Join the City of Harrisburg for the 109th annual Kipona Festival. The 3-day event will feature a Family Fun Zone, Multicultural Celebration, live music, Art in the Park, food trucks, beer/wine garden, a Giant Puppet Parade, Keystone Dock Dogs competition, and more.

Festival Favorites

Live Music
Enjoy performances from 15 local bands and musicians at the Capital Blue Cross stage located in Riverfront Park near State Street. We will also have bands and dance groups performing in the Multicultural Celebration stage near Market Street.

Art In The Park
Over 70 artisans will be set up along the riverfront during the festival. Shop a variety of handcrafted items such as jewelry, artwork, apparel, pottery, glassworks, bath and body products, home décor and more.

Family Fun Zone
The UPMC Family Fun Zone will feature free activities for the whole family in Riverfront Park near Forster Street. Check back closer to the event for a list of daily attractions and entertainers.

Multicultural Celebration

A wide variety of cultures will be highlighted through dance and music performances, demonstrations, and vendor booths. This area will be located in Riverfront Park between Locust and Walnut Streets.

Keystone Dock Dogs

Keystone Dock Dogs is coming to the Kipona Festival! There is no experience necessary and dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds and ages (above 6 months) are welcome to participate.

12-5pm - Native American Festival

CITY ISLAND

This annual tradition features Native foods, crafts, dances, music and more on City Island. There will be Iroquois Dancers, hoop dance, MMIW presentations,  performances by the Grey Cloud and Smokey River Singers, story telling, and more.

2:45pm - Giant Puppet Parade
(rain date is Sunday, August 31 at 2:45pm)

Craft a water themed costume or giant puppet to show off as you march through the parade route. Examples include a fish, narwhal, sea shell, jellyfish, otter, or even a river monster! You can create a simple mask, full body costume, decorate a bike or wagon to pull your child in – the possibilities are endless! All costumes and sculptures should be handmade. We encourage you to be as creative as possible!

There will be cash prizes for the Best Group, Best Youth (under age 13), and Best Individual (over age 12) entries.

We will commission at least 1 artist to construct a giant puppet that is 15-ft or larger. We will also have a street band join us as we parade through the festival to add to the excitement.