The weekend of Nov. 15-17 marked the 48th annual Harvest Festival, the largest indoor art festival on the west coast. With 9 shows and 230-330 exhibitors, the festival boasts 24,000 handmade items. The event also has live entertainment, food, and a zone for younger kids to stay while parents shop.
The art show features all types of art in all different styles and price ranges.
“Guests can shop from items like original art, jewelry, clothing, blown glass, specialty food, toys, decor and much more,” says the official press release. “Attendees can visit with each artist, get items personalized, and learn firsthand about each product they purchase.”
Festival representative Liz Rosinski spoke of the show’s numbers.
“Our attendance reaches anywhere from ten to twelve thousand people throughout the three days,” Rosinski said. “Our demographic tends to be women age 30 to 65. That’s kind of our sweet spot that’s who kind of has money to come shop.”
The show offers a more personal touch to an impersonal age, allowing for more face-to-face interaction.
“[I like] interacting with people. I don’t think we have enough of that anymore,” said Melody, a jewelry exhibitor at the show. “I think everybody’s staring at their phones and we need more personal contact with one another.”
Live music and food are also large parts of the festival.
“We wanted to have a full experience for people, so it’s not just shopping, we have a whole food court, we have a kid zone, and entertainment,” Rosinski said. “So they’ll [shoppers] come, they’ll shop a couple aisles, want to take a break, hear some music, watch a show, go back to shopping, have something to eat.”
It also attracts people from all over, from big artists to small independent artists. Sondra Piorek is the CEO and partner for Kate Mesta Jewelry.
“We do a lot of celebrity events. We have over 5,000 celebrities wearing our jewelry. We love coming and talking to each person and sharing our story, them telling us their story, and it feels special,” Piorek said. “One day we’ll be on the Emmys red carpet, and the next we’ll be at the Harvest Festival.”
This year marked the first year of the Maker’s Market, a spot for smaller artists.
“One of the biggest highlights is this section is new … It’s an area where kind of more up and coming indie artists … not into big craft shows yet or don’t have enough product for a big booth [so they can showcase their art],” Rosinski said. “We give them a smaller space at a smaller, discounted rate and it kind of allows us to help support more smaller artists.”
“I spend a lot of time playing music, and I’ve been a photographer for two years,” said sophomore Nico Paoli. “I didn’t hear about the art festival very much at all.”
Rita Milone of Rita Milone Art remarked on the involvement of teens in the arts.
“I think that there should be a space for young people, specifically like, young creative people, to be able to showcase their work.” Milone said. “Also to participate and volunteer, I think that would be awesome because the younger you get started the more likely you’re going to be successful.”
The event brought fun for all those who attended and was a great experience. The Harvest Festival is expected to be back around the same time next year and will have many of the same attractions.
