The Manayunk Arts Festival is set to return to its traditional, street-closed format after more than two years of small, pandemic-restricted events.
More than 300 artists will fill Main Street's business corridor with their creations on Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26. The event is the largest outdoor, juried arts festival in the tri-state area.
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Each year, the Manayunk Arts Festival separates participating artists into seven categories: fiber, glass and ceramics, jewelry, mixed media, painting and drawing, photography and wood sculpture.
In addition, more than 30 emerging and early-career artists will be featured next to Riverside Pizza at 4217 Main St. for the duration of the festival.
The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 25, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 26. Admission is free, and artwork will be available for purchase from each vendor.
"We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing back the Manayunk Arts Festival in full force for our 33rd year," said Gwen McCauley, executive director of Manayunk Development Corporation. "Our small business corridor is excited and ready to welcome guests from throughout the Philadelphia area to Main Street for our two-day festival."
Rather than canceling the 2020 arts festival because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manayunk Development Corporation significantly reduced the event, permitting a handful of vendors outdoors. In 2021, organizers separated artists into "pods" in order to keep guests from browsing the entire festival and risking illness.
This year, as pandemic protections have been lifted and neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia have enjoyed the return of outdoor summer events, the Manayunk Arts Festival has returned to its traditional layout, stretching across Main Street for the majority of the weekend.
The full list of artists participating in the festival is available online. Many of the artists who have participated in the festival in previous years are returning, including some who were selected for the "petite" 2020 festival, which only included nine participants. They include Amaze Art Gallery, Bopbe, Charles Cushing Fine Art, Emily Taylor Rogers and Patrick Michael Accessories.
As part of an annual tradition, the Manayunk Development Corporation chooses one artist's work to serve as the event's brand. This year, it selected "Bird in Hand," a piece by Florida-based artists Brenda Gordon.
Visitors looking to keep cool during the festival can stop at more than a dozen bars, restaurants and specialty snack spots on Main Street. Many restaurants also have large streetery structures for outdoor dining.
Manayunk Arts Festival
June 25-26
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Free
Main Street in Manayunk
Philadelphia, PA 19127