Delaware festivals
Encyclopedia
There are several annual festivals
in Delaware
.
The Big August Quarterly
is an annual religious festival held in Wilmington, Delaware, and is sometimes called "Big Quarterly" or "August Quarterly." The festival began in 1814 by Peter Spencer
in connection with the "quarterly" meeting (or "conference") of the African Union Church
. Out of the four meetings during the year, the one in August became the "annual conference" of the Church when ministers' assignments for the next year were announced, among other business — it was a time for free blacks and slaves alike to come together (from the multi-state area) and celebrate their faith with singing, dancing, testifying, and feasting. It is the oldest such celebration in the country. Senator Biden's remarks on the significance of the "Big Quarterly" were published in the Congressional Record for 30 July 1981 (Vol. 127, No. 117) and for 9 August 1984 (Vol 130, No. 106).
The Delaware State Fair
(also known as the Harrington Fair) is Delaware's only state fair. The Delaware State Fair occurs during the last two weeks of July.
In addition to hosting the fair, on the Fair Grounds is also the location of a horse racing track, casino, and a Grand Stand. During the fair, numerous musical acts perform at the Grand Stand. The Grand Stand is also used for a Demolition Derby
s, circus
performances, and other entertainment.
The Delaware Sängerbund
(German
for Singers Alliance) holds an annual three-day long Oktoberfest
. The Oktoberfest features carnival rides, German foods, and demonstrations of German singing and dancing.
The city of Wilmington is home to several ethnic festivals. The most popular is the annual Italian Festival hosted held each June in the neighborhood surrounding St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church
. A highlight of the Italian Festival is a procession of the church's statues of saints throughout the community on the last afternoon of the festival.St. Hedwig Roman Catholic Church sponsors a Polish festival along the city Riverfront each October and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church presents a Greek Festival at the church ground each June. These ethic festivals all feature carnival rides, ethnic foods and craft, and musical performances.
In Bethany Beach
, the end of the summer season is honored each year with a traditional jazz funeral
down the town's boardwalk
. And at the end of October, Rehoboth Beach
holds its annual Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddlers' Festival.
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival
is a free jazz music festival held annually at Rodney Square in Wilmington, Delaware. The first festival was held in 1989 on the open lawn in the central area of the city and has remained free to the public. The event is held in honor of Wilmington native and respected jazz
trumpeter Clifford Brown
, who died in a traffic accident in 1956.
The Wilmington Flower Market is a held each May in Wilmington's Rockford Park. The Flower Market is a three-day long festival which serves as a fundraiser for charitable organizations which benefit Delaware's children.
The weekend after Halloween, Sussex County is the location of the annual Punkin Chunkin, where pumpkins are shot from devices such as air-powered cannons, trebuchets, catapults, and various other contraptions. The performance of various styles and classes of devices is supplemented by food booths and musical performances.
During the second weekend in October, Bridgeville
hosts its annual Apple Scrapple
Festival. The carnival centers around the preparation and consumption of apples and scrapple and also includes contests, live entertainment, a car show, a tractor pull, and craft shows.
On the second Saturday in March the Chocolate Festival at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center features chocolate made by professionals, amateurs, bakeries, and children.
A tradition that is unique to Delaware is Return Day
, which occurs every two years on the Thursday following the November general election. Believed to be the only event of its kind in the United States, it is a continuation of a tradition that dates back to Delaware's earliest days in the 18th century. Festivities include the reading of election results from the Sussex County Courthouse balcony by the town crier, a parade in which winners and losers ride together, the roasting of an ox behind the courthouse, and the ceremonial burying of the hatchet in sand from Lewes Beach.
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
.
The Big August Quarterly
Big August Quarterly
Big August Quarterly is an annual religious festival held in Wilmington, Delaware . Begun in 1814 by Peter Spencer in connection with the "quarterly" meeting of the African Union Church -- of the four meetings during the year, the one in August became the "annual conference" of the Church when...
is an annual religious festival held in Wilmington, Delaware, and is sometimes called "Big Quarterly" or "August Quarterly." The festival began in 1814 by Peter Spencer
Peter Spencer
Peter Spencer was born under slavery in Kent County, Maryland, in 1782 and grew up to be the founder of the first independent black Christian Church the United States, the A.U.M.P. Church in Wilmington,Delaware,which was a great success.The A.U.M.P. Church is still in existence....
in connection with the "quarterly" meeting (or "conference") of the African Union Church
Spencer Churches
The Spencer Churches are the two religious denominations that resulted from a schism in the "Union Church of Africans" , the first independent black denomination, founded by Peter Spencer in Delaware in 1813.The two denominations created by the schism are the African Union Methodist Protestant...
