Scituate Art Festival

We stumbled upon the Scituate Art Festival completely by accident after we changed our minds about driving north to take in the Fall colors. What an excellent detour! Dozens and dozens of arts and crafts vendors lined the streets and filled the park. While I’m not a crafts person (sorry to those who enjoy that sort of thing), there was a tremendous amount of beautifully handcrafted pottery and jewelry, photography. paintings and fine art — some truly talented artists on site. My only complaint is that we didn’t have any cash and we were utterly unprepared for such a lovely experience!

I wish they would enforce the rules about no dogs but people after people still think they do not have to obey the rules. NO one does anything about them. Had to watch were I stepped Don’t think I will be coming back stuff way over priced, parking is terrible, food is expensive.

The fair is nice but use caution when attending. I was assaulted by the police while trying to cross the street. Lots of people were walking at an intersection when the police decided it was time for cars to go so one cop walked up to me, put his had on my chest and pushed me backward, AS he was telling people to move back to the curb. Had he give me more than ½ of a second I could have easily stepped back but he chose to be forceful. It’s sad the event organizers are paying for the police to be there yet this cop chose to assault at least me and who knows how many others. Use caution before someone gets hurt with their actions. Being assaulted by the police ruined my day there.

So I’m here to give you the down low as an almost life long resident of scituate and 27 year attendee of the festival.
1. Never ever expect or hope for perfect weather. It’s gonna be hot as hades or raining and cold. Don’t let this deter you. If it’s cold it just means you get to eat more delicious fair type food. When it’s hot, support the business by buying cold drinks.
2. The food may seem a bit over priced, but it’s the real deal. The food court is only open to local non profits to sell food. All cooked on site unless otherwise noted. Not to miss: hope library steak sandwiches, potterville fire station apple dumplings, baked goods from the Boy Scouts, fries from the ambulance company, and clam cakes from te rotary club. Another note, this is by far the largest fundraiser for these organizations all year… They also do have to get food licenses and tax license for the weekend. So eat something. It really will enrich your community.
3. Some stuff is high art, some stuff is kitsch, and your kids will want the plastic tchokies being sold along 116. Beware the preteens that bought snappers… You’ll probably step on one or get hit with one at some point. At the same time you can probably get an original, a limited print or commission a new piece for under $ 150 here.
4. There is real art fair and fake art fair. Real art fair is on 116 between banners. The stuff up at famous is outside the technical boundaries… That’s also why you’ll find bowls and stoner supplies and clothing and other weird stuff on the outskirts.
5. This is essentially a slightly less indie etsy come to life. Just got out there and see what you can find, if you don’t come back with a vintage apron, a hand carved wooden utensil, image of gansett beer, funky patterned dog collar, and a keychain made out of an old piece of silverware, I’ll buy you a mulled non alcoholic cider next year.

The Scituate Art Festival is a must every fall in RI. The whole town is basically converted into a festival.
All kinds of arts and crafts.
I go more for the atmosphere than the art, not to mention the FOOD.

The Scituate Art Festival is very different than every other art and craft festival I go to. On the plus side, it is massive and has a range of kitschy goods to artisan wares and everything in between. On the negative side, as other reviewers have said, be ready to walk and to deal with crowds.
What I love about this festival is the support it provides for the local groups — cub scouts, high school bands, etc. I also love the fall feeling it has with the smell of fall foliage mixed with freshly popped pop corn.
I’m am especially found of the Wakins Pharmacy stand and the selection of pottery.
If you’re looking to cut some corners, I would literally skip the collection of stands on the corners of both busy roads.

We’ve always enjoyed the festival. And that’s the key… it is a «festival» not an «art show»! There is an excellent large antique flea market section, a huge food court, live music, dozens of yard sales flanking the streets to the entrance, homemade pies, desserts everywhere, oh… and there is some art too!
The parking is a huge problem, which didn’t bother me when I was younger but now it’s not an option as I’d rather not walk those distances. It’s worse if you actually buy something large.
Otoh it does make for a great fall outdoor destination:
1.if you choose a nice day to attend
2.you don’t really expect to find a large selection of fine art
3.you’re ready, willing and able to walk 1 – 2 miles in total (keep in mind if with children)
It’s fun but it’s really less of an art show and way more like a overcrowded county fair.

I try and get to the arts festival every year, weather dependent. It definitely tends to be the same vendors, but that can be good if you remembered something from last year that you wished you’d picked up. Lots of jewelery, wood crafts, art and food. I will probably continue to go to this for the rest of my life as it’s always a fun Fall activity

After living in RI all my life I had never gone to the Scituate are Festival until today. I honestly thought it was going to be better then it was since people always hype it up and all. Really there was so much junk and wayyyyy over priced. There were a few vendors that had actual nice art but for the most part it was like a yard sale or stuff you can find at Christmas tree shop for half the price. It smelled like a heart attack in the air with all the food going on and most people were dressed like they were going to a club rather then WALK an art festival. Anyway I don’t think I would ever go back to this shindig.

