Arts Festival, Bucks County Classic This Weekend In Doylestown

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — The biggest weekend of the year is coming to Doylestown on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 9 and 10 with a double-header of arts and professional cycling.

The Doylestown Arts Festival returns to the streets of the borough for its 32nd year on both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And the Bucks County Classic rides into town for its 19th time on Sunday, Sept. 10, speeding its way around the arts festival grounds.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Discover Doylestown will kick off the weekend on Saturday by bringing more than 160 independent artists to the streets of the town in addition to dozens of local and regional bands and entertainment acts that will perform across five outdoor stages as part of the two-day arts festival.

Live activities and interactive demonstrations will take place throughout the weekend, including live wheel-thrown pottery, rock cairn balancing, glass blowing, and plein air art, where visitors can watch as an artist creates a piece of art right before their eyes.

Tents lining Main and State streets at the Doylestown Arts Festival. (Discover Doylestown)

“The Doylestown Arts Festival is pure Doylestown," said Doylestown Borough Mayor Noni West. "I am grateful to Discover Doylestown, the artists, the musicians, and the many volunteers who make this outstanding event a reality each year."

This year a number of new artists and performers will be joining the lineup, adding a fresh new look to the festival, according to Paul Boger, who is co-chairing the festival with his wife, Kris.

"We're going to have everything from photography to pottery, wood, metalwork, jewelers, 3-D media, and glassware," said Boger. "What you're going to find are fine arts and fine crafts that are both functional and artistic works in a wide variety of mediums."

As one of the largest free-to-attend arts festivals in southeastern Pennsylvania, the Doylestown Arts Festival is all about making the arts more accessible to the public by bringing art, music, and a variety of the region's cultural destinations and organizations onto the street for all to experience and enjoy, said Boger.

In addition, he said it serves as an introduction to visitors from near and far to Discover Doylestown, including the town's well-known cultural scene and its many shops, services and restaurants.

"The idea is to let people explore the festival and while they are doing that they're exploring the town," said Boger. "They're going to see their favorite vendors in addition to some they might not have expected.

"The scale of the music and arts that we have, both in terms of quantity and quality of talent, is impressive," adds Boger. "It's a very unique type of event in terms of what people can expect. There's a huge variety and all types of artistic works. Getting to experience that all in a street festival and in a town like Doylestown is exciting."

On Sunday, the festival returns to the streets for a second full day of showcasing the arts along with the Bucks County Classic, with professional bike riders whipping through the streets of town around the festival area.

The Bucks County Classic

The race is a criterium, a uniquely American style of bicycle racing where participants complete short fast laps on a closed circuit course. The course in Doylestown has been called one of the hardest in the country and most unique as it winds through business and residential areas and circles the Doylestown Arts Festival.

Ron Short crosses the finish line. (Bucks County Classic)

The day's schedule runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes USA Cycling-sanctioned races for professionals and amateurs as well as options for community participation during the Jarrett Vaughan Builders Kids Races, Brompton Burst, and Bucks County Herald Ride the Course. Preregistration is open until Friday, September 8 via BikeReg https://www.bikereg.com/bucks-county-classic Day of registration is also available for all categories.

Race Day Schedule

• 9:10 AM Masters 45+ USA Cycling Category 1-4
• 9:55 AM Amateur Women USA Cycling Category 3/4
• 10:35 AM Amateur Men USA Cycling Category ⅔
• 11:25 AM Brompton Burst
• 11:30 AM The Bucks County Herald Ride the Course
• 12:05 PM Doylestown Health Pro Women USA Cycling Category Pro/1/2
• 1:10 PM Jarrett Vaughan Builders Kids Races
• 1:50 PM Thompson Pro Men USA Cycling Category Pro/1/2

In addition to the races, the day includes an expo area with local businesses on Main Street between Court Street and State Street and team tents and vendors on the lawn of the Bucks County Administration Building, including Endo Coffee and Athletic Brewing Company as well as lawn games and a Kids Course thanks to Marshall Financial Group.

For additional information, visit www.buckscountyclassic.com

Bucks County Classic Race Day Map.

The 2023 Bucks County Classic is made possible by the support of the Thompson Organization, Doylestown Health, Eastburn and Gray, the Borough of Doylestown, Singlecare, Marshall Financial Group, Hepatitis B Foundation, Baruch S Blumberg Institute, Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, Doylestown Health Foundation, Bucks County Tourism Grant Program, Verge Sport, Jarrett Vaughan Builders, C&N Bank, Terrain, UNDRBUDR, Bike Works, Millham Insurance, Encore Rides and Bridge Acupuncture.

The Doylestown Arts Festival is made possible by a small volunteer committee of Discover Doylestown and is presented by the Thompson Organization. For more information about this year’s festival, visit dtownartsfestival.com