Description
The Brandywine Festival of the Arts, a Wilmington tradition since 1961, will again feature some 250 artisans and crafters displaying and selling their works in scenic Brandywine Park on Sept. 7-8, the weekend after Labor Day.
In addition to art works and food, the event features music, children’s activities and pet-adoption opportunities.
The artisans, coming from not only the mid-Atlantic states but also from New England, the South and the Midwest, include painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramicists, woodcrafters and fabric artists.
This year’s festival will feature Sue Ann Cox, billed as “the Fairy Potter.” A regular exhibitor at the festival since 2016, she is known for her whimsical stoneware floral cottages and fairy accents inspired by inspired by the 19th-century primer, “The Language of Flowers.” Just for this event, Cox is creating a dozen handcrafted cottages depicting her impressions of two of Brandywine Park’s most popular features, Josephine Gardens and the Rose Garden. Cox will donate a portion of the sales of these cottages donated to OperaDelaware, whose singers will be performing each day.
For the second consecutive year, the festival has been sold out, with artists filling all available spaces in June, the earliest ever, according to Barry Schlecker, whose Barry’s Events has produced the festival since 2010.
The festival, held on the banks of the Brandywine on the weekend after Labor Day, 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. The festival is the largest annual two-day outdoor event in Wilmington, Schlecker says. The event marks the transition from summer to fall and signals the start of the peak season for home redecorating and the early purchase of holiday gifts.
The festival will feature a diverse range of food and snack options, including Asian fusion, vegetarian, BBQ, soul food, chicken, seafood, ice cream, water ice, kettle corn, caramel and honey treats.
Other festival attractions include face-painting and other activities in the Kids Korner and animal rescue and shelter organizations offering pets for adoption. Also, Acme supermarkets will offer free flu shots and COVID-19 boosters to individuals with insurance cards who register in advance at https://www.acmemarkets.com/vaccinations/group-clinic/BFA.
The festival’s presenting sponsor is the WSFS Foundation. Other sponsors include the New Castle County and City of Wilmington governments and Ourisman Tri-State Subaru.
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. 7, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8. Admission is $5 per day, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted free. Friendly pets on leashes are welcome at the festival and on the shuttle buses.
For more information, visit brandywinearts.com or facebook.com/brandywinearts.
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