People’s Choice turns 30 this year. Don’t miss out on these vendors, food and live music

The peak of Happy Valley’s summer season is in full swing, and the People’s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania is just a few days away.

Central Pennsylvania’s annual “homegrown festival” returned in 2022 following a brief pandemic-prompted hiatus. Now, it’s back to continue promoting the commonwealth’s artists and vendors while offering plenty of food, live entertainment and family fun.

Whether you’re planning your annual trip or considering stopping by for the first time, here’s what you need to know about the 2024 People’s Choice Festival.

When is the festival?

This year’s People’s Choice Festival begins Thursday, July 11 and wraps up Sunday, July 14. Festival hours will run on the following schedule:

• 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 11
• 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, July 12
• 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 13
• Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 14

How do I get there? Where can I park and camp?

The People’s Choice Festival now calls the Grange Park in Centre Hall home after previously setting up at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg for decades.

To reach the fairgrounds’ entrance, head for 149 Homan Lane in Centre Hall off of Route 45. There, volunteers will direct you to the best available lot.

Parking is free this year in recognition of the People’s Choice Festival’s 30th anniversary. In lieu of paying a fee, guests should consider bringing nonperishable food items to donate to local food banks, festival organizers say.

Admission to the festival itself is also free.

Camping is also available at this year’s festival, with fees ranging from $52 to $57.20 per night depending on the size of your vehicle. You can make a reservation by calling 814-380-1893. Visit grangefair.com/peoples-choice to read up on camping rules and guidelines.

Artistry takes center stage

Nearly 200 Pennsylvania-based artists are expected to present their work and sell items at this year’s People’s Choice Festival.

Visit peopleschoicefestival.com/art online to browse this year’s participants and filter selections by medium or category from the drop-down menu. Popular products and mediums include baskets, clay, glass, jewelry, leather, wood and more.

Hoping to connect with an artist who visited People’s Choice in the past? Visit peopleschoicefestival.com/art/past-artists to browse an online directory of artists who participated in a previous festival, along with their contact information.

Finding some grub and washing it down

If you work up an appetite while exploring People’s Choice, don’t fret. There’s plenty to eat and drink throughout the fairgrounds.

Dozens of food vendors are scheduled to serve guests at two food courts organized on the east and west ends of the festival grounds. Available dining options include traditional festival favorites like kettle corn and funnel cakes to more filling options such as barbecue, pierogies and crab cakes.

Additionally, roughly a dozen “specialty food” vendors will offer their own goods out of individual tents on the fairgrounds’ eastern side and a collective tent on the western side. Notable options include handmade dog treats from Whisker Biscuits, freeze-dried candy from Gone Glacier, gourmet fudge from Chocolate Moonshine Bars and gourmet popcorn from King Krunch.

You can browse this year’s full lineup of food vendors online by visiting peopleschoice.com/food and peopleschoicefestival.com/specialty-food .

This year’s People’s Choice Festival will also feature offerings from 10 alcoholic beverage booths , including a few from Centre County. The following vendors are scheduled to host a booth at this summer’s festival:

• Deep Roots Hard Cider
• Happy Valley Vineyard & Winery
• Hawstone Hollow Winery
• Hungry Run Wine Cellars LLC
• KingView Mead, Wine, Cider
• Mason Dixon Distillery
• Punx Ciderworx
• Seven Mountains Wine Cellars
• Starr Hill Vineyard and Winery
• University Wine Company

Live music and entertainment

If hundreds of artists and dozens of food vendors aren’t enough to keep you busy, People’s Choice has plenty of live entertainment to offer.

Here’s a brief overview of the schedule, available online at peopleschoicefestival.com/music . Each act is scheduled to play at the performance stage located near the middle of the festival’s fairgrounds.

Thursday, July 11

• Group Therapy — 10:30 a.m.
• Stars in Sapphire — Noon
• Western Range — 1:30 p.m.
• The Dance Loft — 3 p.m.
• CODE:BLUE — 4:30 p.m.
• U245 (tribute to U2) — 6:30 p.m.

Friday, July 12

• State College Rock Camp — 10:30 a.m.
• Jeff Gibble, Zeb Crews and Zach Humphreys — Noon
• JR Mangan Band featuring Veronica — 1:30 p.m.
• The Make Mine Country Band — 3 p.m.
• The Deacons of Dixieland — 4:30 p.m.
• Joe Bonson & Coffee Run (tribute to George Jones) — 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 13

• Free Range — 10:30 a.m.
• Caryn Dixon — Noon
• A ROCK SHOW — 1:30 p.m.
• Chiz Rider — 3 p.m.
• Jimmy Mowery as seen on “The Voice” — 4:30 p.m.
• Radio Petty and the Chart Toppers (tribute to Tom Petty) — 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 14

• Centre Hall Council of Churches — 10:30 a.m.
• Kick the Footlights — Noon
• The Coal Aly Band — 1:30 p.m.
• Joy Marie and the Gill St. Band — 3 p.m.

Children’s activities

People’s Choice will offer plenty of activities for younger festival attendees throughout the weekend.

Highlights of this year’s schedule include a youth artists’ sale, a hands-on science museum, balloon animals, bounce houses and slides, face painting and more. You can find a full list of activities online at peopleschoicefestival.com/kids .

People’s Choice turns 30

In recognition of the 30th People’s Choice Festival, guests can visit a special “memory tent” commemorating the occasion. The tent is expected to feature photos and memorabilia from the past few decades.

Stop by the tent around 2 p.m. Saturday to see organizers cut a special 30th-anniversary cake courtesy of Delectable Delights in Centre Hall.

A commemorative 30th-anniversary tote bag will be available at the festival’s information booth, organizers say.

Although the 30th People’s Choice Festival is about to begin, the annual event can trace its roots back a little farther than just three decades.

Back in 1993, local artists sought to create an alternative to the ever-popular Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts hosted in State College. People’s Choice, instead hosted in Boalsburg and now Centre Hall, would help accommodate artists who were not included in Arts Fest.

People’s Choice has grown significantly since its inception. Today, it continues to exclusively feature Pennsylvania vendors and entertainers.

The festival attracts more than 110,000 guests across each summer’s four-day event period, People’s Choice organizers say.