UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 58th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts returns to the streets of downtown State College and Penn State’s University Park campus from Wednesday, July 10, through Sunday, July 14. Founded in 1967 by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, the festival attracts approximately 125,000 visitors each summer.
The 2024 festival kicks off with Children and Youth Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 10, with the annual Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale featuring young artists. The day of children and youth activities, dance, music and theater will culminate at 4 p.m. with the annual Grand Procession of papier-mâché puppets, a march from Old Main Lawn to Sidney Friedman Park.
On Thursday, July 11, the Annual Juried Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition takes center stage, featuring more than 300 independent artist-entrepreneurs from across the country. The Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition hours are: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11, through Saturday, July 13, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 14.
Live performances begin on Wednesday, July 10, and will continue throughout the weekend, finishing out the festival at 3 p.m. on Sunday with David Zentner and the Nashville Music Co. performing on the Festival Shell Stage on the Old Main Lawn.
This year’s festival will include several new events, including the Cultural Showcase, which will feature music and dance performances from different cultures from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 10 in Sidney Friedman Park.
For more information and to see the full schedule of festival performances and activities, visit arts-festival.com.
Penn State Transportation Services has released the following information on parking, traffic and transit impacts related to the 2024 festival.
Road closures and parking adjustments
Beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, and continuing through 5 p.m. Sunday, July 14, Burrowes Road will be closed from College Avenue to Curtin Road, and Pollock Road will be closed from Burrowes Road to Old Main.
Due to these road closures, access to the following faculty/staff parking areas will be impacted beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday:
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Access to all sections of Lot Brown A, as well as the Hammond Building loading dock, will be available from College Avenue only, with vehicles traveling north on Burrowes Road, then turning right onto the driveway between Reber Building and Hammond. The bollards that separate Brown A from the driveway between Reber and Hammond will be removed during the arts festival. Exit from the lot and loading dock will be available only through this driveway back to College Avenue.
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Access to Old Main will be available only by traveling west on Pollock Road from Shortlidge Road or Bigler Road. The gates on Pollock Road just east of Old Main will be raised, and auxiliary officers will be posted restricting traffic to authorized vehicles only.
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Access to Lot Brown E and the service permit parking spaces at Carnegie Building will be available only by traveling south on Fraser Road from Curtin Road. An auxiliary officer will be on site to restrict access to authorized vehicles only.
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Access to all Red K parking areas will only be available via the entrance located along Atherton Street at the 101 North Atherton Street Building. This requires northbound travel from College Avenue. Vehicles exiting Red K must exit through the 101 North Atherton Street Building parking lot onto Atherton Street and proceed northbound.
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Access to Lot Red H (Noll Lab) and Lot Green C will be available only by traveling south on Burrowes Road from Curtin Road. Auxiliary officers will be on site to restrict access to authorized vehicles only.
Arts festival visitor parking
Arts festival visitor parking will be available at the HUB, Nittany and West decks from Wednesday, July 10, through Sunday, July 14. See below for daily parking rates:
Wednesday, July 10:
- $1 per hour
Thursday, July 11; Friday, July 12; Saturday, July 13; and Sunday, July 14:
- Less than two hours: $1 per hour
- Two to 10 hours: $10
- More than 10 hours: $1 per hour
These areas will remain available to Penn State permit holders at no charge on weekdays after 4 p.m. and all day on Saturday and Sunday.
Arts festival shuttle
Transportation Services will offer a complementary blue bus shuttle service from the West Deck, festival area, and the new Palmer Art Museum. See below for the shuttle service schedule:
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Wednesday, July 10: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Thursday, July 11: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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Friday, July 12: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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Saturday, July 13: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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Sunday, July 14: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Transit changes
All CATA bus stops on Burrowes Road located between College Avenue and Curtin Road and on Burrowes Street will be closed from Wednesday, July 10, through Sunday, July 14. Visit catabus.com for more information regarding arts festival schedule adjustments.
The Campus Shuttle via College Avenue stops at the Reber Building, Hosler Building and West Halls will be closed Thursday, July 11, and Friday, July 12.
The Campus Shuttle via Beaver Avenue stops at Rec Hall, West Halls, Westgate Building, Hosler Building and the Reber Building also will be closed Thursday, July 11, and Friday, July 12.
The closest available Campus Shuttle via College Avenue stops will be the College Avenue/Allen Street and Pattee Library stops.
Download the Penn State Go app for real-time Campus CATA and Campus Shuttle information.
Questions about parking and traffic can be directed to: Parking questions, parking@psu.edu; CATA information, catabus.com; Campus Shuttle and Arts Festival shuttle questions, shuttles@psu.edu.