City: Gettysburg, PA

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Telephone: (717) 334-0853

Description: This 10-day arts festival encompassing visual arts, dance, theater, culinary arts, children’s events, and music debuted in 2008 and was immediately named by the prestigious American Bus Association as one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2009. Nearly 16,000 people attended the festival in 2008, which hosted a total of 85 arts-related events and more than 850 artists and performers. The annual Gettysburg Brass Band Festival, which has been held in town since 1997, is now part of this larger festival, where you can also enjoy cabaret, chamber, choral, jazz, and orchestral music. All programming at the event is American-themed and celebrates America’s contributions to the arts. Works by iconic American artists as well as innovative modern talents are highlighted in venues throughout town, including the Majestic Theater, the Historic Gettysburg Train Station, Lincoln Square, and Gettysburg College. The college is the site of the festival’s main stage, and many festivalgoers bring picnics and lawn chairs or blankets so they can spread out on the shady lawn next to historic Pennsylvania Hall and enjoy the festivities all day long. Many events are free and open to the public; others require tickets, which are available through the Majestic Theater Box Office, 25 Carlisle Street, (717) 337-8200.