The Roycroft Winter Festival returns to East Aurora this weekend! An annual holiday tradition in East Aurora, this year’s festival is hosted by The Hampton Inn of East Aurora from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 6 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 7. The Hampton Inn, located at 49 Olean Street, is conveniently centered in the village of East Aurora, and visitors to the Festival can experience fine art in wood, metal, fabric, jewelry, clay, glass, book arts, prints, drawing, painting, and photography within walking distance to the shops and fine dining of East Aurora’s East End Main Street besides ample and comfortable parking.
The 2025 Roycroft Winter Festival features exclusively Roycroft Artisans. These Artisans have been accepted by the Roycrofters At Large Association’s Master Artisans based on their high standards of work through a Juried process. Artisans proudly display the registered double R mark representing the quality of their work. The Roycrofters At Large Association was founded in 1976 with the mission to keep the Arts & Crafts Movement alive guided by principles set forth by founder Elbert Hubbard, and were responsible for securing Historic Preservation Landmark Status and spearheading conservation of the Roycroft Campus as the Roycroft Renaissance.
The Roycroft Winter Festival is a traditional opening of the gift giving season since 1980, and offers a wonderful selection of handcrafted fine art and high craft made with the highest standards in craftsmanship by masters of their media. This year’s festival offers work by 22 Roycroft Artisans and Masters, and live art demonstrations in oil painting, book arts/calligraphy, wood carving and vessel making and fiber throughout the weekend. More information about the Live Artists and demonstrated skills can be found on our social media platforms at Instagram and Facebook.
The 2025-2026 Roycrofters-at-Large (RALA) “Goodie Box” that debuted at the summer festival willl be on view with raffle tickets available for sale both days at the winter festival.
The annual Goodie Box is a RALA tradition for over 20 years, and is the backbone of its non-profit fund-raising initiatives. Besides containing an astonishing variety of items from Roycroft Artisans, each year’s box has a centerpiece created by a select Roycroft Master.
This year’s centerpiece pushes the boundaries of the traditional goodie box with a design by Roycroft Master in Ceramics Gerald G Smith. This year’s centerpiece is an innovative ceramic collection reimagining the goodie box proper as a storage vessel and pedestal for elegant tea service components.
“Inc. for Christiano,” the 2025 RALA Goodie Box reimagined, by Gerald G Smith, Roycroft Master Ceramicist
“Inc. for Christiano,” the 2025 RALA Goodie Box reimagined, by Gerald G Smith, Roycroft Master Ceramicist
Clad with a combination of metallic and rustic glazing techniques, Smith’s one of a kind creation expresses an industrial look blended with dramatic Moroccan influence. Together with this piece, the 2025 Goodie Box is valued at over $8,000. Tickets are sold throughout the year with a final drawing at the National Arts and Crafts Conference, at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.
The festival carries a $5.00 admission charge for adults to offset costs; entry is always free for children under 12 and active members and Patrons.
New Patron level members who join at Festival can also carry home their 2025 Membership Premium Gift. This year’s Premium is a classic leather card wallet handcrafted from a single piece of vegetable-tanned leather by Roycroft Artisan Tom Ciminelli of Buffalo Creek Leatherworks. Featuring a decorative punched design with a snap closure and the Roycroft Renaissance mark, each piece is hand lettered and signed and measures 4-inches wide by 2.75-inches tall and comes with thoughtful and environmentally conscious packaging. This beautiful piece of “every day art” is designed to provide useful artistry and sized to carry business cards, gift cards, credit cards, coins, or currency while paying tribute to the timeless and practical designs of the early Roycrofters. We are so excited to offer an item of this caliber to our Patrons.