Dates and event schedule for the 2008 annual Lowell Quilt Festival has just been announced, and this year promises to be more exciting than ever before!

The citywide celebration of quilts, held annually in historic Lowell, MA, features the juried Images quilt show at the Tsongas Arena with over 300 quilts and cash prizes in several categories. Visitors to the Lowell Quilt Festival can also partake in a variety of activities such as live and silent auctions, quilt appraising, lectures, gallery talks, workshops, children’s activities, and merchant malls.

2008 Lowell Quilt Festival Special Exhibits:

Four special exhibits will be on display at Tsongas Arena: Lowell Inside/Out, a series of 30 juried pieces commemorating Lowell’s rich textile and architectural history and the 20th Anniversary of the New England Quilt Museum; Cocheco Mills Remembered, a group of quilts featuring designs created by using reproduction fabrics made from the Historic New Hampshire Mill; the IQF Journal Quilts, which have traveled the country and been seen by thousands of people; and PEACEQUIILTS, a collection of exquisitely designed hand-made quilts by Haitian students between 14 and 18 years old. The sale of PEACEQUILTS project quilts enables Haitian students to earn a living through meaningful work.

NEW This Year: Gallery Night, August 7th:

Lowell area museums and galleries offer FREE admission and delicious refreshments for Gallery Night on Thursday, Aug 7, 5:30 - 8:30pm. Throughout the city, Lowell’s cultural community kicks off the festival and opens its doors wide for visitors during Lowell Gallery Night. This is your chance to see the spectacular quilt and fabric art exhibits on display in downtown’s cultural institutions. Shuttles will be available to take people to the various LQF locations. See which museums are open for Gallery night!

Space is Still Available in LQF Classes & Workshops!

For those who love to practice the art of quilt-making, a four-day program of workshops led by the country’s top quilt instructors offers instruction for beginners to advanced quilters, with everything from hand-quilting and easy ways to make scrap quilts to super machine stitching and thread painted landscapes. Space is still available in most workshops! Advanced registration is recommended, however walk-in registration is also available for last minute festival attendees.

Special Group Rates and Carpooling Discounts Available!

Admission is $12 (Adult) for a multi-day ticket grants access to the Images Quilt Show and Merchant Malls at the Tsongas Arena, and The New England Quilt Museum. Carpool discount: Get $2 off a one day ticket when 5 or more travel together. Discounted rates are available for both small and large groups. A special all-day rate of $5 is offered at the city garages with parking tickets validated at the Festival and/or at NEQM. Visit www.lowellquiltfestival.org, for class information and registration rates and event description detail.

August 7-10, 2008 LQF 2008, featuring:
Nancy Brenan Daniel ~ Libby Lehman ~ Joanie Zeier Poole ~ Nancy Prince ~ Judy Simmons ~ Judy Sisneros
Sarah Ann Smith ~ Karen K. Stone ~ Deborah Tucker ~ Holice Turnbow ~ Mary Lou Weidman ~ Ann Zemke