Covered Bridge & Arts Festival
This year's Festival will be held October 8th - 11th, 2026
AT THE BLOOMSBURG FAIRGROUNDS!
980 West Main St. Bloomsburg, PA 17815
Festival Hours: Thursday-Saturday 9am - 5pm | Sunday 9am - 4pm
Located in beautiful Central Pennsylvania at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, the 44th Annual Covered Bridge & Arts Festival will have something for everyone! The Festival is one of the largest craft festivals on the East Coast, and four-day annual attendance is typically between 100,000 – 120,000 visitors.
The Festival Features:
• Hundreds of unique craft & food vendors
• FREE Parking & FREE Admission
Handmade & Traditional Crafts • Turned & Carved Wood • Glass
Prints • Sewn & Woven Textiles • Jewelry • Photography • Paintings • Pottery
Decor for Every Holiday • New & Repurposed Primitives
Plus Much More!
Looking for lodging options in our area for your stay? Click here.
Covered Bridge Festival Parking
Parking will take place in the main parking lot of the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds. Attendees will be able to access the main parking lot by entering the Fairgrounds from the Main Entrance off Route 11 via Fort McClure Boulevard (Gate 3), or from the town-side parking lot entrance off 5th Street (Gate 6). Both will allow access into the main parking lot. GATE 5 WILL NOT BE OPEN – Attendees can enter the main lot and enter at Gate 3.
Regular tram service will run from the parking areas to the festival gate entrance (Gate 3). Gate 3 is the main pedestrian entrance into the Festival this year. However, additional pedestrian entrances will be open from the town side, including Leonard Street & Barton Street. Gate 8 will hopefully also be open for the weekend.
Covered Bridge Festival Maps
Maps of Crafters | Buildings & Sections
2026 Maps will be available soon.
Activities & Events
This Year at the Festival
- COVERED BRIDGE BUS TOUR – A guided covered bridge bus tour is once again scheduled for this year and will take place on Saturday, October 10. The bus will leave and return directly from the Fairgrounds with time to shop and walk around the event after the tour concludes. The tour is planned for 10 AM to approximately 1 PM. After checking in at the Information Booth right at the main festival entrance (Gate 3), attendees will meet for the bus by Gate 3 of the Fairgrounds by no later than 9:45 AM. Tickets for this year’s bus tour are $30 per person; to reserve your seat on the bus please call the Visitors Bureau Welcome Center at 570-784-8279. Reservations are now being accepted! Bridges visited will likely include: Rupert, Wanich, Kramer, Patterson, East & West Paden Twins, Josiah Hess, and Stillwater.
- LIVE MUSIC: This year’s festival will have a saxophonist, Saxman Ravi, set up in the main thoroughfare near Bason’s Coffee Roasting tent to provide live music for attendees to enjoy! Ravi will be at the Festival on Friday & Saturday from 1 – 3 PM.
- Vesper Services: Will be held on Sunday morning at 8 AM upstairs in the VIP room of the Industrial building.
- Balloon Artist: A balloon twister will be at the Festival on Sunday from 10 AM – 2 PM to make balloon animals.
- Youth Scavenger Hunt: A scavenger hunt will be held by the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum throughout the event. Visit the Museum’s booth at the entrance of the festival to get your scavenger hunt materials!
- Disc Golf Practice Area: Bring the whole family and try your hand at one of the country’s fastest growing sports: disc golf! Local disc golfers from the Briar Creek Disc Golf group will be set up at the event with practice baskets so you can learn the basics and practice your putting skills. Great for kids and adults alike!
- TBD for 2026: RabbitTransit’s StopHopper for Locals – This year, the Festival may again be a part of rabbittransit’s StopHopper service, to provide an affordable option for locals who need a way to get to the event! Stay tuned for more details. Rabbittransit can be reached at 1-800-632-9063 or visit ridethestophopper.org.
- PA Farms to Families Immersion Lab: This year, the festival will once again host the PA Farms to Families Immersion Lab, powered by Giant and supported by the PA Friends of Ag Foundation. Have you ever stopped to think about the science, skill, and expertise that goes into growing and raising the peppers in your salad or the beef in your burger? The Immersion Lab allows guests to learn about PA farms and nutrition. This will be a fantastic thing for families to check out! Learn more here.
- Through the use of touchscreen monitors, participants can learn about the importance of exercise, sleep, mental health, and nutrition to maintain overall well-being.
- Find out why farmers rely on healthy soil to grow healthy crops. This activity includes a soil sample demonstration and info on the Chesapeake Watershed.
- Hear stories from a diverse group of farmers who make Pennsylvania’s agriculture unique!
- Using colorful puzzle pieces representing fruits, grains, vegetables, proteins, and dairy, participants match sections on a colorful dinner plate to create their own tasty, balanced meal layout.
- Sit on a real tractor seat, put on the virtual reality “VR” headset, and experience a 360 degree ride through real farm fields!
2026 Festival Vendors
Below is a list of currently approved vendors for the 2026 event. Additional vendors will be added/finalized after the conclusion of the application window.
