On Saturday, July 23rd, Manchester-by-the-Sea’s beautiful downtown village will be teeming with the displays and tents of over a hundred hand-selected Artists and Artisans, offering authentic, original, hand-made creations.  This year’s selection of Artists is better than ever, with an amazing variety of new participants, as well as some favorites who show up year after year.  Painters, sculptors, potters, jewelers and makers of clothing and accessories will all converge upon our little town, presenting their finest recent works. 

The festival will be located throughout the streets of Manchester, down to Reed Park and into Harbor’s Point plaza.  Downtown retailers will be bringing merchandise outdoors, in sidewalk-sale tradition as well. Great food will be offered by all of Manchester’s restaurants, and the Manchester Firemen will do their traditional Seaside Grill, with proceeds to benefit the Seaside Firemen’s Scholarship Fund… a great cause fed by awesome eats.  Music will be provided all day long by roving musicians as well as from the steps of town hall.   And of course, a full program of free children’s activities will be offered, with a watercolor workshop located at the harbor’s edge in Reed Park, organized by the Cape Ann Museum, and a t-shirt painting studio for budding young Artisans will be located in front of Nor’east Frameworks.  

We can be found in our usual spot at Reed Park (the small grassy park  next to the railroad tracks) and we’ll have some faboulous specials including a chance to win a $500 portrait package. 

Please be sure to mark your calendars and invite your family and friends to visit, as this is an event not to be missed!

Additional highlights are the Library’s annual book sale, the Firemen’s Association cook-out, merchants’ tables on the sidewalks, and special Festival menus offered by the local restaurants. Festival co-chairs Chuck Hayback of Nor’East Frameworks and Joan White of Beach Street Studio have directed the efforts of an incredibly hard-working committee in creating this new Cape Ann arts event. Additional information and entertainment schedule.