This year Artsfest will be held May 28-30 at Riverfront Park in Harrisburg. It includes live music, food, children's activities and more. File photo by Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com

Artsfest returns to celebrate summer’s kickoff with a weekend riverside celebration.

While art is the main draw at the three-day festival in Harrisburg, food follows a close second. This year about 25 food trucks and vendors will be selling an array of festival favorites including wok fried noodles, artisan hot dogs, stuffed soft pretzels, dumplings and mochi ice cream.

The festival runs 10 a.m.-7 p.m. May 28-29 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 30 in Riverfront Park.

Nearly 150 juried artisans will be on hand selling handcrafted works such as ceramics, drawings, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, painting, photography and more. A full slate of live music, children’s activities and a beer, wine and cocktail tent hosted by the Civic Club of Harrisburg are on tap.

The event will encompass the HBG Flea, featuring local artisans, as well as a new event, a community glass mural project. Everyone in attendance is welcome to create a free glass tile, which will later be used to create a larger, abstract mural.

Also new this year, several Harrisburg restaurants will be offering drink specials throughout the weekend.

Parking is $5 on City Island and $10 at the Market Street Garage from 8 a.m.-9 p.m. The code LUVHBG can be used Saturday through the Parkmobile app for up to four free hours of parking. Parking is free on Sunday and Monday.

To help you plot out what to eat, here’s the full list of food vendors scheduled to attend:

Grappling Crab Shack: Cheesy crab bites, Cajun jambalaya, Chesapeake Bay pasta salad, bay seasoned hand cut fries, crab & corn chowder, gourmet crab cake/crab cake sandwich and coleslaw.

Blazin J’s: Fried chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders and fries.

Wow Wagon: Shrimp / mahi mahi tacos, BBQ brisket sandwich, variety of specialty burgers, beef poutine, fried pickles, crabby / truffle fries and flavored lemonades.

Bubble Wow Waffles: Bubble waffles with ice cream/toppings.

Foltz’s: Soft pretzels, lemonade, orangeade, limeade, strawberryade and iced tea.

Dough Heads Waffles: Savory and sweet stuffed waffle pockets.

Nippon Hibachi Express: Hibachi: chicken / steak / shrimp / veggie / combo.

Humpty’s Dumplings: Variety of dumplings, ice cream mochi and fries.

Van Pelt Hot Dog Company: Variety of artisan hot dogs, tots and loaded tots and fries and loaded fries.

Lucky Penny Burger Company: Variety of specialty burgers, fries and lavender lemonade.

Farm Show Milkshakes: Chocolate and vanilla milkshakes.

Philadelphia Cheesesteak Company: Variety of cheesesteaks with fries, coconut butterfly shrimp and loaded fries

Uncle Paul’s Stuffed Pretzels: Meat and cheese stuffed soft pretzels.

Quinn’s Coffee Bar: Coffees, hot chocolate, lattes, cappuccinos, cold brew, Teu energy drinks, bagels, cold cut bagel sandwiches, assorted pastries and baklava.

Coco Bongos: Frozen drinks: Bahama Mama / Pina Colada / Outrageous Orange / Mango Madness / Lemon

Soul Steaks: Variety of cheesesteaks, onion rings and fries.

Island Noodles: Wok fried soba noodles with veggies and sauce and option to add teriyaki chicken.

Hewletts Hot Sausage: Hot/sweet sausage, hot dogs and hamburgers.

717 Tacos: Variety of tacos, taco salads and nachos.

Schnader’s Concessions: Funnel cakes, fried Oreos, fresh cut fries, corn dogs, chicken and fries and fresh lemonade.

Piper Belles BBQ: Pulled BBQ sandwich: chicken / pork, smoked veggie burgers, mac-n-cheese: smoked / loaded, fries: plain / loaded / truffle parmesan / cheese and bacon.

Sherri’s Crab Cakes: Crab cake sandwich, crab mac-n-cheese, platters and cream of crab soup.

Gina’s Eatery: Gyros: combo / chicken, kabobs: chicken / pork, Greek salad, white rice platters with chicken / lamb / falafel and tzatziki sauce.

Bucky’s Festival Foods: Loaded hot dogs, gourmet burgers, grilled sausage, chicken wraps, veggie wraps, smoked turkey legs and pierogi.

Bucky’s Ice Cream: Hand dipped ice cream/yogurt cones, Ice cream floats, Ice cream cookie sandwich, chocolate covered frozen banana and chocolate covered frozen strawberries.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 5/1/2021).

© 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.

Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.