Great food, wonderful vendors, and it takes you back in time! In Kutztown, PA, the folk festival is an event you don't want to miss!

Been going to the festival since the late 70's & I've bought many things through out the years. But since they've jacked up the gate prices & the food is outrageously priced (we usually go someplace else when leave to eat) & it seems to be the same old same old... I've stopped going! Shame because it used to be something I looked forward to every year & never missed going to (sometimes 2 or 3 times in the week). read more

Been coming here for many years, usually bringing friends. No more. Many empty vendor stands but the final straw is the school stopping the "hanging". 60 years of history squashed by Kutztown University. read more

Way overpriced. $16 a person to get in just to walk around looking at overpriced crafts and overpriced hot dogs and sauerkraut. Lots of empty spots compared to years past. Really disappointing because we used to enjoy coming every year. read more

What a ripoff, $16.00 to enter, and then pay overpriced prices for food and crafts. Why are they overpriced ? It is because the organization also charges the vendors including the local organizations I.e. Lions Clubs, churches, Granges etc. a high percentage of what they sell. please note: it the food building does not list an charitable organization, the same organization that charged $16.00 per,person to enter is also running the food stand. And do not get me started on how much the make on the quilts they sell. read more

Fun, local, only in Kutztown experience! This is no dinky little flea market-- this is an expansive fair with all kinds of food and arts and crafts and music! And it's absolutely fantastic that they let you bring your dog! We had a blast walking around with our pup, he got so much attention! (And he found a vendor he really liked, walked away with some sweet chicken jerky) Plus there are doggie water bowls everywhere. It is not that cheap for an adult ticket-- $14, and if you want to park in the parking lot, you pay in cash. And we did find ourselves wishing there were more interactive exhibits or activities-- more learning to do, and a little less buying, since a lot of the stands start to look alike after awhile. We really liked the barn full of antiques and wished there were more things like it! We also regretted that we didn't come hungrier! We were super thirsty, and got to enjoy some sarsparilla but no fresh bread or sandwiches or delicious fried fair food! Next year... read more

First times visitors to Kutztown Folk Festival and had a blast! Easy to park, nice layout having the crafts and exhibitions mixed-in with the food vendors. Plenty of open space, nice soft acoustic music piped in ( not the usual obnoxious canned music). Loved the friendly volunteers who were always answering questions with a smile. Lots to see and do. From antique farm equipment, craftsman taking the time to explain their product and process. So, so much to see. Thanks Kutsville for a beautiful day, can't wait for next year. read more

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OK maybe I'm biased a bit... but I took Charity to this and we had a great time. I came here several times as a kid and the nostalgia almost brought a tear to my eye! The arts and crafts are really cool and the food is amazing! If you have never had real birch beer or sarsaparilla then you need to make the trek up the highway into Pennsylvania Dutch country and spend the day frolicking around the fair grounds and leave home with some good shoefly pie, apple butter or chow chow (no not the dog you'll have to go there to find out!) make sure you buy yourself a good supply of birch beer on your way out... you can't get anything like it at home!!! read more

Just the best possible way to spend the 4th of July--or really any day in the first week of July. Full disclosure--my parents introduced me to this marvelous festival as exhibitors. I am the Q of HVQ Byrd, and my parents have exhibited at the festival for many years. I heard so many wonderful things about their weeks spent in the hot sun before I was able to visit for myself. That was a few years ago, and my son and I have hoped to return ever since our first visit. This year we finally made a return trip. This year the festival was just as wonderful, and we were so very happy to be there. The Kutztown Folk Festival is filled with animals and quilts and food. There are bits of local life and history everywhere, and it is a wonderful place to bring the family for a day. It is also filled with some of the best in contemporary crafts. Everything from leather work to pewter soldiers, along with kites, jewelry, and clothing. This is a well laid out combination of a country fair and an art show, with everything a family would need to survive a day under the blazing sun. Grab a fresh pressed lemonade or a perfect glass of sarsaparilla, eat funnel cake and bratwurst and pickles on a stick, let the kids spend a few minutes petting the bunnies, Buy yourself a new broom or some beautiful artwork, and have a wonderful time. read more

