The Manayunk Arts Festival takes place along one very long street in Manayunk, a funky, hip village adjoining Philadelphia. I had thought it was a neighborhood IN Philadelphia, but people who live there said otherwise.
I have to say that I had no idea how big this show was until I was leaving. I was near one end, and as I drove out, I could see that the show was at least three times as long as I had imagined or could see. The website says nearly 300 artists, and 300 artists on one street is a lot of artists (and food tents, too).
Set-up is on Saturday morning, starting at 5, one of my least favorite options. But it was handled well, and in my area, was orderly. Parking was in a lot that was free for artists and very close to my booth.
Tents are set up on both sides of the street, though there was a coffee house across from me, with an outdoor patio that precluded tents on that side; there were a few situations like this in my area, and to my mind, they were helpful. People tended to stop or at least slow down. Also, with no one across from me, I had a good chance to get potential patrons' attention.
While the initial check-in was easy, the later check-in, where you got your nametag and packet, involved standing in a line for about 30 minutes. This was after setting the tent up, and it seemed inordinately long. Later in the day, I saw roving volunteers distributing nametags and packets to people who hadn't waited in line. That's something to remember for next year.
There were tons of people at the show, and my sales were fairly good. Not great, but OK. The people were very nice, and seemed to know art. I suspect that repeat artists get more business - this was my first year, and I would try it again.
In the area of the show that I saw, some of the work and some of the displays were surprisingly weak. This show did not seem to have the percentage of very high-end work that many shows I'm in have - but it is possible that those artists were down the road. Jewelry was particularly weak, in my opinion.
The volunteer force was strong and visible. I did not ask for a booth-sitter, and there was no system for getting one, but I believe I could have had one, had I asked. The head volunteer in my area, Ed, was excellent. He was visible and present, he communicated well, and he was supportive.
The first day, we were given tickets for two bottles of water when we checked in. Like many of the artists, I took my bottles right then and there. Later in the day (it was hot and sunny all day), volunteers came by with water. They wanted to charge me $1 because I'd already used my tickets. This really seemed penny-ante. Many shows I've been in hand out water right and left, to keep the artists from keeling over. Sunday, the volunteers distributed water for free.
Take-down was a little more chaotic than set-up, but most people adhered to the take-down-your-tent-first rule, and so it was not a total disaster.
As an aside, the neighborhood where the show takes place has lots of excellent and funky restaurants and shops, and was a pleasant place to spend a couple days, showing and selling paintings.
ng a well organized show; 