Vermont Quilt Festival
Vermont Quilt Festival was the region’s oldest and largest quilting event. It offered a weekend of quilt exhibits, contest quilts, classes taught by renowned quilters, a champagne preview, vendors, lectures and appraisals. The festival welcomed both beginner and expert quilters.
The festival began in 1977 as a one-day show featuring antique and new quilts. In 1978 contest quilts were added, and by 1981 the festival included classes and antique quilt appraisals.
It started in Northfield, Vermont, and later took place on the Norwich University campus until 2006. The event then moved to the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, with classes at nearby Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, and it was held each year on the last weekend in June, except for 2020 when it was canceled because of COVID-19. In 2021 there was a virtual festival.
In May 2023, organizers announced the festival would be canceled and would close permanently. Marti DelNevo, the chair of the board, said the decision came after lower-than-expected sign-ups for vendors and classes, resulting in a budget shortfall of more than $70,000. The festival had run for 46 consecutive years before closing.
The festival opened each year with a Champagne and Chocolate Preview, often attended by the Governor of Vermont. It received coverage from major publications and was recognized as a Top Ten Summer event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and as a Top 100 Event by the American Bus Association.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:29 (CET).