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We have been coming to this Festival for the past 17 years and have never been as disappointed as we were today. They have lost a good 20% of their Artisans....and from what I weas hearing this was in part due to the substantial increase of what were asking for up front for tent space.... $500.00 plus 15 % of what is sold..... this was up from $100.00 last year...not to mention that women artists are unable to wear anything but clear nail polish???? Really??? Its 2023 and they are Artists...so much for self-expression and the whole essence of what an Artist is...and then found out that they no longer offer the Hanging of Susanna Cox because someone last year had a problem with it??? Cancelling history because it was a bit too uncomfortable......pathetic and scary...They need to rename it to the Kutztown booze fest as we did note a significant increase in wine and liquor booths...and although I do enjoy adult beverages from time to time, Cocktails sure don't scream Folk fest. read more

I've attended this Folk Fest every year for nearly the last decade--and all for the food! My favorite grub spot is Das Wurst Haus. Just visited today and had the new Beer Brat, sandwich style, with onions and peppers. The flavor was so good, I'd go back and eat another tomorrow! For dessert, you have to get the hot apple sundae (just around the corner from Das Wurst Haus.) Hot apple slices, caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream and walnuts topped with whipped cream all served over a fresh, crisp biscuit. YUM. If you visit this festival, you have to have some PA Dutch food. If you stick to safe, you lose. The Folk Fest is also great for antiques, handmade crafts and some (rather interesting) entertainment. (Sheep sheering demo, anyone?) If you want a little something to take home, the festival houses a kick-ass farmers market provided by Dietrich's Meats. I also highly suggest stopping by the maple syrup tent (near the Ox Roast - a must-see! I've yet to taste it, though...) where you can find maple cotton candy. Don't knock it 'til you try it. TIP: Adult admission is $14 - make sure you visit their website before you go! They always offer coupons to print, bringing the ticket price down to $11. read more

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Nice way to spend an afternoon. So much to see, hear, and eat. There are coupons online to save a couple dollars. Parking was actually not bad; I parked for free at the college across the street. Plan to stay for 3-4 hours to really see everything and plan on having lunch there. Dogs were welcome. read more

Our time at the Kutztown Folk Festival got off to a very rocky start, and the majority of this intro is going to be dedicated to why in order to vent. The process of parking was possibly the single-most ridiculous parking experience I have ever experienced. As you enter into the Kutztown area, your GPS will direct you toward the main gates only to be greeted by a seemingly endless line of traffic converging from multiple directions on the main entry gate. The main entry gate can only admit two lines of traffic at once. It is staffed by 4 individuals (two in each lane) who you must pay for admission into the park. This created a MASSIVE bottleneck at the main gate and stacked traffic up as far as the eye could see in two different directions. This is a major oversight and completely idiotic. Nobody wants to sit in a giant line of vehicles to just be admitted to the parking lot. We arrived at our line at 10:05 and didn't get to park until 10:45. I sat in my car with my 5 year old for 40 minutes...just to park. Fortunately for me, my daughter is extremely well-behaved. Sitting in line for even 20 minutes would have sucked...let alone 40! Admission should not happen at the gate. I don't know whose bright idea it was for that to occur the way it did, but it immediately put a damper on a beautiful day, and what we thought we be a good day of family fun. In my opinion, you let everybody park (like every other festival, fair, and park in the world), then collect admission at the 'door'. Then you have more flexibility to run multiple lines of admission, instead of just two. It was complete nonsense. Onto the fair. It was hokey. There was a very large number of shops and food distributors. We had some sausage, which was average. We also had a pretzel, which was good. An orange dreamsicle, which was good. Some lemonade and orange drinka, both also good. Unfortunately, the shops and the vast majority of the vendors sold things that were far less interesting than I had hoped. It is hard for me to quantify what it is I was expecting, but I was expecting to be at least 'tempted' to buy something. There was virtually nothing there that I even glanced twice at - with exception to a couple of good-looking patrons. Overall, I found the experience not to be worth the 1 hour + drive, the 40 minute wait for entry, and the 1 hour + drive back. For 14 dollars of entry (per person) then $5 drinks that had so much ice in them that it was criminal, I feel like I got ripped-off. If you have a family member (like I did) who really wants to go, then go. If you are just looking for something interesting and fun to do, stay home and avoid this festival. It is not geared toward the 0-45 demographic. Maybe if you are 45+ years old and female (like my mother). My mom enjoyed, but everyone else (21 year old, 28, year old, 28 year old, 30 year old, 5 year old, 8 year old, two 40ish year olds) were just counting down the minutes until we could leave, get home, and actually do something fun. read more

