New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival Fourth Weekend of September
New Hope-Solesbury High School Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm
West Bridge Street, New Hope, PA Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm
Each year the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce brings the arts to life with its hosting of the Arts & Crafts Festival http://www.visitnewhope.com/arts-crafts-festival/. In the four years we have been exhibiting in shows, this is by far the best organized for its size. There were almost 200 artists/crafters exhibiting in the parking lot (and some grassy areas) of a very large and beautiful school campus. Upon registering, artists/crafters indicated the following:
1) preferred set-up time (starting at 5:30am and increasing at 15 minute intervals until 8:45 am).
2) amount of time needed to unload
3) amount of time needed to set up
4) special needs (E.g. alone, near bathroom, space behind, or handicapped parking)
5) oversized vehicle
The promoters assigned arrival times and spaces based on this information. This and the strictly enforced “unload first, park next and then set up policy” eliminated traffic jams and unloading mishaps. Reloading is just as organized and quick.
There was a Friday night Welcome Reception at the New Hope & Ivy League Railroad Station which we did not go to due to time constraints. Complimentary light snacks and beverages were available at the Welcome Reception. The artists/crafters had the opportunity to meet each other, the people who put the festival together and the festival supporters.
When it came time to park the cargo trailer I was directed to back into a space. Once the parking attendant saw the panic on my face (just can’t get the hang of backing up the cargo trailer), he asked if I wanted him to do it for me…I was thrilled – he had it done in no time at all! We were even able to unhook the trailer and leave it there overnight.
This show is a well-oiled machine –
- Info is emailed to the artists/crafters in advance so that everyone knows what to expect.
- Posters/flyers are emailed in advance so artists/crafters can make copies and hang in their neighborhoods or send out to their mailing lists.
- Very specific, well-marked and attended entrances, exits and parking areas - no confusion.
- The three lines to check in move exceptionally fast – they are ready for you.
- Each section is color coded and each booth is clearly numbered.
- Booth sitters are available.
- There seemed to be an abundance of helpers ready to lend a hand – people assigned to each row of booths, parking areas, check in, exhibitor refreshment area, toilets, garbage, etc. The minute we turned around with a question there seemed to be someone there with a smile on their face asking how they could help.
- Free coffee, juice and donuts were available in the morning for exhibitors and a soda for the afternoon.
- Bathrooms were up-scale portable toilets with wash stands.
- A booklet listing the artists/crafters and a detailed map was available for customers.
- They even provided exhibitors with GPS coordinates!
The food vendors were all in one area – away from the artists/crafters. The sponsors did have booths set up but they too were mostly set apart from the artists/crafters and didn’t necessarily get the prime spots. The sponsors were giving away bags, pens, etc. Throughout the day various musical groups performed in a field apart from the artists/crafters.
Customers were charged $5 for parking, or they could park at a meter. The campus is located several blocks from Main Street in New Hope – a place known for its boutiques, artsy shops and restaurants. We were told that there was a car show being held at the same time on Main Street.
Those who parked on Main Street could walk or take a free shuttle bus to the arts & crafts festival. Admission into the festival is free for customers.
There was such a staff presence that it would have been difficult to slip in any buy-sell items. We saw exceptionally talented artists with beautiful things and even the crafters had high end items.
Our space was 10x10 and we had about three to four feet behind our tent to sit and store supplies. The spaces were clearly marked and strictly enforced. Early registration for a non-premium spot was $265 plus a $15 jury fee. There was prize money available for first, second and third place winners in the fine art, jewelry and craft categories. The festival is advertised with rack cards and press releases. New Hope advertises the event on their web page year round and there is a Facebook page as well. In 2010 we were told 10,000 people filtered through the show. According to others who have done the show for years, the number of customers has gone down – we can’t be certain of an exact number but it looked to be about 2,000-3,000 people over the two days. The weather was not a factor as both days were custom made for any outdoor event.
My husband is a fine and decorative wood artist – I mention this because some things sell better than others. At most shows soap, candles, spices, food, clothing, jewelry and ceramics usually sell much better than wood. Despite having higher priced items, our highest sold item was $95 (this was an item we reduced from $250) and the lowest was 50 cents. For us, Saturday was our best day, yet others indicated Sunday was their best day. I wish I could say our sales equaled even five times table, but it was nowhere near that for us. Clothing, jewelry, consumables…maybe, but not for a wood artist. There were several other wood crafters at the show – it’s doubtful this show could support another wood artist/crafter.
The day following the show, the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce sent a thank you email to all artists/crafters – something we’ve never experience.
Replies
As the above review indicates, we were impressed with the New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival and had planned on returning. Over the winter, we discovered MWA Autumn Fest, which is held on the same weekend at Stony Brook Farm, Yardley, PA. If we are accepted, we are going to try this show for the following reasons:
MWA is a one-day show.
MWA’s booth fee is $110.
MWA indicated that last year 15,000 people attended.
As much as we enjoyed the New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival, it was a little pricey for us. The $15 jury fee we would be required to pay even after exhibiting at the show last year also put us off. New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival offers extras like the Friday night artist reception and cash prizes; however, although those things are nice, they are much less important to us than a lower registration fee is. It would be nice to see awards with ribbons or certificates; however, cash prizes only benefit a few artists.
We may be back in New Hope next year...but we will never know unless we try! It would be ideal if one of the shows were held in mid-October - then we could exhibit at both! Oh well…too many shows and not enough weekends - LOL!!!
I did the Harvest Days in Yardley when the MWA and the YBA did it together in the borough of Yardley. This was a number of years back. It was OK, can't remember anything necessarily bad about it< I just wasn't terribly successful so didn't return. I believe there was a big shake up between the charitable MWA and the business oriented YBA and so they split last year. Lot's of argument over both calling it Harvest Days as well. I think the YBA one is probably the weekend before right in Yardley, the other (MWA) the next week. But perhaps double checking would be good. I suppose if they aren't on the same day it shouldn't hurt business - just thought I'd share the hub bub!
Hmmm...I was not aware of all the politics! It concerns me that there are two shows on back to back weekends in the same geographical area. I will check it out. Thanks for the heads up.
Thank you for the info on New Hope. Yardley was run well I believe, just probably was a more craft oriented event (great for you!) and I am a more 2D artist so I probably just didn't fit in that well. But yes, the back to back weekends does cause pause. Their attendance numbers, assuming that was from their 2013 event not the previous combined event, does sound good I agree. Sounds like homework time. I may look into MWA too, see if maybe they might be a better fit for me then the borough one was. Harvest Day type events are tough though, have to worry what the crowds are there for - the pumpkins or you ! Good luck with your decision making..
I would love to hear what some other artists think of this show now that it is on the school grounds. I did it a number of years when it was on the main streets of New Hope, that was until they had the bright idea of putting some artists off in this back lot one year (without telling us beforehand). The response was so bad they ended up having to refund us half our money! (how often does that happen!) Kudos that they were mature enough to own up to their faux pas but then I just was disillusioned that they moved it away from the artsy neighborhood of New Hope itself, where people just naturally strolled on a weekend anyway. For the price, being out of true walking distance of actual New Hope itself, I just wasn't sure it was all it was cracked up to be. Any artist's willing to share their opinions? I have a free weekend in Sept now, just pondering if I should give it a whirl or not.....