Photo by James Short.
The 2024 Ambler Arts and Music Festival got off to an eventful start as a strong storm on Friday held off the start of the festivities for a time.
The 2024 Ambler Arts and Music Festival got off to an eventful start as a strong storm on Friday held off the start of the festivities for a time.
Ambler Main Street Manager Elizabeth Wahl Kunzier recalled the setup process going off without a hitch when the sky darkened, the wind picked up and eventually the rain began to fall.
“Everything was perfect. Everything was set up and ready to go until exactly at 6 p.m. when the heavens opened up, and it deluged, and it was crazy,” she told MediaNews Group.
She noted that downtown businesses, vendors getting their tents ready and attendees sought shelter as event organizers delayed opening the two-day festival.
The music eventually started around 7:45 p.m. and Wahl Kunzier said Yellow Moon, Disguised as Saints and Triple Rail Turn, were able to perform on Friday. When she returned Saturday morning as they vendors were getting their tents ready, she observed an entirely different experience to Friday.
“Saturday was gorgeous, and everything … ran super smoothly this time,” she said, adding “you couldn’t ask for a nicer day. It wasn’t humid, it didn’t rain.”
Hosted by Ambler Borough, Ambler Main Street and the Rotary Club of Ambler, the 13th annual event featured several components, showcasing art, food and music in downtown Ambler.
Attendees strolled along Butler Avenue, perused vendor tables and patronized local businesses. Around 86 artisan vendors sold numerous types of crafts, jewelry and photography. A myriad of food trucks and stands were also on location.
The festival also featured two beer gardens, organized by the Rotary Club of Ambler. Volunteers sold around 67 kegs, according to Wahl Kunzier, who added that the organization sold beer from kegs made by Well Crafted Beer Company. Additional local beverage partners included Forest and Main Brewing Company, Stone & Key Cellars’ Ambler location and Gypsy Blu.
Saturday’s musical lineup included Two Rocks Rye, Mostly Harmless Band, Ndichu, Pixie Twist, Variable Elements, The Verdict Reggae Soca Band, and The Alter Ego Experience.
People came out in droves Saturday as downtown Ambler’s main thoroughfare was transformed into a sea of people. Wahl Kunzier observed crowds so large that “you couldn’t see out on Butler Avenue.” She noted comparable attendance, estimating around 25,000 people visiting the festival on Friday and Saturday.
Around two dozen volunteers help throughout the event that’s become a longstanding tradition that’s grown in popularity over the last decade.
“I think it is remarkable to see so many people that I don’t know. So it’s not just a neighborhood party anymore. It’s an everywhere party,” she said. “I saw people from high school. It was crazy, and it makes me happy.”
“It makes me happy to see the community come out, and really come together and everybody hanging out together,” she continued. “I always say ‘hello Amber,’ I should probably say ‘hello Amber, Whitpain, Blue Bell’ … because people from all over are there.”
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between Wissahickon Now and The Ambler Gazette. To read more stories like this, visit the Ambler Gazette.