As a kid, I always thought this festival was overpriced and kind of silly. Some of the stands are a little less than authentic, shall we say (although I guess it's very Berks County to empty your junk drawer, price it, and then put on a costume and try to make some money). However I have yet to come across another home-town festival with the same amount of history, culture, unique foods, music, dancing, re-enactments, and just so much to see. Pig-roasting and cow-roasting? Quilt Show? Ice cream & waffles? real glass blowing and iron-working? sun dials? Lots of unique and lost crafts and lots to see. A lot more hidden here than you'd think. A very good time to check out (even though the ticket prices are ridiculous). Worth a visit, and bring your walking shoes. read more

We try to attend each year -- it is one of our favorite festivals. It is the day we try to enjoy our guilty pleasures, funnel cakes, orange drink, corn dogs, pickles on a stick -- you get the idea. The vendors and the crafts are great Americana -- everything from homemade jams -- to the amazing quilts. Finally, they have several exhibits going on throughout the day that remind us that everything is not about a computer or phone...great summer activity! read more

The art and craft vendors at the Kutztown Folk Festival are treated terribly by the directors. After working and sweating to make their art/craft, setting up, sitting in the sweletering above 95* heat for 9 hours a day, 9 days in a row, and demonstrating their work, meeting and greeting visitors, you'd think the managers would be a little kinder. Over the last 9 sweltering days, here's my review for crafts people: 1. Be aware that, even if you are working alone, you will get no break support by staff or volunteers. You get reprimanded for eating at your booth. (esp. if it is obviously brought from home, rather than purchased at outrageous prices, since four or five of the food vendors are also owned by one of the directors.) 2. Be aware that NO ONE helps you set up or tear down 3. Be aware that if you park your car for 10 minutes before the festival opens at 9 a.m., to unload more of your craft during the folk fest week, you will not be offered help, just threatened with a ticket, and quite nastily, I might add 4. Be aware that if you are a trooper enough to camp out for the duratio, on the fair grounds, and you take a bottle of cold water earmarked for volunteers (this is after hours, and remember its well over 90*), you will get reprimanded by not one but two festival director, who will proceed to take the water away, and carry on like you just fed babies to monster. 5. Be aware that you sign up to dress in traditional garb, and will demonstrate all day - oh, wait! SOME people don't have to. Rules are for some, not all. 6. Be aware that traditional arts and crafts also includes bins of photographs already matted of universities and colleges; beer taps made out of rocks also seems to constute a traditional craft, as well as a very successful vendor who sells nothing but products Made in China. 7. Be ware that you somehow volunteered to meet lots of groups of girl scouts and brownies throughout the day, so that you can demonstrate your craft, even though you didn't agree to this. 8. Finally, be aware that this is in NO WAY an arts and crafts festival; it is a family fun thing, with some interesting lectures, seminars, live music. They are not coming to buy your wares. 9. Did I mention: Be Aware??? read more

The first time we came was nearly 10 years ago and it was a fun half day of eating , shopping ,crafts etc. Since then we have visited the folk festival 5 or 6 times and it's still the same. I realize to some that tradition is repetitive and mostly the same but this is the 21th century and we deserve more effort to keep coming back again. This year was fatiguing to spend 2 hours here . The food is not very good , the crafts are not native to this area. Most of the crafts are like you would see at any street fair , many are machine made. The fair is stale. Sitting on wet hay to see a show is unacceptable if you are going to charge $14 per person. The public deserves better than paying good money on this outdated festival. The Oley festival is 1000% more authentic and costs nothing to enter. This area has great culture and a weekend visit to the local farmers markets would be a more sincere way of shopping , eating and seeing tradition. Kutztown folk festival is once and done only if you must . The organization that runs this stale old tired festival are not looking for authentic , they seek profits. How do you say jiggs up in Pennsylvania dutch??? read more

I have been to this festival for five consecutive years now. I do the children's (and adult's) hand-cut SILHOUETTE PORTRAITS there. I exhibit in many festivals and art shows and also do them at Disney World. We think Kutztown is one of the best festivals to bring your children to as it is one of the cutest places on earth!! Don't forget to stop by for your silhouette while there....we're located directly across from the famous "Ox Roast"!! read more

For 2 adults to enter cost $28.00 which includes parking. It has been about 5 years since out last visit and the festival has changed, not for the better. A few vendors were actual artists and craftsmen but for the most part it was mass produced junk and t shirts. If thats what your looking for then enjoy. The quilt barn is excellent. There were 3 vendors making brooms. The food is really good, funnel cake, lemonade, etc. Unfortunately, we won't be returning. read more

I first went to the kutztown folk festival thirty years ago and have gone off and on for years.This year I was disappointed by the large number of dealers selling items that looked mass produced. The music was nice but uncomfortably loud. Everything we ate was good but I was hoping for more than good food.The strawberry shortcake was outstanding . read more

