(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – Alchemy Initiative’s Handmade Holiday Festival – its fourth annual holiday craft fair, featuring over 30 juried artists and designers from greater New England – takes place on Saturday and Sunday, December 1-2, 2012, at the Masonic Temple on South Street in Pittsfield. Shoppers can expect an exceptional array of handmade wares ranging from jewelry, ceramics, and stationery, to silk-screened t-shirts, wreaths, and more.

The event includes live music and an array of refreshments offered by local food vendors.

Jess Conzo, executive director of Alchemy Initiative, says: “This is a great way to buy gifts with meaning. Everything is handmade, and shoppers get to meet the makers – learn their process; hear their stories. Gifts from the Handmade Holiday Festival are not only completely unique, but they help keep the artisanal crafts alive.”

In lieu of their ever-popular goodie bags, Alchemy Initiative will have a goodie bag raffle to give all shoppers the opportunity to score artist-made gifts. Shoppers can purchase tickets ahead of time at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge and Gallery 25 or at the event.

The Handmade Holiday Festival was described by one shopper last year as “a country farmer’s market meets whimsical artists bazaar.”

The Handmade Holiday Festival Preview exhibit runs through the end of November at Gallery 25 (25 Union St, Pittsfield), where each vendor will showcase one item for sale at the Handmade Holiday Festival.

Alchemy Initiative is partnering with the Berkshire Museum to provide attendees with several opportunities. Each weekend in November, the museum will host pop-up trunk shows featuring artists from the Handmade Holiday Festival. During the Handmade Holiday Festival, children will be able to participate in special ornament-making workshops to create decorations for the Alchemy Initiative tree at The Festival of Trees 2012: Myths and Magic, held through January 2 at the museum.