The third annual Newtown Arts Festival began on September 5, when Town Players presented its opening night performance of . Arts Festival events have continued since (see related stories: and The Artificial JungleSHOP ArtWalkChildren’s Art Party), and will continue to do so until September 21, but the signature event of Newtown Cultural Arts Commission’s festival will return to Fairfield Hills this weekend.

The 2014 Newtown Arts Festival — Saturday and Sunday, September 13-14, from 10 am until 6 pm both days — will again offer guests of all ages two days of non-stop performances, workshops, exhibitions, music and over 85 artists and craftspeople offering their works for sale.

Julia Provey, the 2014 Newtown Arts Festival Artwork Competition winner, will have her art featured.

Among those planning to participate in this year’s festival is Newtown International Center for Education (NICE), who will host two international music performances at its tent: Cascada de Flores, a Mexican and Caribbean music and dance ensemble, will perform on Saturday at 11 am; and Dennis Waring, a multi-instrumentalist, will offer his “Music Around the World” tour through the music of six different world cultures on Sunday at 11.

Authors, photographers, jewelers, sculptors and myriad artists are all planning to participate in the juried festival. The event also features several specialized demonstration tents including the Arts Oasis, Dance Pavilion, Fiber Arts, Poetry Salon, Literary Tent, among others.

The Performance & Dance Tent will host performances on Saturday by students of Yoga Dimensions, The Graceful Planet, Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet, Sabrina’s Encore Productions, Lisa Mennilli’s Dance Academy, Lathrop School of Dance, Dance Etc, and Vitti’s Ballroom & Latin Dance Studio. On Sunday it will be host for Newtown Senior Steppers, Pilobolus, Gray School of Irish Dance, Roger Sprung, and The Mad Hatters Chorus.

The Music Tent will be the site for shows by Take Two, Quicksand Planet, Michael Bellar and The Ai-Is Ensemble and Mac Talla Mor on Saturday, and then the Newtown High School Band, NHS Singers, Mad Hatter Chorus, Roger Sprung & The Trunk Band, Whiskey & Rye, and Alternate Universe on Sunday.

Members of The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) will be offering demonstrations in the Art Oasis all weekend. The same location will host a pair of presentations by the Red Cross of its Pillowcase Project and Clay Dates with Karen Pinto and Ros Lijengren, both on Saturday.

“Truly, there is something for everyone at the outdoor festival this year,” said Festival Chair Terry Sagedy. “We’ve grown the event over three years to something very special that the whole community can embrace.”

Full-color maps and schedules were published with the September 5, 2014 issue of The Newtown Bee. Copies are still available at The Bee office, 5 Church Hill Road, and will also be available at the festival.

In addition, there will be 15 food booths operating, offering baked goods, kettle corn, biscotti, funnel cakes, fried Oreos, ice cream and coffee to grilled burgers and hot dogs, BBQ, pizza, Italian food, Indian food and Middle Eastern food options. 

New this year, a Wine and Beer Garden will be open from noon to 6 pm each day.

Arts Festival tickets will be available at the gate and are $5 per person. Children ages 12 and under will be admitted for free.

Pets will not be allowed on festival grounds.

Festival attendees will also be encouraged to visit Newtown Municipal Center, which will continue its presentation of “The Newtown Collection.” The exhibition showcases artistic items that were donated to Newtown from across the country and around the world following 12/14. Admission to the festival is not needed to visit the exhibition.

For additional information call 404-234-7345 or visit newtownartsfestival.com.