During a typical Saturday at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, more than 40,000 visitors fill the streets of State College to look at the exhibits.
But at night, another crowd emerges to take in different sights and sounds of Arts Fest -- music, poetry and raucous parties.
Phil Walz, Arts Festival executive director, said evening and night events have traditionally played an important role in the atmosphere of the celebration.
Walz said in the past, music events would sometimes run until 1 or 2 a.m., but because of local ordinances, most performances end by midnight.
"We've always had acts going into the evening, and we tend to want to celebrate that tradition," Walz said. "People getting together on a beautiful summer evening has always been an important part of the festival."
This year is no exception as a full slate of musical acts gear up to perform into the twilight of warm evenings.
All five nights of the festival have various musical acts performing in the evening and night. The musicians include Babaloo, a Boston-based punk-mambo group set to play at 9 p.m. tomorrow at the Festival Shell Stage. Urban Fusion, a jazz band, will play at 10 p.m. Friday at the Omega Bank Allen Street Stage.
Another tradition will carry on Friday night when the Phyrst Phamly plays. It is a local musical institution familiar to anyone who has played "table wars" at Phyrst, 111 1/2 E. Beaver Ave. The Phyrst Family is celebrating its 37th anniversary in State College.
For many people in the community and the university, the music heard in the evening is an important part of the atmosphere of the festival.
"People who came for the music will stay for the art and people who came for the art will stay for the music," Chris Leininger (senior-visual arts) said. "Music is a big part of the Arts Fest because music is art."
Although music has always been a major part of the festivities at night, a new exhibition is planned this year.
Tomorrow will highlight the Wordstock 2002 Poetry Slam Finals at 8 p.m. in the community room of the State College Municipal Building, 243 S. Allen St. Wordstock is a new event that gives a venue for local authors and poets to read and perform their work.
While many people will spend their evenings attending music performances or the poetry slam, others still come back for a few days of drinking and parties. It is a formula that has turned out to be disastrous in the past, especially two years ago with disruptions on Beaver Avenue and a large police presence on the streets.
State College Police Chief Tom King said events that discourage binge drinking in the community are important to provide a safer atmosphere for the weekend.
"I think if you have events, whether they be music, movies or anything else, you can really discourage drinking," King said. "We want to discourage binge drinking."
Despite problems in the past, students feel the events at night are a good step for entertainment in the community.
"It's good to have an alternative to the fraternity scene at night," said Ian Eckert (senior-painting and drawing). "Maybe Arts Fest can keep people out of trouble while simultaneously teaching them something about themselves."