Covered Bridge Festival Fine Artist Section
Fine artists will be at their booths throughout the four day event actively working on their crafts. These artists will mostly all be located in the historic barn on the festival grounds. During selected times, they will also be doing live demonstrations of their craft in the designated area directly outside the historic barn,
Classic Cars & Trucks On Display
We will be seeking classic car and truck owners who would like to display their vehicles at the 2026 event in a car cruise-in! If you have a classic vehicle and would like to bring it to display at the event for free, please fill out the form below. You may attend all four days or just a day or two. This will just be a car cruise-in to display your vehicle to the public; no prizes will be awarded.
Covered Bridge Festival FAQ's
- Will there be a cost for entrance and parking? NO!
- Will there be help for handicapped? There will be scooters available to rent and will be located just inside of Gate 3. No pre-registration of scooters, wheelchairs, or wagons: please just show up and rent them! For more information, please visit: stillwaterscooters.com.
- Will there be transit trams operating in the parking lots? Yes!
- Will there be any kid-friendly activities? There will be several carnival-style games, a weekend petting zoo, and live crafter demonstrations throughout the festival. New this year will also be the PA Farms to Families Immersion Lab, where you can learn about farming, seeds, nutrition, and much more – with interactive activities! There will also be a youth scavenger hunt organized by the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum.
- Are dogs allowed at the Festival? No, dogs are not permitted at the Festival. The Festival rents the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds for the event and thus abides by traditional Fairground policy regarding dog entry.
- Are service dogs allowed at the festival? Service dogs ARE PERMITTED at the Festival. You may be asked if the animal is required because of a disability and which task(s) the animal is trained to perform.
- Will there be ATMs there? There are two ATMs available on premises.
- What types of food will be there? A wide variety of food vendors will be at the Festival. A complete list of food vendors is published on this page.
- How do you get into the Festival? Vehicles will enter the Fairgrounds through the main gate (Gate 3) of the Fairgrounds, or from the 5th Street side (Gate 6). Both will allow access into the main parking lot. Attendees will then enter the festival through the main gate (Gate 3). Attendees walking down from town can also enter through the pedestrian entrances on Leonard Street, Barton Street, & Gate 8.
- Where can I get Festival information on the day of the event? The information booth will be located right inside the main entrance (Gate 3).
- Will the gates open prior to 9 AM each day? The Festival officially opens at 9 AM each day; however gates may be opened prior to 9 AM at the discretion of Fairground security in consideration of patron safety. Vendors set-up/re-stock daily on the grounds; customers will NOT be permitted to enter while vendor vehicles are on-site.
- Will there be musical entertainment? In 2026, there will be a saxophonist on Friday and Saturday performing live between 1-3pm near Bason Coffee Roasting.
- Where will the wineries, distilleries, and brewery be located? There will be a number of wineries located in the Horticultural Building. There will also be several distilleries and a brewery located amongst the craft vendors in the festival grounds.
- I’m a local but I need a way to get to the event – what are my options? rabbittransit’s StopHopper may service the event this year – details are still TBD. For more details, contact rabbittransit at 1-800-632-9063 or visit ridethestophopper.org.
Share Your Festival Photos With Us!
Enjoying your time at the event and want to share your shots with us? We’d love to see them and share them on the festival page! Use the hashtag #HeartofPA or #CoveredBridgeFestPA
2026 Festival Rack Card
The 2026 Festival rack card is now available! Click the brochure to view and share with friends/family/customers.
Apply to be a Vendor!
The 2026 Covered Bridge & Arts Festival application window is NOW CLOSED!
PLEASE NOTE: Once submitted, your application will be held until it is time to be reviewed for entry. Our application process is now being hosted on Eventeny, a well-known platform for festivals. While you will be asked to input a payment method during the application process, you will not be charged for a booth space unless your application is marked “Accepted” to the festival. Please also be aware that Eventeny charges a 3% service fee, which will be added to your space payment.
INSURANCE: If you need insurance, you may purchase it through Eventeny or you can also purchase it through Veracity. If going through Veracity, the event information will be preloaded. Please follow these links: Food Vendor Insurance | Craft Vendor Insurance
Vendor Testimonials
Toby Bouder – Woodturner; Liverpool, PA
“I have been doing the Covered Bridge & Arts Festival for at least six years now, and it is always a very enjoyable and profitable show for me. I’m a part of the new fine arts section of the festival that was introduced last year. Linda and the Visitors Bureau staff have been great to work with in getting that set up.”
JoAnn & Brad Bason; Bason Coffee Roasting – Danville, PA
“As a small local business, it is important we attract folks from outside the local area. The Covered Bridge & Arts Festival provides us with an opportunity for tremendous exposure. A common comment we hear from repeat customers in our shop is that they first found our coffee company at the Covered Bridge Festival. I am certain that our success has been helped by being there each year.”
Holly Steward; Holly’s Handbags Plus – Berwick, PA
“The Covered Bridge & Arts Festival is one of our favorite venues as a crafter. One nice thing about it is that it is easily accessible for all levels of mobility. Plus, there are high quality crafters with an amazing variety of crafts. Come see for yourself!”
Judy Horning; Pennsylvania Dutch Rugs – Fleetwood, PA
“I have been a vendor at the Covered Bridge & Arts Festival since 2007 and it has been my best show for sales every year since. It is well organized and well attended. It is definitely the highlight of my season.”
2025 Partners
Thanks to Jo’s Equipment & Supply in Winfield for providing the tram service for the 2025 Festival!
Sponsorship Opportunities
Interested in being a sponsor of the Festival? Reach out to the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau at 570-784-8279.