PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Manayunk Development Corporation will celebrate the 35th Annual Manayunk Arts Festival on June 22nd and 23rd, drawing art enthusiasts from across the tri-state area. This iconic event, the largest outdoor juried art festival in the region, will transform Main Street into an artistic hub featuring around 300 local and nationally known artists and crafters.
Festival hours are from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. The event is free and family-friendly, offering visitors a vibrant mix of art, food, and entertainment. In addition to diverse art displays, attendees can enjoy food and drink vendors, merchant specials, and live art demonstrations.
The festival’s roots trace back to June 1990 when Manayunk hosted its first arts festival. Joan Boroff Denenberg, a Marketing & Retail Strategy consultant for Manayunk, recalls the inaugural event vividly. She and her mother, Barbara Boroff, the original promoter, marked the streets and hoped for the best. “We had no idea how the event would go and just crossed our fingers,” Denenberg reminisces. “The sun shined all weekend, the street was packed, and we knew we had something that would last.”
This year’s festival will feature artists from eight disciplines, including fiber, glass, ceramics, jewelry, mixed media, painting and drawing, photography, and wood and sculpture. Visitors can also explore Manayunk’s renowned restaurants and unique boutiques.
A highlight of the event is The Emerging Artist Program, which showcases local and up-and-coming talent. This initiative allows young artists to exhibit and sell their work for up to three years. This year, 30 Emerging Artists will be featured in tents on Grape Street and Roxborough Avenue, while an additional 25 will display their work at the PHS Pop Up Garden on Jamestown Avenue.
Each year, one artist’s work is selected for all marketing materials. This year’s poster artwork, “Poppy,” by Anastasia Alexandrin, will be featured in magazine ads, posters, billboards, and TV ads.
The Manayunk Arts Festival is a rain or shine event, so attendees are advised to dress accordingly. Join the celebration and experience the creativity that has made this festival a beloved tradition for 35 years.
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