Dover Days 2012

Dover Days has been around for 79 years. Planning for number 80 begins now.

Dover Days is an annual festival that takes place in Dover, Delaware over the weekend of May 4th- 6th. This event began in 1933 and has been steadily growing in attendance and popularity each year. The event began as a garden and flower show, but has evolved into much more.

Over 25,000 people from Delaware and neighboring states, attended the three day festival this year. This gives businesses a place to showcase their products with a ready-made audience. Displays ranged from homemade jewelry and purses, to various pet products. 

Organizers call Dover Days a “kid-friendly” event. There was face painting, moon bounces, carnival rides and countless booths with interesting themes. One booth featured furs of various animals that were native to Delaware such as white-tail deer and skunk. 

There was also something for the older crowd with Civil War, Revolutionary War, and WWI & WWII re-enactors. People dressed like soldiers and civilians during these time periods and gave informative and entertaining reenactments of how they lived and how the soldiers’ weapons worked.

Scores of food vendors lined the outside of The Green, a large field in the center of Legislative Mall.   There were also musical performances done by numerous groups, including Hammerin’ Hawks Drum Line, and Moving Forward, the Welch Elementary School Dance Team. There were colonial dancers and actors as well as native American dancing.

The Kent County Visitors and Convention bureau sponsors Dover Days.  The next big crowd to descend on Dover will be NASCAR in early June.  There is also the Amish County bike tour set for early September.