The Brandywine Festival of the Arts returns to Brandywine Park on Sept. 9-10.
In addition to artwork and food, the event features music, children’s activities, and pet adoption opportunities.
The artisans, coming from the mid-Atlantic, New England, Virginia, Florida, and the Midwest, include painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramicists, wood crafters, and fabric artists.
This year’s festival will feature Edwin Lester, a self-taught artist. The Philadelphia native has exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation.
The end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the completion of the Interstate 95 reconstruction project through Wilmington have made the festival more attractive to artisans this year, with all vendor spaces reserved by mid-June, the earliest ever, according to Barry Schlecker, whose Barry’s Events has produced the festival since 2010.
The festival attracts as many as 15,000 visitors, with some regulars returning to reconnect with their favored artists while others seek out the works of new exhibitors, Schlecker says. The event is timed to mark the transition from summer to fall and signal peak season for home redecorating and the early purchase of holiday gifts.
Schlecker says the festival team has emphasized expanding and diversifying food and snack options this year. This year’s offerings include Asian fusion, vegetarian, BBQ, soul food, chicken, seafood, ice cream, water ice, kettle corn, caramel and honey treats.
Musicians from OperaDelaware will perform on Saturday and Sunday. Face-painting and other activities will be offered in the Kids Korner. Animal rescue organizations will be on hand to describe pet adoption procedures.
Brandywine Park is at 1001 N. Park Drive, opposite the Brandywine Zoo. Free parking and shuttle bus service will be available at Incyte, 1801 Augustine Cutoff.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly leash pets are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
