People’s Choice returns to Boalsburg. Your guide to food, parking, music & more in 2026
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- People’s Choice runs July 9–12 at Boalsburg’s Pennsylvania Military Museum.
- Nearly 200 Pennsylvania-based creators and vendors are expected to attend.
- Parking in museum lots costs $10 per day, with a downtown shuttle that runs Thu–Sat.
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Centre County festival weekend 2026
It’s that time of year in Centre County — tents, food trucks and stages are popping up for events like the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and the People’s Choice Festival. Find full coverage below.
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One of central Pennsylvania’s premier summer festivals is back in Boalsburg.
The People’s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania, proudly marketed as central Pennsylvania’s annual “homegrown festival,” kicks off this week. The event is making its long-awaited return to the Pennsylvania Military Museum grounds, where it was located for decades before moving to Centre Hall in 2022.
People’s Choice’s return to Boalsburg was made possible by coordinated efforts with the museum, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and Harris Township. The festival arrives back in Boalsburg as organizers work to combat declines in attendance and engagement over the four summers spent at Centre Hall’s Grange Park.
“Our home is at the Pennsylvania Military Museum,” co-director John Madison said in February. “That’s where it started, that’s where it should be, and that’s where the public seems to want it.”
This year’s festival, which stretches from July 9-12, will feature more than 100 Pennsylvania artisans, food options, live entertainment and activities for the whole family. Whether you’re returning as a longtime People’s Choice veteran or planning your first visit, here’s what you need to know.
When is the festival?
The 32nd annual People’s Choice festival kicks off Thursday, July 9, and wraps up Sunday, July 12.
The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before reducing hours to 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Parking and shuttle service
Before you can enjoy People’s Choice’s return to Boalsburg, you’ll need to get there.
Festival organizers hope guests will park at the two large lots on the military museum’s grounds, as a portion of the proceeds generated from those lots directly benefit People’s Choice. Parking in those lots costs $10 per day.
This year, a shuttle service will run from State College to help guests reach the military museum’s grounds. The shuttle, which connects to the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, will pick up for People’s Choice on the corner of East Beaver Avenue and Pugh Street and at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Shuttle service is available only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Buses will arrive roughly every 30 minutes on Thursday and Friday and approximately every 15 minutes on Saturday.
Homegrown art
Each year, People’s Choice exclusively features Pennsylvania-based artists. Nearly 200 creators and vendors are expected to present and sell their goods at this summer’s festival, according to its website.
You can visit peopleschoicefestival.com/art to take a look at some of this year’s registered artisans in a wide range of mediums and styles, including clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, photography and wood. Additionally, the festival offers an online directory of contact information for artists who participated in past events.
Food and drink
You’ll be hard-pressed to go hungry while strolling the festival grounds this week.
Twenty-one standard concessions vendors are slated to serve guests at separate food courts on the eastern and western sides of the museum grounds. These options include traditional Snyder’s Concessions options, plus local favorites like BBQ by Clem, Miller’s Tropical Sno, Rosie’s Pierogies and Pasti Bella, which recently took over the deli counter at McLanahan’s Downtown Market in downtown State College.
Additionally, 20 specialty vendors, including local favorites like Tait Farms and Inside Out Cookie, will offer a wide range of gourmet treats and goods, including hot sauces, roasted nuts and fudge. Nine Pennsylvania-based wineries will also offer samples and full bottles of reds, whites and specialty wines.
Visit peopleschoicefestival.com/food to see the full roster of this year’s vendors.
Live music and entertainment
No visit to People’s Choice would be complete without a huge lineup of local bands, artists and entertainers to keep crowds entertained.
Here’s a brief look at this year’s entertainment schedule, available online at peopleschoicefestival.com/music. Each act will perform at a main stage on the eastern side of the museum grounds.
Thursday, July 9
- Jay T. Vonada Quarter — 11 a.m.
- Sleepwalker — 12:30 p.m.
- Honey Pie — 2 p.m.
- FREE RANGE — 3:30 p.m.
- Felix and the Hurricanes — 5:30 p.m.
Friday, July 10
- State College Rock Camp — 11 a.m.
- Jeff Gibble, Zeb Crews & Zach Humphreys — 12:30 p.m.
- Area 38 — 2 p.m.
- JR Mangan Band (featuring Veronica) — 3:30 p.m.
- The Coal Aly Band — 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 11
- Miss Melanie & Groove Society — 11 a.m.
- Tommy Wareham & The Intrigues — 12:30 p.m.
- A ROCK SHOW — 2 p.m.
- The Deacons of Dixieland — 3:30 p.m.
- Best Friend’s Girl — America’s Favorite Cars Experience — 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 12
- Nittany Baptist Church — 9:30 a.m.
- Ms. Margot’s Music — 11 a.m.
- Tussey Mountain Moonshiners — 12:30 p.m.
- Heather Olson & The Silver Eagle Band (Tribute to Patsy Cline)
Family-friendly activities
There will be plenty for the festival’s youngest guests this summer, including bounce houses, balloon animals, a petting zoo and a hands-on science museum.
For the second year in a row, People’s Choice will celebrate Christmas in July inside a dedicated tent near the center of the museum grounds. There, guests can see a decorated holiday display, marvel at falling “snow” and even visit with Santa Claus ahead of the winter rush.
People’s Choice will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a “Red, White & Blue Day” on Saturday. The first 1,000 festival attendees will receive free American flags, with other giveaways set to follow. Additional festivities planned include family-friendly activities, a large-scale flag ceremony and the cutting of a huge cake baked by Centre Hall’s Delectable Delights by Heather.
About People’s Choice
Pennsylvania’s homegrown festival can trace its roots back to 1993, when a group of local artists sought to create an alternative to the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in State College. Today, People’s Choice remains committed to exclusively featuring Pennsylvania artists and vendors.
People’s Choice celebrated its 30th festival in 2024. It annually attracts more than 110,000 guests across four days each summer, organizers say.
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