The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts brings over 125,000 people to downtown State College and the University Park campus of Penn State each July to celebrate the arts. Audience members can shop at our nationally recognized Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, and take in performers of international, national, and regional stature on outdoor and indoor stages. The Festival includes creating of a 25-ton giant sand sculpture, our famous “dumping buckets” water feature, the Downtown State College Italian Street Painting Festival, and a book festival presented with Schlow Centre Region Library. There is a full day of children's activities, including a children and youth sidewalk sale where kids age who are from 8 to 18 may sell their original art and craft. The weekend closes with the Sue Crowe Memorial Arts Festival Races, presented by the Nittany Valley Running Club with the cooperation of the Festival. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts also produces First Night State College, a family oriented alcohol-free celebration of the New Year. First Night State College, which has an audience of about 10,000 each year, includes a display of giant ice sculptures, performances in downtown churches and public buildings, resolution sculptures, art and craft workshops, and a 5K resolution run through downtown State College and the University Park campus of Penn State.