Welcome to "Aiken's Makin' 2014"
"Our 38th Anniversary!"
Friday and Saturday
-September 5th and 6th, 2014
-From 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
This two day festival is held in the parkways in historic downtown Aiken S.C. It includes arts and crafts, both local and regional, plus family entertainment, music, waiter/waitress and local celebrity races. This year Aiken's Makin' has made room for an additional 72 Crafters and Artisans and over 28 Food vendors. This year promises to be one of the best yet, Don't miss it!
History of Aiken's Makin'
In 1976 the Vice President of Trade Development for the Aiken Chamber of Commerce decided that Aiken needed an event to attract people to the downtown area. Thus, Aiken's Makin' was born. This festival was designed to be a "showcase" for items made by local residents. For many years the festival was held downtown along the sidewalks of the local stores. However as the festival has grown and attracted more and more vendors the event has moved to the parkways of the downtown area.
Through the years the event has grown from a mere 50 vendors to 300 as of 2005. Vendors show everything from pottery, woodcrafts, furniture, baskets, stained glass, quilts, clothing, needlecrafts, toys, jewelry, ceramics, art and many others. The one prerequisite is that all items must be handmade. Food has also become a staple at the event. Local restaurants also show their favorite dishes. Entertainment is provided in the form of dance routines, vocal performances and live bands.
Aiken's Makin' draws quite a crowd in during the two day event. Attendance is estimated to be 30,000 - 35,000 people in our parkways.
The Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce is still the governing body of Aiken's Makin', but the entire community joins forces and works together to make this a safe and enjoyable event for everyone involved from the vendors to the shoppers.
For those who are interested in participating in the event, applications may be obtained by clicking one of the application links in the Right Rail menu below "Links" or from the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce, www.aikenchamber.net or by calling (803) 641-1111. All applications must be completed in full with photos and returned to the Chamber. A jury will determine who is assigned a booth, based on the craft category and the appearance of the items in the photos. Spaces will be assigned to represent a wide variety of items for the festival.