An annual craft festival will return to campus for its 22nd year, giving UF students and Gainesville residents the chance to get a head start on their holiday shopping.
The festival, which will be held Nov. 29 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, will showcase handcrafted goods from more than 250 local artisans, ranging from metalwork to homemade honey and jewelry.
“We are the place to come to find a gift for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list,” said Renee Musson, the associate director of the O’Connell Center. “You can even find something for that person who has everything.”
The variety is the most valuable part of the festival, said Tiffany Griffith, the O’Connell Center’s event support coordinator.
“I almost always went in with the intention of getting something for someone else and would walk out with like five things for myself,” she said.
The cost of admission, which will pay the students who work at the festival, is $4 for the general public, $1 for UF students with a Gator 1 Card and free for children under 13.
The cost will be waived from 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 30. Coupons for $1 off of regular admission are available on the event website.
Although it’s been held at the O’Connell Center for about two decades, Musson said the craft festival has been around for more than 50 years.
“The show is special (to UF) because it found its roots in the students, staff and faculty on campus who were creating items in the arts and craft center at the (Reitz),” she wrote in an email.
The event is scheduled before the holidays to provide guests with gift ideas, Musson said.
“There’s some comfort in being able to just walk around … and it’s very affordable for what it is, so I think there’s something to be said about that,” Griffith said.
Students can follow the O’Connell Center on Facebook for ticket giveaways.
For more information about the event and coupons for admission, visit oconnellcenter.ufl.edu/craftfestival/.
