With two days of sunny weather and comfortable temperatures in the 70s, the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival drew large crowds over the weekend of September 17-18. Festival Chair Barbara Snyder said this week that while no final numbers are in, she thought there were 4,000 to 5,000 attendees this year.
Giant puppets, jugglers, and tight wire walkers from Circus Moves, Matica Arts and Sova Dance & Puppet Theater all took center stage when Newtown Arts Festival, now in its tenth year, returned to the large playing fields at Fairfield Hills.
“Circus Moves and Matica brought a fun, circus-like atmosphere to the festival, complete with aerial acts,” said Snyder. “This is the kind of atmosphere that we wanted to create — very interactive with the crowds.”
The festival offered more than 60 artisans, music all day long, food trucks, a beer and wine garden, performers from all fields of the arts, and free arts/crafts activities for kids of all ages.
Glass artists, jewelers, photographers, fine crafters, potters, fabric artists and others filled up all of this year’s available openings in Artisan Alley.
Snyder called the event a “great success.”
“Some people told me it was the nicest festival they’ve ever been to,” she added.
The goal, she said, was to offer things that no other arts festival does, to create a “unique experience.”
“We’re very ambitious,” said Snyder, who noted that she felt the Newtown Arts Festival is the “premier arts festival in the state.”
Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.
Thousands of people responded to the invitation to join a team of volunteers and dozens of vendors at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival, presented at Fairfield Hills last weekend. Artisans, ongoing performances, multiple arts and crafts offerings, food trucks and vendors, a beer and wine garden, and beautiful weather all combined on September 17-18 to make what Festival Chair Barbara Snyder deemed “a great success.” Local music lovers also had the opportunity to visit Edmond Town Hall on September 16 for the kickoff event, a performance by Amy Helm. See page A-9 for additional photos and a recap of the festival. —Bee Photo, Taylor
Joel Meledez, of Matica Arts, juggles while riding a unicycle to the amusement of Adam LeWinter and his son, Roux, 2, of Middlebury, at the Newtown Arts Festival on September 18.
—Bee Photo, Taylor
Lily Plumber (left) and Emily Braun, both 15 and of Newtown, share a snack at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival. —Bee Photo, Taylor
Dancers from Station Dance Academy of Newtown perform at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival on September 17. —Bee Photo, Taylor
Chris Dougherty, a blacksmithing teacher at Brookfield Craft Center, shows off his trade at the Newtown Arts Festival on September 18. —Bee Photo, Taylor
Children try out a number of activities offered by Circus Moves of Bethel, at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival on September 17.
—Bee Photo, Taylor
Melissa Kascak of Newtown watches her sons, Geoffrey, 9, and Eddie, 7, participate in a weaving activity offered by Weaving Newtown at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival on September 18. —Bee Photo, Taylor
Two Newtown girls get their faces painted at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival on September 18. —Bee Photo, Taylor
Performers from Circus Moves at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival.
—Marleen Cafarelli/Photo & Video Art Works
Dancers from Dance Etc of Newtown, one of a number of dance companies that performed at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival. —Marleen Cafarelli/Photo & Video Art Works
Two puppeteers from Sova Dance and Puppet Theater at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival.
—Marleen Cafarelli/Photo & Video Art Works
Performers from Connecticut Dance perform Beauty and the Beast at the 2022 Newtown Arts Festival.
—Marleen Cafarelli/Photo & Video Art Works