. Out of the four meetings during the year, the one in August became the "annual conference" of the Church when ministers' assignments for the next year were announced, among other business — it was a time for free blacks and slaves alike to come together (from the multi-state area) and celebrate their faith with singing, dancing, testifying, and feasting. It is the oldest such celebration in the country. Senator Biden's remarks on the significance of the "Big Quarterly" were published in the Congressional Record for 30 July 1981 (Vol. 127, No. 117) and for 9 August 1984 (Vol 130, No. 106).
The Delaware State Fair
State Fair
State Fair is a movie directed by Henry King and starring Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, and Lew Ayres. The film was based on a novel by Phil Stong.The film was adapted as a musical in 1945 and again in 1962....
(also known as the Harrington Fair) is Delaware's only state fair. The Delaware State Fair occurs during the last two weeks of July.
In addition to hosting the fair, on the Fair Grounds is also the location of a horse racing track, casino, and a Grand Stand. During the fair, numerous musical acts perform at the Grand Stand. The Grand Stand is also used for a Demolition Derby
Demolition derby
Demolition derby is a motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another...
s, circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
performances, and other entertainment.
The Delaware Sängerbund
Delaware Sängerbund
The Delaware Sängerbund is a German-American club located near Newark, Delaware.The club has about 800 members who meet at the club house in Ogletown, Delaware...
(German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for Singers Alliance) holds an annual three-day long Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
. The Oktoberfest features carnival rides, German foods, and demonstrations of German singing and dancing.
The city of Wilmington is home to several ethnic festivals. The most popular is the annual Italian Festival hosted held each June in the neighborhood surrounding St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church
St. Anthony of Padua (church)
St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church in Wilmington, Delaware. Named in honor of Anthony of Padua, it is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington. It is situated in Wilmington's Little Italy neighborhood where the parish includes St...
. A highlight of the Italian Festival is a procession of the church's statues of saints throughout the community on the last afternoon of the festival.St. Hedwig Roman Catholic Church sponsors a Polish festival along the city Riverfront each October and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church presents a Greek Festival at the church ground each June. These ethic festivals all feature carnival rides, ethnic foods and craft, and musical performances.
In Bethany Beach
Bethany Beach, Delaware
Bethany Beach is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 1,060; however, during the summer months some 15,000 more populate the town as vacationers...
, the end of the summer season is honored each year with a traditional jazz funeral
Jazz funeral
Jazz funeral is a common name for a funeral tradition with music which developed in New Orleans, Louisiana.The term "jazz funeral" was long in use by observers from elsewhere, but was generally disdained as inappropriate by most New Orleans musicians and practitioners of the tradition...
down the town's boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
. And at the end of October, Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Rehoboth Beach is a city in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population is 1,327, a decrease of 11.2% from 2000...
holds its annual Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddlers' Festival.
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival
Clifford Brown Jazz Festival
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is a free jazz music festival held annually in June at Rodney Square in Wilmington, Delaware. The first festival was held in 1989 on the open lawn in the center of the city, and has grown into the largest free jazz festival on the East Coast...
is a free jazz music festival held annually at Rodney Square in Wilmington, Delaware. The first festival was held in 1989 on the open lawn in the central area of the city and has remained free to the public. The event is held in honor of Wilmington native and respected jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpeter Clifford Brown
Clifford Brown
Clifford Brown , aka "Brownie," was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings...
, who died in a traffic accident in 1956.
The Wilmington Flower Market is a held each May in Wilmington's Rockford Park. The Flower Market is a three-day long festival which serves as a fundraiser for charitable organizations which benefit Delaware's children.
The weekend after Halloween, Sussex County is the location of the annual Punkin Chunkin, where pumpkins are shot from devices such as air-powered cannons, trebuchets, catapults, and various other contraptions. The performance of various styles and classes of devices is supplemented by food booths and musical performances.
During the second weekend in October, Bridgeville
Bridgeville, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,436 people, 570 households, and 381 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,768.6 people per square mile . There were 636 housing units at an average density of 783.3 per square mile...
hosts its annual Apple Scrapple
Scrapple
Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus, is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then panfried before serving...
Festival. The carnival centers around the preparation and consumption of apples and scrapple and also includes contests, live entertainment, a car show, a tractor pull, and craft shows.
On the second Saturday in March the Chocolate Festival at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center features chocolate made by professionals, amateurs, bakeries, and children.
A tradition that is unique to Delaware is Return Day
Return day
Return Day is a biennial unique festival and ceremony held the Thursday after Election Day in Georgetown, Delaware, during which election results are announced.-History:...
, which occurs every two years on the Thursday following the November general election. Believed to be the only event of its kind in the United States, it is a continuation of a tradition that dates back to Delaware's earliest days in the 18th century. Festivities include the reading of election results from the Sussex County Courthouse balcony by the town crier, a parade in which winners and losers ride together, the roasting of an ox behind the courthouse, and the ceremonial burying of the hatchet in sand from Lewes Beach.