Beer, wine, cider & spirits coming back to State College’s annual Arts Fest. What to know

A popular beer garden — or, more accurately, a small craft-beverage garden — is returning during Arts Fest for a three-day stretch next month.

The craft-beverage garden with local beer, cider, liquor and wine will appear from July 13-15 within State College’s MLK Plaza during the 57th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. (Arts Fest runs from July 13-16, with Children & Youth Day on July 12.)

The booze-y idea proved to be a hit in its first year of operation in 2022, as more than 1,200 visitors stopped by to drink and enjoy live music. And organizer Celesta Powell — the managing director for the Central PA Tasting Trail, which includes 15 Centre County breweries/cideries/distilleries/wineries — is looking forward to it once more.

“It’s a great way for people to experience the eclectic kind of vibe of the Central PA Tasting Trail with all the unique members we have,” Powell said. “And it’s a great way to experience the different offerings from the community.”

The craft beverage garden features only members of the Central PA Tasting Trail, and 14 of the trail’s 15 members will rotate throughout the three days. The lone holdout is the newest member, Antifragile Brewing Co., which is already located downtown and will boast a standalone Arts Fest stand selling kombucha.

The tentative three-day schedule features the following appearances:

• Thursday, July 13 (3-8 p.m.): 814 Cider Works, Big Spring Spirits, Pisano Winery, Robin Hood Brewing Co., Seven Mountains Wine Cellars

• Friday, July 14 (noon to 8 p.m.): Barrel 21 Distillery, Happy Valley Vineyard & Winery, Otto’s Pub and Brewery, Keewaydin Cider Mill, University Wine Company

• Saturday, July 15 (noon to 8 p.m.): Axemann Brewery, Big Spring Spirits, Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks, Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery, Titan Hollow

The setup will be similar to last year. MLK Plaza will be closed off for the craft beverage garden, with visitors asked to pay a $10 suggested donation upon entrance with a wristband/ID check. (Half of the funds go to Arts Fest, with the other half toward the Tasting Trail.) It’s not an all-you-can drink festival but instead an open space with live music and enough room for just under 200 people — along with five local vendors who’ll be set up to sell and serve alcoholic drinks there, along with bottles and cans that visitors can take home.

Like last year, any open containers will be limited to inside MLK Plaza and cannot be carried around Arts Fest.

State College Borough Council formally approved the three-day craft beverage garden on Monday. There was little discussion during the unanimous vote; borough manager Tom Fountaine told council members, “There were no problems at all with the Tasting Trail last year.”

The borough even loosened restrictions slightly. Last year, spirits were not allowed on public property, meaning the craft beverage garden was forced into finding a workaround for distillers by positioning them inside the entrance of a nearby building. Now, Big Spring Spirits and Barrel 21 can remain outside and sell their products alongside their Tasting Trail colleagues.

Now that people know to expect the craft beverage garden, Powell believes they’ll see even more attendees this year. There were lulls earlier Thursday and Friday last year, she said, but she doubts that’ll be the case next month.

Instead, she’s looking forward to highlighting the county’s offerings even more when it comes to beer, cider, liquor and wine.

“These are your friends, your neighbors; these are the people that you pass in the grocery store,” Powell added. “And this is their livelihood, producing really great beverages and a really great time for people. I think it’s significant that Arts Fest allows us an opportunity to showcase their kind of craft.”