Bucks County Classic will roll into town with six bike races involving professionals, amateurs, and children.
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"; 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 Steaz, Berkshire Hathaway, and Penn Community Bank. The James A. Michener Art Museum is the official cultural partner of the Festival.
For more information about the Doylestown Arts Festival, visit dtownartsfestival.com.