Summer Festival of the Arts returns to YSU’s campus

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Youngstown State University announced the return of its Summer Festival of the Arts to its campus.

The event has been held downtown at Wean Park since 2021 for more space, but YSU President Bill Johnson wanted the university to engage with the community more in different areas, and one idea was bringing the premier arts festival back to campus.

“We are excited to bring the Summer Festival of the Arts back to its home at YSU,” Johnson said in a news release from YSU. “Returning to the campus not only honors the festival’s rich history but also enhances the experience for both artists and attendees from throughout our region. We look forward to another year of celebrating creativity and community on our beautiful campus.”

Shannon Tirone, associate vice president for university relations, said Johnson brought a small together to figure out how to bring the festival back to campus.

“We laid it out and here it is,” Tirone said.

The Summer Festival of the Arts started in 1998. It was on campus every year until 2019. There was no festival in 2020 and then it moved to Wean Park. It thrived but lacked the atmosphere of campus to showcase the event.

“But you are going to smell the french fries and the corn dogs and the sausage, along with, you know, walking and seeing all of the artists, along with all of our live entertainment, too. And so we want to bring all of that back,” Tirone said.

The festival will feature a vibrant array of artists, performances, and interactive activities across the YSU campus and will maintain its status as a juried event, ensuring that all participating artists are carefully selected. The return to campus enhances the experience.

“Working with our college, with the creative arts, with our dean, with all of their team members, in being able to bring those artists back here, too. It’s also something great for our students to be able to engage and then again, to bring people to campus,” Tirone said.

The 27th festival will be held July 12-13. It routinely features close to 100 artists and brings thousands of people out for the event. It’s free and open to everyone.

“The first year may not be as big and as awesome as we remember from 2019. It’s going to take some building to get back to that level, but that’s our goal,” Tirone said.

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