The quilts here range from lap to king size the price does not seem to out of line with the work that involved. The food is great and all kinds to choose from had garlic sausage with onions and peppers, then had a great funnel cake lots of power sugar and home made root beer read more

Kutztown Folk Festival - Crafts - Festivals Near Me

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I absolutely love the folk festival. Worked there for years when I was growing up, but I had not been there in 3 years, so glad to have gone back. The food is always great, the people always friendly, and the crafts are great. Bought a new hammock for a reasonable price. The only reason it's not a perfect 5 is that it is a little pricey to get into the festival. I recommend using the coupons that can be found in the paper or around the town to lower the price of getting into the festival. What a wonderful time! read more

Awesome folk festival that is definitely worth traveling to (assuming you are at all interested in crafts/antiques/history/PA Dutch food/drink etc.) I didn't end up buying anything more expensive than sarsparilla and a homemade pickle (whoa, those was great) but the quilts ranged from affordable/novelty to probably heirloom-priced/gorgeous and there was some high-quality furniture and other products being offered pretty much everywhere. I got a kick out of the antique machinery (farm equipment from the 1880s -- favorite was the washing machine) and crafty demonstrations (weaving and glass blowing, to name a few). There was a lecturer, assumedly affiliated with Kutztown University, giving a talk on military history in the area -- wish I'd stayed for that -- and an astonishingly good group of teenage fiddlers performing for an audience of about 200. I regret not trying more of the food. We drove by a Bojangles on the way... can you blame me?? Next year, I will know better. Otherwise I believe we spent about 3 hours just mulling around trying to decide what we would buy if we'd brought more than $10 cash. They do charge admission -- I think it's $16? -- so you better stay for at least two hours to walk down every alley and take the whole place in. P.S. Looking at the pictures.. I'm relieved someone else really enjoyed the petting zoo/bunny pen. My group was about to end me after I dragged them back there for the third time... read more

It's a nice way to spend a summer day with the kids. We bring lunches to save a bit of money. The demonstrations are cool, glass blowing, metal work, etc. Been there several times. read more

This is a nice festival with crafts and food. I understand to pay to get in, they had a lovely singer when walking in the one entrance, but I do think they charge a little too much, because you still have to pay for the food and the crafts. Look for the coupon to get a couple dollars off at least, and park across the street and walk in. It's better than waiting in those lines of cars to get in and park. Not a long walk and the cars start lining up at least an hour ahead of time. I was hoping for more entertainment. The food isn't the cheapest, but it's mostly good, and FYI - the best we had were the pickles on a stick and caramel apples! Yum. read more

Visited the Folk Festival with my wife. Haven't been to the festival for over 40 years. It certainly has grown in size since then, but not necessarily in quality. The various food stands were good and plentiful, and I enjoyed what we had. Took in a talk on hex signs at the Seminar Stage, which I enjoyed very much. The arts and crafts exhibitions were pretty good - really liked the Wheaton ARts Glass blowing demonstration. I guess I was turned off by the over abundance of merchants, many of whom were selling what seemed to me, overpriced junk. It seemed that many were not necessarily local, but rather "professional" fair sellers who just go from festival to festival all over the country selling their stuff, which is not terribly good and definitely over-priced. The clearly local merchants were good and I guess I wish the festival was limited to them. I enjoyed myself more because it was a fun day to be with my wife more than anything the fair had to offer. read more

If you go to the festival and really want to eat a meal that the PA Dutch really would eat you must go to the Zion's Church eatery where it is family style all you can eat. The chicken pot pie is the best. When I go it reminds me of meals at my Grandma's house. read more

Overpriced and in the middle of Nowhere's Ville. $14 to get in to buy over priced hotdogs, sausages and popcorn. They should refund your money if you buy something. Why pay so much to get in to pay so much? Charged $1 per child to go down the slide thing and $5 for a pony ride. By the end of the time there, we'd spent over $40 a head. Also, it's billed as an Amish type crafts festival, but nearly everything is typical American arts and crafts. It takes you another full hour to get to where the real Amish are (Lancaster Co.). On the plus side, parking is free and they have shuttle busses, and the petting zoo and the children's entertainment stage was entertaining and free. However, they are clearly in the business of making money, so bring lots of it if you go! read more

Went on the 7/2 and the weather was perfect! For some reason there was no traffic and the place was only half full which meant access to all the food booths at our leisure. 5th time coming to this event and I enjoyed myself more this year than any in the past. read more