April 17, 2024
West Craft Fest/Facebook
More than 100 artists, crafters and creators will be selling their wares at West Craft Fest, which is regularly held in the spring and fall at the Woodlands. Pictured above is a vendor during the fall 2021 event.
The West Craft Fest returns to Philly this month to give arts-and-crafts enthusiasts another opportunity to peruse the wares of local creators.
The event at the Woodlands in University City on Saturday, April 27, will feature live music and more than 100 vendors selling a range of original work including jewelry, clothes and drawings. The 54-acre space has regularly hosted West Craft Fest in the spring and fall since 2012.
The April 2023 event was canceled so this will be the first spring West Craft Fest since 2022. The event was at the Woodlands in September, and there is also a holiday iteration every December at the Rotunda.
One staple of West Craft Fest is Tiny Circus, an acrobatics performance by all-women group Tangle Movement Arts. Drumline group Mad Beatz Philly and musical ensemble Sing Slavic will be performing as well.
West Craft Fest began in 2009, founded by Wilder and Mike Scott-Straight with shopkeeper Emily Dorn. The event was initially called "Go West! Craft Fest" until 2018 when comments and concerns about the phrase "Go West" and its association with settlers and colonization were brought to the founders.
Applications for vendors, which usually consist of Philly creators — with over half of them from West Philly, according to Dorn — closed last month. A record number of nearly 300 applications came in, according to organizers, and the full list of vendors is available online.
According to event organizers, the April West Craft Fest will be the only one in the Woodlands this year, as the event will transition from a three-times-a-year event to twice a year.
The rain date is Sunday, April 28. No cars will be allowed at the site during the event, so plan to walk, bike or take public transit.
