Kutztown Folk Festival 2020

In the summer of 1950, three of America’s leading folklorists presented the first Kutztown Folk Festival using a unique hands-on approach that let “outsiders” experience firsthand what it means to be part of a Pennsylvania Dutch family. Key to the event’s success was the ability of the festival’s “founding fathers” to organize the area’s local citizens and coordinate their participation in the festival. These were not actors, but actual Pennsylvania Dutch natives demonstrating their everyday way of life.

In the summer of 1950, three of America’s leading folklorists presented the first Kutztown Folk Festival using a unique hands-on approach that let “outsiders” experience firsthand what it means to be part of a Pennsylvania Dutch family. Key to the event’s success was the ability of the festival’s “founding fathers” to organize the area’s local citizens and coordinate their participation in the festival. These were not actors, but actual Pennsylvania Dutch natives demonstrating their everyday way of life.

Nearly 25,000 people descended on Kutztown that first year. What started as a four-day showcase during the Fourth of July week quickly grew to nine days drawing well over 130,000 attendees. Multiple generations of the same families continue to present and participate at the festival; likewise, many generations of attendees visit the festival each year.

Today, one can still find traditional craftsmen at the festival demonstrating the skills and tools that helped build this great country. Farming and folklife demonstrations abound throughout the grounds. The phrase “eat till ya ouch” still has great meaning as fabulous Pennsylvania Dutch food continues to tempt visitors. The sounds of square dancing jiggers and folk music fill the air, while children try their hand at many of the activities geared just to them. Of course, the pageantry and symbols of Pennsylvania Dutch culture such as quilts and barn stars still catch the eye of all who attend.

The Kutztown Folk Festival is the oldest continuously operated folklife festival in America. This nine-day event continues to draw visitors from all over the world, entertaining families while providing valuable insight into the traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch and their fascinating way of life. Children’s activities abound and admission is free for children 12 and under. The festival also houses the largest quilt sale in America and has an internationally attended Quilt Auction of top prize-winning quilts.

At the Kutztown Folk Festival, a visitor experiences more music, more entertainment, more fun, and far less work than they would in a Pennsylvania Dutch household. But the purpose of the festival is still fulfilled, as evidenced by the continued participation of the local Pennsylvania Dutch community as well as many of the foremost experts and scholars of this fascinating microcosm of America. This unusual nine-day festival had been featured twice in National Geographic and has been called “one of the most unique festivals on the East coast” by the Washington Post, with good reason.

The Kutztown Folk Festival is the oldest continuously operated folklife festival in America. This nine-day event continues to draw visitors from all over the world, entertaining families while providing valuable insight into the traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch and their fascinating way of life. Children’s activities abound and admission is free for children 12 and under. The festival also houses the largest quilt sale in America and has an internationally attended Quilt Auction of top prize-winning quilts.

At the Kutztown Folk Festival, a visitor experiences more music, more entertainment, more fun, and far less work than they would in a Pennsylvania Dutch household. But the purpose of the festival is still fulfilled, as evidenced by the continued participation of the local Pennsylvania Dutch community as well as many of the foremost experts and scholars of this fascinating microcosm of America. This unusual nine-day festival had been featured twice in National Geographic and has been called “one of the most unique festivals on the East coast” by the Washington Post, with good reason.

We have five stages of entertainment with seating, as well as ample seating in food areas and around the grounds. We have either a bench or a hay bale for seating about every 30 feet.

Our bathrooms are permanent facilities in buildings and are clean and freshly painted each year. They are kept clean by porters throughout the day. There are handicapped-accessible bathrooms on the side of the Quilt Barn, as well as two handicapped port-a-johns in front of our other two main bathroom facilities.

The festival is senior-friendly, but there is a lot of walking, albeit most of it flat. We have wheelchairs or electric scooters that you can rent by the day or half-day.

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