BENNINGTON — The 26th Annual Mayfest Arts and Crafts Festival, Downtown Bennington’s signature event, returns to town for this annual rite of spring.
Main, School and Pleasant streets will be closed to vehicle traffic and filled with over 95 vendors offering juried crafts and specialty food on May 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public, with free parking downtown.
There will be many different types of live performances throughout the day on four separate stages, including the Thomson Family Stage in Merchants Park, a trailer stage in front of Knapps, a stage in the lot of Lucky Dragon, and a spot on Main Street off of Silver. The artists performing are No Rules Music, Immune Friction, Dualiti, Hidden Angel, Linda Allard, the Crossover Cloggers, Hale Mountain Pickers, Ray Gifford, Stephanie Avienu, Anne Marie and Veronica Jarvis, Homer’s Odyssey, The Throwbacks, and the Andris Berry Band.
There will also be children’s activities, live demos and much more.
Artisans will offer a wide range of products, from handmade jewelry, clothing, sculpture, baskets, carvings and paintings, to gifts, specialty food items, and more. Food vendors include such treats as Jamaican and Southwestern cuisine, fried dough, fresh squeezed lemonade, and cotton candy. New this year is the Young Entrepreneurs Corner where vendors aged 13 and under will peddle their wares.
Many of the Main Street businesses will be offering special activities and deals throughout the day, and some restaurants will be serving their own specialties.
The Girls Varsity Tennis Team is committed to perform community service and clean up at the end of the event. Volunteers are still needed; email Jenny at events@betterbennington.com. If you are interested in fiscally sponsoring Mayfest, email Jeanne at operations@betterbennington.com.
Finally, we look forward to introducing our new app, Distrix, that serves America’s Main Street organizations. Entertainment schedules and vendor lists and locations will be available on this app.
For more information, contact the Better Bennington Corporation at 802-681-5625 or events@betterbennington.com.
