>>Trenton Avenue Arts Festival

The 2008 Trenton Avenue Arts Festival will occur on Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 12 noon to 5 PM. (This is a sprinkle or shine event, severe weather date is planned for Sunday, May 18th, 12pm –5pm.) The festival will be located on Trenton Avenue between E. Norris Street and Frankford Avenue at York Street. The deadline for registration is: April 30,2008 (Late fees will apply for registrations received after this date.) The 2008 festival promises to deliver more good times this year than ever before, see you there. Read more about the 2008 Festival now!

This year’s festival will feature the 2nd Annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby a design competition and parade of human powered vehicle sculptures. The derby is hosted by the New Kensington CDC. The call for entries deadline is April 30, 2008. For more information see: www.kinetickensington.org

History of EKNA’s Trenton Avenue Arts Festival

The first annual Trenton Ave. Arts Festival was held in summer 2006 by the members of EKNA as a way of raising funds for neighborhood projects and revitalization. The fest celebrates the large artist community here and around town.

Philadelphia is striving to become the amazing city that we know it can be. This event highlights the energy of East Kensington that is bringing Philadelphia closer to its destiny.

The community embraced the idea and the 2006 Festival was a huge success. Over 50 eclectic vendors sold their work ranging from pottery and glass to jewelry and screen printed shirts. There was some great food and our own Brewery supplied their delicious specialty. 2007 was an even greater success with huge attendance. EKNA collaborated with the NKCDC to add the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby to the fest. Other cities like Baltimore have been hardcore about their sculpture derbies for years, and now Philadelphia has earned its place.

Our area is home to all kinds of art forms and creativity, we even have shops that restore vintage/eclectic cars and motorcycles. The Arts Festival is open up to anyone with a creative energy. All forms of art and passion are invited to display and/or sell- including 2-d fine arts, sculpture, installation, handmade items, crafts, metal-works, antiques, art related items, furnishings, jewelry and onward. Creative businesses, or arts related enterprised are encouraged to have a presence at the fest.

The Arts Festival is held on Trenton Avenue , a very wide-open cobble stone street that intersects Frankford Avenue at York St. * Trenton Avenue has been part of the rich history of Kensington’s creative energy for over a hundred years. The Festival continues the tradition.