STATE COLLEGE — Applications for two popular Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts events are now open! The 60th Anniversary of this year’s event is July 8-12 and is one of the most anticipated summer traditions.
Held each July in Downtown State College and on the Penn State University Park campus, the Arts Festival offers a lively mix of art, music, performances, and creative activities.
The Arts Festival is among the top-ranked juried art fairs in the country, the highlight of the State College summer, one of the biggest non-football alumni weekends for Penn Staters, the summer’s economic anchor for downtown State College businesses, and the place to be for art lovers near and far the week after Independence Day.
For many of the 125,000+ alumni and visitors each year, the Arts Festival is an enduring tradition, experienced with friends and family, and not to be missed.
Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale
The Children & Youth Day Sidewalk Sale is sponsored by AAUW State College, and the event is a fun way for boys and girls to develop both their artistic and entrepreneurial potential. The Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale is Wednesday, July 8 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Artists aged 8 through 18 who live in, or have relatives in the following counties — Blair, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Huntingdon, Mifflin and Union — are eligible to participate.
Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale rules prohibit the sale of work made from kits, offensive and defensive weapons, the sale of services like face painting or hair braiding, the use of trademarked characters or products — like the Nittany Lion and Minecraft — in artist’s work, and the sale of food. All work must be original.
A complete listing of the rules can be found in the application. Review the rules carefully as they may have changed.
The 2026 preferred application method is a digital Google form which is linked at https://arts-festival.com/children-and-youth.
The application deadline is Friday, May 29. No exceptions will be made. Applications may also be printed and mailed (postmarked by May 29) or hand-delivered to the festival office until 5 p.m. on May 29. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications are only considered complete when booth payment is made either online or by check.
For additional information on how to participate, visit: https://arts-festival.com/children-and-youth.
Banner Exhibition and Competition
The Banner Exhibition and Competition is one of the signature events of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. The festival is proud to display past and present banners annually. Banners will hang over the festival route on South Allen Street, adding color and movement to the festive atmosphere.
In the off season, banners are hung in public buildings like the State College Municipal Building and Schlow Centre Region Library. Banners can be made by individuals or groups. Making a banner is a great way to celebrate a milestone of a community organization.
The 2026 banner competition application deadline is Friday, June 12.
For more information on how to participate, visit: https://arts-festival.com/banners.
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts looks forward to showcasing the talent and creativity of Pennsylvania’s artists, young and old.
Watch for more information at https://arts-festival.com/.
The Arts Festival receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and additional grant support from the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and Centre County Commissioners.
