With picturesque weather in the forecast, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts is expecting big crowds this weekend in State College.

So, as tens of thousands of people pour into town -- where to park?

Visitors have an array of options, including the downtown garages and surface parking near the Bryce Jordan Center.

Here are some pointers:

• The big three public parking garages in downtown State College -- on West Beaver Avenue, South Pugh Street and South Fraser Street -- are always heavily used on arts-festival weekends. During peak hours, they tend to reach capacity from time to time. If they're full, you could hunt for street parking or try the McAllister street parking deck, between Beaver and College avenues about a block east of Pugh Street. Additional surface parking is available in the gated lot on South Garner Street, located on the 100 block there, and in the borough's metered parking lots on the 100 block of West Beaver Avenue and the 100 block of South Fraser Street.

• Arts-festival organizers encourage a lot of visitors to avoid the downtown vehicular traffic by parking beside the Bryce Jordan Center, on the University Park campus. Festival parking there, near University Drive and Porter Road, is available for $5 a day. (Just follow the signs.) Free CATA bus shuttles run regularly between the Jordan Center parking area and downtown State College, making stops on the University Park campus, as well.

• In parts of State College borough tagged with "No Parking 2 a.m. to 6 a.m." signs, the 2 a.m.-to-6 a.m. restriction will not be enforced through 2 a.m. Tuesday, according to the borough. But street-parking areas designated for exhibitor parking will have strict enforcement, and any vehicles in violation will be subject to ticketing and towing, the borough has warned. The borough is not allowing lawn parking this weekend, either. To read the borough's complete parking advisory, go to this page.

• Finally, an insider's tip from a borough source: On-street metered parking spots are almost always available on the 200 blocks of South Fraser and South Burrowes streets in the borough.

Related content

• StateCollege.com's Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts guide

• The official Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts website