The First Ever Arts Montco Week, Supporting Montgomery County's 200 Arts And Culture Venues, Coming September 2021

Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board has announced the first ever Arts Montco Week. The festivities will highlight Montgomery County, Pennsylvania's over 200 arts and culture venues, which normally represent $100 million in positive economic impact, not to mention hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs. The county, which has hosted such prestigious international entertainment organizations like Cirque du Soleil, Big Apple Circus, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, will roll out the red carpet to visitors for Arts Montco Week, September 17-26, 2021.

"Tourism is certainly powerful in Montgomery County, PA," said VFTCB President & CEO Mike Bowman. "Our industry has been bent, sure, but not broken. Arts and culture can change us, shape us, and have a positive impact on all of our lives. We need that now more than ever, and we know that our suburbs are going to come out of this strong. Together, we're going to work hard to use that power to turn things around, and get people back to work."

The brand new festival will be free for arts and culture venues to participate, with no requirements for in-person or virtual programming, and will feature a website, blog, video, public relations, and social campaign.

"We can't lose groups that address racial justice, serve the LGBTQ community, provide accessibility, and create workforce development opportunities, not to mention offering a welcoming home to some who may feel like they don't fit in anywhere else," noted Rachel Riley, Senior Director of Communications for VFTCB.

The goal of the initiative is to help reinvigorate Montgomery County tourism's normally robust $1.65 billion positive economic impact - including more than 25,000 jobs. The county, which has previous hosted the likes of organizations like Cirque du Soleil, Big Apple Circus, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, is home to live music venues, award-winning playhouses, historic movie theaters, amazing architecture, museums and art galleries, and some of the finest gardens and arboretums in the country. Arts Montco Week will highlight the people and organizations that make these incredible venues inspire thousands of visitors a year.

In addition to Arts Montco Week, VTFCB has announced the first-ever Crave Montco Month - a 31-day restaurant promotion in July - plus over 30 events this summer, with more than 20,000 room nights, and $20 million in economic impact including:

• Two of the largest lacrosse showcases in the country

• The first-ever Esports festival at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks

• A brand-new national field hockey event at the Proving Grounds in Conshohocken

• The USA Climbing North American Cup Series featuring the top Olympic climbers in the country at Reach Climbing in Bridgeport

• And, one of the first-ever all-girls flag football tournaments with college scouts

Additional details on Arts Montco Week will be announced this July. For more information, visit https://www.valleyforge.org.

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