SWAMPSCOTT ― Linscott Park will be swarming with artisans from across New England for Swampscott’s 10th Annual Arts and Crafts Festival, to be held on September 11 and 12.
The festival will feature over 75 artisans from across New England, said Terry Mullen, the event’s organizer. There will be handmade crafts like candles, quilts, and clothing as well as fine art ranging from ironworks to seaside photography. In addition, the festival will feature artisanal, regional food, such as popcorn and fudge from New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
“We are so excited to return to Swampscott,” Mullen said. “There is a high percentage of art in Swampscott, everything from graphite and photography to blacksmithing and iron work.”
The festival took a year off because of COVID-19. Since the last festival in 2019, Mullen says the demographic of artisans has changed.
“The pandemic drove people to do what they wanted to do and now they’ve brought their craft to market,” Mullen said. She added that the lineup had changed significantly, with only 40 percent of the artisans who signed up having participated in years before. “It’s almost an entirely new show.”
The open-air event will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at Linscott Park. Mullen says that they plan on having some social-distancing guidelines in place and asks that everyone who is sick stays home.
“We are so happy to be back in Swampscott,” Mullen said. “The town loves to come out and support this event.”
