The People's Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts is celebrating 30 years this summer! Held from Thursday, July 11 through Sunday, July 14, the festival features Pennsylvania art, food, music and fun during Festival Week, along with the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and Philipsburg Heritage Days. This year’s event features familiar favorites along with some new features — and freebies to celebrate the festival goers who have made the event possible over the decades. Here’s what you need to know:

It’s back at the Grange Park

The People’s Choice Festival is back for its third year at Grange Park in Centre Hall. The location is well-known as the location for the annual Grange Fair, a week-long fair that offers onsite camping. This year, camping is also offered for People’s Choice (you can find more information at 814-380-1893 or grangefair.com). The festival hours are: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Celebrating 30 years with free parking!

In honor of People’s Choice 30th anniversary, parking is free this year—and there is a chance to give back to the community. “We are partnering with Stuckey Ford to offer a food drive,” Director John Madison said. “We are encouraging each family to bring a nonperishable food item to donate in lieu of a parking fee.”

Explore art by Pennsylvanians

“People’s Choice is the summer’s largest gathering of artists in Pennsylvania!” Madison said. The event includes over 130 artisans from jewelers to painters, sculptors to photographers, caricaturists to potters—all from Pennsylvania and each one handpicked for quality and affordability. It’s a great place to start Christmas shopping, add to a personal collection, or discover a new artist.

Come hungry (and thirsty)

Beyond art, Pennsylvania makers will be selling specialty food items like local jam, cookies, beef jerky, sauces and kombucha.

It’s also a great place for wine tasting. Wineries offer free tastings of award-winning reds, whites, and specialty wines—all grown and bottled in the Keystone state.

Over 30 food trucks are at People’s Choice, offering everything from loaded mac and cheese to crab cakes to pulled pork. “If you can’t find something to eat, you must not be hungry!” Madison said with a laugh. “There really is something for everybody.”

Kids get to learn, play, and jump

Over the past three decades, People’s Choice has always been a great way to introduce the younger crowd to the world of arts festivals, and this year is no different.

“The festival will once again feature its science tent, along with bouncy houses and slide, face painting, with more activities announced closer to the date,” Madison said.

Come for the art, stay for the live music

There is live music during all four days of the festival. On Thursday, U245, a U2 tribute band, will be headlining. Friday, George Jones tribute band Joe Bonson and Coffee Run will be performing. On Saturday, Radio Petty and the Chart Toppers, a Tom Petty tribute band, will perform. In all, over thirty Pennsylvania bands will perform throughout the festival.

John Madison said that over his thirty years with the festival, his favorite thing has remained the same: people having fun. “People’s Choice has become a reunion place over the years—a place for people to come together and have fun. I love that.”

He says that this year, the sentiment is even stronger, after weathering COVID-19 and a change in location for the beloved event. “When we started in 1993, I never imagined that we would be where we are today, celebrating 30 years,” he said. “It’s amazing.”

People’s Choice Festival is located at Grange Park, 149 Homan Ln, Centre Hall, PA 16828 from July 11-14. For information about art, food, and live music, go to peopleschoicefestival.com. Information about camping during the festival can be found at grangefair.com.