UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 59th 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 9, through Sunday, July 13.
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 2025 festival kicks off on Wednesday, July 9, with Children and Youth Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the annual Children and Youth Sidewalk Sale featuring young artists. The day of children and youth activities, dance, music and theater will culminate at 3 p.m. with the annual Grand Procession of papier-mâché puppets, a march from Old Main Lawn to Sidney Friedman Park accompanied by drummers and a pep band from State College Area High School.
On Thursday, July 10, 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. on Thursday, July 10, through Saturday, July 12; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 13.
Live performances begin on Wednesday, July 9, and will continue throughout the weekend, finishing out the festival at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information and to see the full schedule of festival performances and activities, visit the Arts Festival website.
Arts Fest parking and shuttle information, traffic impacts
Penn State Transportation Services has released the following information on parking, traffic and transit impacts related to the 2025 festival.
Road closures and parking adjustments
Beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, and continuing through 5 p.m. Sunday, July 13, 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:
-
Access to all sections of Brown A parking, as well as the Hammond Building loading dock, will be available from College Avenue only, with vehicles traveling north on Burrowes Road, then entering the lot across from Steam Drive.
-
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.
-
Access to all Red K parking areas will only be available via Steam Drive by heading north on Burrowes Road from College Avenue.
-
Access to Red H (Noll Lab) parking and Green C parking 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 Fest visitor parking
Arts Fest visitor parking will be available at the HUB, Nittany and West decks from Wednesday, July 9, through Sunday, July 13. Please see below for daily parking rates:
Wednesday, July 9:
- $2 for the first hour and $1 per hour for additional hours
Thursday, July 10 through Sunday, July 13:
- Less than two hours: $2
- Less than three hours: $3
- Four to 10 hours: $10
- More than 10 hours: $2 for the first hour and $1 per hour for additional hours
These areas will remain available to Penn State faculty, staff and student permit holders at no charge on weekdays after 4 p.m. and all day on Saturday and Sunday.
Arts Fest Shuttle
Transportation Services will offer complementary blue bus shuttle service between the West Deck, festival area, and the new Palmer Museum of Art. Please see below for the shuttle service schedule:
- Thursday, July 10: 9 a.m.–11 p.m.
- Friday, July 11: 9 a.m.–11 p.m.
- Saturday, July 12: 9 a.m.–11 p.m.
- Sunday, July 13: 9 a.m.–4 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 9 through Sunday, July 13. Visit catabus.com for more information regarding Arts Fest schedule adjustments.
The Campus Shuttle via College Avenue stops at the Reber Building, Hosler Building and West Halls will be closed Thursday, July 10, and Friday, July 11.
The Campus Shuttle via Beaver Avenue stops at Rec Hall, West Halls, Westgate Building, Hosler Building and Reber Building also will be closed Thursday, July 10, and Friday, July 11.
Download the Penn State Go app for real-time CATA and Campus Shuttle information.
Contact information
- Parking questions: parking@psu.edu
- CATA information: catabus.com/
- Campus Shuttle and Arts Fest shuttle questions: shuttles@psu.edu
- Arts Festival information: arts-festival.com/