If you happen to need: A dog sweater, pet collar or leash, kids toy or clothing items, handmade painting /​craft /​stained glass piece, wind chimes, sweaters or even a dream catcher…
If you would like to: eat, walk, listen to live and acoustic musicians, people watch, explore tons of beautiful prints & artwork, sit and relax, buy jewelry or gifts for friends…
Have a hankering for: steak n cheese, wieners all the way, sausage sandwiches, meatball sang-​wiches, fried dough, apple dumplings, pulled pork, ribs and fries… or even just some sweet and salty kettle corn…
Then you can see… there was a little bit of everything for just about everyone.
Large crowd — but lines went quickly and there were many booths to browse. If you don’t mind getting friendly with your fellow art festival attendees… grab a spot at a picnic table to enjoy your foodie finds and the beautiful fall colors all around !
I say it’s worth making a stop by and the fried dough was a tasty bonus!

This festival is by the far the very best that RI offers. Unlike the Wickford one that caters to tourists by holding it in the heat of July, this one can’t be beat for its cool air and fall color to accentuate the whole time there. Also, the snobs in Wickford some time ago forbade things like yard sales or crafts, only art is allowed. The Scituate one has both arts and crafts, plenty of eats and food stands, and yard sales in the area set up by locals. There really is something for everyone here and the village itself is just what one expects from a small New England town. The only downside of this fair is and always has been the parking. You have a choice of either having some local there soak you for a place on their property, or you will do a lot of walking. I mean a lot of it. It really can’t be helped, the village just doesn’t have the parking anywhere. Other than that its the best art/​craft festival in the area and I highly recommend that…

I have gone to the Scituate Art Festival almost every year since I moved here many years ago. The weather is usually great, It is a big festival with something for everyone. High quality art and crafts, good fair food, made by local organizations. I always bring home new art, crafts and food. Parking can be a pain if you get there late, but you can park for free on the road if you get there early enough or if you pay to park in a lot or someone’s yard, it isn’t expensive. It is worth a trip.

The Scituate Art Festival is probably the most famous of the festivals in Rhode Island. Held every year on Columbus Day weekend, this massive festival stretches over a decent area of picturesque Scituate, and if you’re lucky, beautiful foliage will serve as a back drop.
There must be well over one hundred vendors here every year. You’ll find a bit of everything from antiques, crafts, clothing, jewelry, fine art and photography, household items, health and beauty items, knick knacks, toys and of course… food and live music. One year I went and was even able to get a 10 minute chair massage for $ 10! Now that’s a deal.
Parking is awful. Unless you attempt to get to the festival way before it opens, then you may have a chance at a semi-​decent parking spot, otherwise; expect to sit in traffic and battle with other drivers. Homeowners in the area will rent out their driveways and lawns for patrons to park, for a fee, of course and there are a couple of businesses as well that will do the same. The alternative is parking on the street and walking a good mile or more. Well actually, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll be walking at least a few minutes to get to the festival area no matter where you park.
This festival can be overwhelming and frustrating at times due to the crowds of people. I’d say if you’ve never been to the Scituate Art Festival, it’s definitely worth checking out… but like myself who has been quite a few times, I don’t know that I’ll be going back for at least a few more years.

My friends and I go to the Scituate Art Festival every year on Columbus Day. It’s pretty similar from year to year – you’ll find the same vendors selling the same types of things in the same spots… the familiarity becomes oddly comforting. I find one or two new things that catch my eye each year, which keeps it fresh.
The food booths are run by local organizations, and serve mostly American cuisine – burgers, ribs, chowder. So basically, if you’re watching the waste-​line, today will be a day you just say «screw it.» This year I got a pulled pork wrap and a root beer float – both were solid choices.
The fair used to be dog-​friendly, but no more. Understandable, with how packed it’s gotten! Parking can be challenging. There’s free parking on the streets, but if it looks like too much of a hot mess, save yourself the headache and cough up $ 5 to park in a lot.
Even if you’re just there to browse, it’s definitely worth the trip!

This festival is held every year on Columbus Day Weekend. The crowds are massive, partly due to the fact that almost every year it rains on one of the days it is open. Parking is a complete nightmare. Wear your most comfortable shoes because these boots will truly be walking. We paid $ 5 to park in a driveway and still walked almost a mile to the festival.
The food booths are busy and it takes a while to order so I suggest splitting your forces up if you plan to order at one or more booths. May I suggest you buy a blanket from a local artist because seating in front of the main stage/​food area is very limited.
The art is great. Some items are mass produced, but mostly handmade/​photographed pieces are on display. Prices are fair for this sort of event. We did not purchase anything this year, mostly because we were short on time and patients with the large crowds. Next year we will come better prepared.