This year’s 35th annual Doylestown Arts Festival, held Sept. 12 and 13, featured more than 170 independent artists, more than 40 performers across five outdoor stages, live demonstrations, hands-on activities and food vendors.
The free festival brings together artists and musicians, while giving visitors an opportunity to explore the borough.
Paul Boger, Doylestown Festival volunteer co-director, said the festival works to keep the event fresh each year by changing its lineup of artists, musicians, food vendors and activities.
“We are not in the habit of constant change, but what does change with the event is our lineup,” Boger said. “Our artists, our musicians, our food vendors, our activities, all of that changes year to year and in a fairly substantial way.”
One of the highlights of this year’s festival was a particularly strong showing of ceramics.
“We had a really large expansion of ceramics this year,” Boger said. “Obviously this area has a real history with ceramics, but this year we had a real explosion of talent in that area.”
Glass and metal work also were well represented, with artists displaying unique pieces throughout the festival.
The selection process for artists is competitive each year. This year, organizers received more than 360 applications, the most in the festival’s history, but had space for about 170 artists.
Five volunteer jurors review the applications each year. The jurors rotate annually and include local residents, artists and business owners.
Artists first must meet the festival’s requirements. They must be independent artists creating their own handmade work. Mass-produced items are not accepted, and the festival does not accept work that has been AI-modified or produced.
Once those requirements are met, jurors consider the quality and uniqueness of the work and how it fits into the overall festival.
“We don’t want to have too many things that overlap or that are too similar,” Boger said. “We want very different types of work that appeal to different styles and different tastes.”
Price is also considered so the festival can offer artwork at a range of price points, from more affordable pieces to higher-end work for collectors.
Some artists return year after year, including local vendors who have participated for many years, but participation is not guaranteed.
“It comes down to the quality and uniqueness of their work and it comes down to how competitive their particular category is that year,” Boger said.
Musicians are selected through a similar process, with organizers looking for quality and variety while also considering the needs of the festival’s five stages.
More than 40 performers participated this year, with music ranging from jazz, blues, pop and rock to performances by independent singers and songwriters. Many of the musicians were local, while others came from outside the area.
“We tend to prioritize those who write their own music as opposed to covers,” Boger said.
The festival includes some tribute bands but generally does not book cover bands, with student acts being an exception. Organizers also look for a range of sounds and volumes, beginning the day with softer music and building toward louder performances.
Scheduling and availability also play a role in selecting performers, since each act must fit into a specific time slot and stage.
Live demonstrations and interactive activities have become another important part of the annual festival.
This year, visitors could watch artists work through demonstrations including glass blowing, pottery throwing and plein air painting. Other activities included face painting, a glitter bar and sand art.
“The live demonstrations are something really important to us and we’ve developed them over the last couple of years,” Boger said. “We’ve really encouraged both our artists, our sponsors, anyone in between to do as much live activity as possible.”
Boger said the demonstrations help distinguish the festival while encouraging visitors to interact with artists.
“It adds a little magic to the streets,” he said.
The festival’s layout is also designed to encourage visitors to explore downtown rather than simply visit one vendor.
“We want them to wander the streets and discover what we have built here,” Boger said.
As visitors move through the festival, they can encounter demonstrations and activities along different streets. Boger said that it also encourages people to stop at artists’ booths, ask questions and learn more about their work.
The activities are designed for all ages, with children particularly drawn to the glitter bar, face painting and sand art.
Holding the festival in the downtown business district is an important part of its purpose.
“We put our event right on the streets in the downtown business district and to us that’s the best way to showcase the town,” Boger said.
Visitors attending the festival also have the opportunity to see Doylestown’s architecture, shops, galleries, restaurants and cultural organizations.
The festival began 35 years ago when Paula and David Frame, owners of Frame Gallery and early members of what was then the Doylestown Business and Community Alliance, created a small, one-block event on East State Street.
They recognized the artistic talent in the area and wanted to create an art-focused event that would bring artists to Doylestown and become a lasting tradition.
Paula Frame remained involved with the festival committee for more than 25 years.
The event grew steadily. When Boger became involved as a volunteer in 2014, the festival featured about 120 artists and three stages of music. Since then, organizers have added more activities and a cultural partner program designed to showcase local museums and art organizations.
Today, the Doylestown Arts Festival is the largest event hosted each year by Discover Doylestown.
“We’re not just trying to have a two-day celebration or a two-day marketplace that comes and goes,” Boger said. “Our goal is to get people to come here and enjoy the festival but then to also discover this really cool town here in Doylestown.”
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