How I did it: The first thing to remember that going to a festival is first making a selection of many other things that may be available for you to do.  The word 'festival' lets you in on the fact that you are going to an event that has lots of food and drink available offered in a setting that also presents exciting or unique events, displays, performances, etc.

I had been reading our local paper and there was always a special magazine inside that gave the upcoming events for the weekend.  This is one way of finding festivals though you can be more sure if you go online and check current events in your city (often listed under your chamber of commerce or other events listings in your area).  If there is a special subject or area of interest that you have -- i.e., jewelry, soap making, quilting, wine, etc., you could put the following in the search engine:  "Quilting Festivals in Ohio."  

I picked a festival that offered a learning experience for me as well as food, jewelry, art, and performances that I would not have otherwise found locally.  I attended Shakespeare Festival. 

Lessons & tips: The best tip I can give is that you will probably be more delighted the festival and what it has to offer if you pick one that has an interest to you.  This way, the information offered, the variety of items offered, and the time and effort it takes you to get to the festival will be worthwhile.

Also be ready to ask lots of questions as festivals usually have people that are passionate about their craft(s) and subject so they are more than happy to share this info with you.

Resources: What helped me most was to have on comfortable shoes and clothing.  The time of year of the festival is always to be taken into account and the festival I attended was in autumn; so, a light jacket or sweater was good to take along. 

Jul 30, 2009, 11:01PM PDT | 0 comments