(Kent County Tourism)
The 85th Annual Dover Days Festival sponsored by WSFS Bank will take place on Saturday, May 5th with a slightly new footprint to bring a bigger emphasis to Downtown Dover businesses. The new footprint will move most of the festival’s vendors and entertainers to State Street and The Green, and then continue down to Legislative Mall.
“The reason for the change is to showcase more of what Downtown Dover has to offer”, said Wendie Vestfall, President of Kent County Tourism. “It’s our goal to expose visitors of the festival to the rich history, culture, and heritage of the area while driving them through the doors of our wonderful downtown restaurants and storefront doors.” In addition, the move of the footprint will open up all the parking that surrounds Legislative Mall making it easier for people to come participate in the festival.
With a change in the footprint, a slight change to the parade route will also have to happen. The parade will remain on State Street and will turn left onto Loockerman Street to disperse at the Delaware Public Archives.
Legislative Mall will not completely be left out of the festival fun. Kent County Tourism plans to feature a tethered hot-air balloon that people can ride in to capture scenic pictures of the city, children’s activities, and the annual car show on the Federal Street side of the Mall.
Kent County Tourism is currently accepting registration for vendors and parade participants. For more information on how to participate or about the festival visit www.DoverDaysFestival.com or call 302-734-4888.
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The 85th Annual Dover Days Festival is one of the largest, longest-running, FREE, popular events in the state of Delaware dedicated to promoting the heritage and culture of Dover and the state of Delaware. Kent County Tourism coordinates the Annual Dover Days Festival at the request of the City of Dover. Dover Days hosts the largest parade in Dover with the Governor of the State of Delaware serves as the Grand Marshal. Activities reflect Delaware’s history and heritage as well as contemporary times and include, but are not limited to, the parade, traditional Maypole Dancing with 250 plus schoolchildren, vintage auto rides, colonial artisans’ village, historic re-enactment groups representing the Revolutionary War, WW II and the Civil War, children’s activities, carnival, fireworks, exhibits and lectures as well all-day entertainment and more.