A long-standing summer tradition is back in downtown Haddonfield. Residents will soon see the borough’s streets filled with color and creativity as visitors from all over pour in to experience a taste of what the region’s artistic minds have to offer.
The Haddonfield Crafts and Fine Art Festival returns for its 23rd year on Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12, with more artists than ever. This two-day outdoor festival, which attracts crowds of more than 100,000 people, will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. along Kings Highway between Washington Avenue and Haddon Avenue and along Tanner Street to Euclid Avenue.
“The Haddonfield Crafts and Fine Art Festival is a great festival. And it is so exciting this year. We have new artists and activities; there is a little bit for everyone,” Festival Director and owner of Renaissance Craftables Marcy Boroff said.
For the weekend, downtown Haddonfield will be transformed into a festive corridor, alive with a plethora of artists’ tents, outdoor cafés, musicians and more.
“It’s a wonderful festival. Haddonfield has a great downtown, and this festival highlights artists, stores and restaurants in Haddonfield. It’s a great opportunity to talk to artists, visit stores and eat at wonderful eateries in Haddonfield,” Boroff said.
Artisans will exhibit a wide range of arts and crafts, including ceramics, glass, jewelry, wood, fiber, metal, paper, drawings, paintings, photography and wearable art. About 270 vendors will be showcasing their best crafts and fine art from near and far.
“It’s a great opportunity to see so many different types of art within a couple of hours,” Boroff said. “Meeting the artists, the creative mind behind what you buy, is such a different shopping experience than going to the mall. It is an enhanced shopping experience.”
Boroff hopes those who attend get the opportunity to connect with the artists and meet new artists, as well as visit old ones to see how they have changed.
“For people who have been coming for a long time, it is really fun to see artists’ work and how they’ve changed over the years. My favorite part is talking to the artists, seeing how their work has changed and to meet new artists,” Boroff said.
Attendees can also visit interactive displays including National Liberty Museum’s Traveling Heroes Board educational activity, kids’ woodworking activities and create their own scarves using the “ebru” Turkish marbling technique of taking a print from manipulated paint floating on water.
Other activities and events include face painting and arts and crafts for kids by the Markeim Arts Center, entertainment by bands “Lost in Brunswick” and “Louis Vincent Music,” DJ Frank Staff and Haddonfield Plays & Players, and tasty food from local vendors.
The festival also coincides with Philadelphia Museum of Arts’ Inside Out, installing art in local communities. Haddonfield visitors can use a provided map to encounter 11 high quality reproductions of art selected from the museum’s vast collection, including a Cézanne, a Monet and an O’Keeffe.
“We get over 100,000 people over the two days and we would love to get more,” Boroff said.
More information can be found at www.downtownhaddonfield. com.
“It will be a bigger, better and more wonderful festival than ever,” Boroff said.
