The 6th Annual Trenton Avenue Arts Festival will take place on Saturday, May 21st, 2011 from 12 noon to 5 PM. (This is a sprinkle or shine event). In the event of nasty weather- the Fest will be held the next day on May 22nd.
This year’s festival will again feature the incredible 5th Annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby. Last year, the festival attracted 5000+ attendees to 150+ booths. The Trenton Avenue Arts Festival (TAAF) celebrates our incredible mix of local artists, musicians, and eateries. It raises funds for wonderful neighborhood projects and revitalization and is held on Trenton Avenue (between E. Norris Street and Frankford Avenue at York Street), a wide-open cobblestone street that has been part of Kensington’s rich creative history for over a hundred years.
All artists, vendors, musicians, organizations, and eateries are welcome to apply. To register and for more information visit http://trentonaveartsfest.blogspot.com/
- Food vendors should contact Lisa Benigni at lmbenigni [at] gmail [dot] com for details about vending
- Civic / Community Groups should contact Tamara Leone at tvleone [at] gmail [dot] com for details about having a table
- Musicians should contact Jayme Guokas at jguokas [at] gmail [dot] com for details about playing
- For information about the derby, which is hosted by the New Kensington CDC, visit: www.kinetickensington.org
Please email us at eknaartsfest [at] gmail [dot] com if you have any other questions or would like to volunteer and be sure to check out our Facebook Page HERE
2011 TAAF Sponsors
History of EKNA’s Trenton Avenue Arts Festival
The first annual Trenton Ave. Arts Festival was held in summer 2006 by the members of EKNA as a way of raising funds for neighborhood projects and revitalization. The fest celebrates the large artist community here and around town.
Philadelphia is striving to become the amazing city that we know it can be. This event highlights the energy of East Kensington that is bringing Philadelphia closer to its destiny.
The community embraced the idea and the 2006 Festival was a huge success. Over 50 eclectic vendors sold their work ranging from pottery and glass to jewelry and screen printed shirts. There was some great food and our own Brewery supplied their delicious specialty. 2007, 2008, and 2009 brought even greater successes with huge attendance. EKNA collaborated with the NKCDC to add the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby to the fest. Other cities like Baltimore have been hardcore about their sculpture derbies for years, and now Philadelphia has earned its place.
The 2010 Fest grew to include nearly 150 artists, more food and more music for an audience of over 5,000 people through the day. This year EKNA is honored to have well known music organizer Steve Tobin of Fire Museum curating the Festival music along with curating help from Jayme Guokas- founder of Snow Fairies/Men in Fur/Umlaut/and Prince Rainbow.
Our area is home to all kinds of art forms and creativity, we even have shops that restore vintage/eclectic cars and motorcycles. The Arts Festival is open up to anyone with a creative energy. All forms of art and passion are invited to display and/or sell- including 2-d fine arts, sculpture, installation, handmade items, crafts, metal-works, antiques, art related items, furnishings, jewelry and onward. Creative businesses, or arts related enterprise are encouraged to have a presence at the fest.
The Arts Festival is held on Trenton Avenue , a wide-open cobble stone street that intersects Frankford Avenue at York St. * Trenton Avenue has been part of the rich history of Kensington’s creative energy for over a hundred years. The Festival continues the tradition and showcases where the old and new intersect in this special section of the City.
