Here’s what to know about dueling art fests happening in downtown Fort Worth this week
For a third year running, the Main Street Arts Festival will be sharing downtown space with the Fort Worth Art Fair. Both are running on the same days this weekend: April 18-21.
The inaugural year for the Fort Worth Art Fair took place in 2022 and was created to showcase local artists and galleries in Fort Worth. This year will mark 37 years of the Main Street Arts Festival which has lined artist booths, food vendors, live music and more along Main Street from the Fort Worth Convention Center to the Tarrant County Courthouse.
What to know about downtown Fort Worth arts festivals
Anyone interested can attend for free over the four days. Food vendors include a variety of cuisines. Turkey legs, funnel cakes, gumbo, or empanadas are sure to keep guest’s stomachs full. There are four different food courts scattered throughout downtown.
2nd Street (North Food Court)
4th Street (the Central Food Court of the Festival)
6th Street
9th Street (South Food Court)
And of course there are the artists — 20% of whom are from Texas. All different mediums make for a diverse panel of artists and their work. Last year’s “best of the show” artist, John Blackwell, will be back in booth 720.
The 2023 festival had 350,000 guests and they are expecting the same this year. Here are some suggestions to know before entering the large crowd of guests.
The festival begins at 10 a.m and ends at 8 p.m everyday except for Sunday which it then closes at 6 p.m.
While the festival is outdoors, they do ask for guests to leave pets at home. If you do bring your pet, leashes must be six inches or less and kept away from art booths. Service pets allowed.
Only credit cards are accepted at food vendors. No cash.
Free water stations are located scattered throughout festival area.
There will be street closures due to the festival. Double check the map to make sure you aren’t planning on parking in a closed lot.
100 different musicians will be performing. There are three music stages. UTA Main Stage is operating on 9th and Main streets and the other, Hear Fort Worth Stage, is located on 7th Street between Main and Commerce streets. Those two are operated by the Main Street Arts Festival. The third stage is located in Sundance Square and is run by the Fort Worth Art Fair.
Here are the hours for the stage in Sundance Square:
11 a.m.- 10 p.m., Thursday and Sunday
11 a.m.- midnight, Friday and Saturday.
Thursday, April 18, will feature country and Western musicians.
Friday, April 19, will feature singers, songwriters and storytellers.
Saturday, April 20, will showcase jazz and rhythm and blues.
Sunday, April 21, features some of the best dance bands in Fort Worth and North Texas.
Schedule varies for musicians. To check out who will be preforming, check out this list on Main Street Arts Festival’s website.
What’s the difference between the events?
Although both art festivities happen during the same days, Fort Worth Art Fair and the Main Street Arts Festival are run by different groups.
Fort Worth Art Fair is held by Sundance Square and the Main Street Art Festival is presented by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc. in partnership with PNC Bank.
Until 2022, the Main Street Arts Festival used Sundance Square Plaza, situated in the middle of Main Street, as a location for around 50 artist booths.
While the Main Street Arts Festival includes an Emerging Artists category for Fort Worth-based artists, the legacy festival also makes room for national and regional art; the Fort Worth Art Fair solely focuses on local art.
This story was originally published April 15, 2024 at 12:36 PM.