CENTRE COUNTY — Central Pennsylvania’s 6th annual Rhoneymeade Fest, scheduled June 4–7, expands to multiple locations throughout Centre County including Rhoneymeade Arboretum, Manny’s Live Performance Space, and East End Social Pocket Park on Hiester Street.
The festival brings together more than 30 performances from around the world, alongside regional and local artists, offering audiences the opportunity to enjoy diverse musical traditions in an intimate and welcoming setting. Rhoneymeade Fest’s collaborative spirit invites audiences into workshops, participatory events, and shared cultural experiences.
From brass bands and vinyl DJ’s, to Moroccan Gnawa, Colombian Psych and Anatolian Folk, the curation of Rhoneymeade Fest is devoted to blending, expanding, and celebrating the most exciting musical acts, for an adventurous and engaged audience. Programming is family-friendly and designed to encourage participation, discovery, and meaningful engagement. Local food and beverage vendors will be on site round out the experience.
Presented by Gorinto Productions, the festival is brought to life through a tremendous network of volunteers and artists, alongside rich collaborations with local nonprofits Rhoneymeade Arboretum & Sculpture Garden, Clearwater Conservancy, The Center for Performing Arts, Ridgelines Language Arts, and Discovery Space / The Rivet, as well as local businesses including The Sign Factory, Boal City Brewing, Freeze Thaw Cycles, Juana’s, and many more.
2026 brings a new level of community participation and partnership with the development of East End Social, a pocket park to be installed on Hiester Street from May through August, featuring community-sourced and produced events throughout the summer. East End Social is presented by the Downtown State College Improvement District and Comet Properties, with support from the State College Borough Redevelopment Authority.
The festival’s Friday programming is free to the public, thanks to presenting sponsor The Borough of State College and additional sponsorship support from the Downtown State College Improvement District. For the past seven years, these partners have generously collaborated with and supported Gorinto Production’s free outdoor concert series in Downtown State College. Their ongoing support and dedication to the community’s cultural experiences makes these productions not only possible but so very memorable.
“Rhoneymeade Fest has grown steadily over the last five years because this community has continued to show up for it. Every year we’ve been able to build a little further — from small grassroots presentations to larger collaborations with downtown partners, public spaces, local businesses, and artists who believe in what this festival can offer. The infrastructure behind this year’s event didn’t happen overnight,” said festival Director Corey Elbin. “It’s the product of years of trust, cooperation, and people investing their energy into making State College a more vibrant place to gather through the performing arts.
Thursday, June 4
Events on Thursday feature Marisa Anderson, guitarist and composer re-imagining the landscape of American music, and a live interview and taping of NPR’s acclaimed Essential Tremors radio show.
Friday, June 5
Festival events on Friday, June 5, are free and open to the public at the East End Social pocket park on Hiester St., with performances and workshops from 1-5 p.m. including HONK NYC! participatory brass band parades and Music of Moondog with Julian Calv.
Friday evening shifts to a Secret Planet street party at the same location from 5:15-9 p.m. (also free and open to the public), featuring Paolo Angeli (Sardinian and multi-genre exploration with homemade instruments), Los Cumpleaños (Psych Synth Tropical), and Loboko (Congolese guitar for dancing), after which late-night music will continue indoors at Manny’s.
Saturday, June 6 & Sunday, June 7
Events on Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7 will be held at Rhoneymeade Arboretum, starting at 11 a.m. and going until dark, and require tickets.
Featured weekend performances include La Banda Chuska (Surf-Cumbia), Nevaris (Latin-infused funk), Dogo du Togo (Togolese rhythms blended with rock & funk), Wicked Chicken (Hard-driving rock and old-time Appalachian), Derya Yıldırım (Anatolian folk infused with psychedelia) and much more. Manny’s will host after-parties on Friday and Saturday nights starting at 9 p.m.: Friday features Guest Vinyl DJ Morgan of NYC, and Saturday showcases Johnstown’s own DJ Allsortz and Friends.
All-access and single-day festival passes are on sale now at rhoneymeadefest.com.
