{"id":238334,"date":"2026-07-08T12:10:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T12:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/238334\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T12:10:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T12:10:15","slug":"where-to-park-and-eat-at-peoples-choice-festival-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/238334\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to park and eat at People\u2019s Choice festival in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Visitors<\/p>\n

Visitors browse the artist booths at the People\u2019s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania on Friday, July 13, 2018, at the Pennsylvania Military Museum.<\/p>\n

Abby Drey<\/p>\n

Centre Daily Times, file<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/p>\n

Centre County festival weekend 2026<\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s that time of year in Centre County \u2014 tents, food trucks and stages are popping up for events like the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and the People\u2019s Choice Festival. Find full coverage below.\n <\/p>\n

Expand All<\/p>\n

One of central Pennsylvania\u2019s premier summer festivals is back in Boalsburg.<\/p>\n

The People\u2019s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania, proudly marketed as central Pennsylvania\u2019s annual \u201chomegrown festival,\u201d kicks off this week. The event is making its long-awaited return to the Pennsylvania Military Museum grounds<\/a>, where it was located for decades before moving to Centre Hall in 2022.<\/p>\n

People\u2019s Choice\u2019s return to Boalsburg was made possible by coordinated efforts with the museum<\/a>, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and Harris Township. The festival arrives back in Boalsburg as organizers work to combat declines in attendance and engagement over the four summers spent at Centre Hall\u2019s Grange Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur home is at the Pennsylvania Military Museum,\u201d co-director John Madison said in February. \u201cThat\u2019s where it started, that\u2019s where it should be, and that\u2019s where the public seems to want it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s festival, which stretches from July 9-12, will feature more than 100 Pennsylvania artisans, food options, live entertainment and activities for the whole family. Whether you\u2019re returning as a longtime People\u2019s Choice veteran or planning your first visit, here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

When is the festival?<\/p>\n

The 32nd annual People\u2019s Choice festival kicks off Thursday, July 9, and wraps up Sunday, July 12.<\/p>\n

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before reducing hours to 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\"Frank Frank LaMartina works on a piece of an owl in his booth at the People\u2019s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg on Friday, July 12, 2019. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com Parking and shuttle service<\/p>\n

Before you can enjoy People\u2019s Choice\u2019s return to Boalsburg, you\u2019ll need to get there.<\/p>\n

Festival organizers hope guests will park at the two large lots on the military museum\u2019s grounds, as a portion of the proceeds generated from those lots directly benefit People\u2019s Choice. Parking in those lots costs $10 per day.<\/p>\n

This year, a shuttle service will run from State College to help guests reach the military museum\u2019s grounds. The shuttle, which connects to the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, will pick up for People\u2019s Choice on the corner of East Beaver Avenue and Pugh Street and at the Bryce Jordan Center.<\/p>\n

Shuttle service is available only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Buses will arrive roughly every 30 minutes on Thursday and Friday and approximately every 15 minutes on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Homegrown art<\/p>\n

Each year, People\u2019s Choice exclusively features Pennsylvania-based artists. Nearly 200 creators and vendors are expected to present and sell their goods at this summer\u2019s festival, according to its website.<\/p>\n

You can visit peopleschoicefestival.com\/art<\/a> to take a look at some of this year\u2019s registered artisans in a wide range of mediums and styles, including clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, photography and wood. Additionally, the festival offers an online directory of contact information for artists who participated in past events<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"This This map shows the layout planned for this year\u2019s People\u2019s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Military Museum grounds in Boalsburg. Provided Food and drink<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be hard-pressed to go hungry while strolling the festival grounds this week.<\/p>\n

Twenty-one standard concessions vendors are slated to serve guests at separate food courts on the eastern and western sides of the museum grounds. These options include traditional Snyder\u2019s Concessions options, plus local favorites like BBQ by Clem, Miller\u2019s Tropical Sno, Rosie\u2019s Pierogies and Pasti Bella, which recently took over the deli counter at McLanahan\u2019s Downtown Market<\/a> in downtown State College.<\/p>\n

Additionally, 20 specialty vendors, including local favorites like Tait Farms and Inside Out Cookie, will offer a wide range of gourmet treats and goods, including hot sauces, roasted nuts and fudge. Nine Pennsylvania-based wineries will also offer samples and full bottles of reds, whites and specialty wines.<\/p>\n

Visit peopleschoicefestival.com\/food<\/a> to see the full roster of this year\u2019s vendors.<\/p>\n

\"Visitors Visitors walk by the art at the People\u2019s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg on Friday, July 12, 2019. Abby Drey Centre Daily Times, file Live music and entertainment<\/p>\n

No visit to People\u2019s Choice would be complete without a huge lineup of local bands, artists and entertainers to keep crowds entertained.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a brief look at this year\u2019s entertainment schedule, available online at peopleschoicefestival.com\/music<\/a>. Each act will perform at a main stage on the eastern side of the museum grounds.<\/p>\n

Thursday, July 9<\/p>\n

Jay T. Vonada Quarter \u2014 11 a.m.Sleepwalker \u2014 12:30 p.m.Honey Pie \u2014 2 p.m.FREE RANGE \u2014 3:30 p.m.Felix and the Hurricanes \u2014 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Friday, July 10<\/p>\n

State College Rock Camp \u2014 11 a.m.Jeff Gibble, Zeb Crews & Zach Humphreys \u2014 12:30 p.m.Area 38 \u2014 2 p.m.JR Mangan Band (featuring Veronica) \u2014 3:30 p.m.The Coal Aly Band \u2014 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Saturday, July 11<\/p>\n

Miss Melanie & Groove Society \u2014 11 a.m.Tommy Wareham & The Intrigues \u2014 12:30 p.m.A ROCK SHOW \u2014 2 p.m.The Deacons of Dixieland \u2014 3:30 p.m.Best Friend\u2019s Girl \u2014 America\u2019s Favorite Cars Experience \u2014 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Sunday, July 12<\/p>\n

Nittany Baptist Church \u2014 9:30 a.m.Ms. Margot\u2019s Music \u2014 11 a.m.Tussey Mountain Moonshiners \u2014 12:30 p.m.Heather Olson & The Silver Eagle Band (Tribute to Patsy Cline)Family-friendly activities<\/p>\n

There will be plenty for the festival\u2019s youngest guests this summer, including bounce houses, balloon animals, a petting zoo and a hands-on science museum.<\/p>\n

For the second year in a row, People\u2019s Choice will celebrate Christmas in July inside a dedicated tent near the center of the museum grounds. There, guests can see a decorated holiday display, marvel at falling \u201csnow\u201d and even visit with Santa Claus ahead of the winter rush.<\/p>\n

People\u2019s Choice will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a \u201cRed, White & Blue Day\u201d on Saturday. The first 1,000 festival attendees will receive free American flags, with other giveaways set to follow. Additional festivities planned include family-friendly activities, a large-scale flag ceremony and the cutting of a huge cake baked by Centre Hall\u2019s Delectable Delights by Heather<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Hannah Hannah Black uses a drop spindle to spin yarn alongside the Centre Spinners at the People\u2019s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg on Friday, July 12, 2019. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com About People\u2019s Choice<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2019s homegrown festival can trace its roots back to 1993, when a group of local artists sought to create an alternative to the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in State College. Today, People\u2019s Choice remains committed to exclusively featuring Pennsylvania artists and vendors.<\/p>\n

People\u2019s Choice celebrated its 30th festival in 2024. It annually attracts more than 110,000 guests across four days each summer, organizers say.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Centre Daily Times<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Visitors browse the artist booths at the People\u2019s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania on Friday, July 13, 2018, at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-238334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}