We love Houston in the spring because there are so many great events to enjoy outdoors. One of our favorite spring festivals is the Bayou City Art Festival held every March in Memorial Park. This homegrown event began in 1971 when a group of Montrose residents and business owners put on a small arts and crafts festival to raise money for the beautification of their neighborhood. From those modest beginnings the festival grew in popularity, and by the mid 90s it was nationally recognized and exhibited hundreds of artists at biannual events. The festival continues to attract international attention, being ranked in the top ten art festivals by readers of American Style Magazine and receiving three International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) medals in 2008.
Get the details about this spring's event after the jump.
This weekend more than 300 visual and performing artists from around the world will transform Memorial Park in to an outdoor art gallery. A wide range of media will be represented, including drawing, jewelry, painting, photography and sculpture. To make navigating easier, pick up this handy map of the booths and attractions. This past October at the fall festival downtown they provided maps at the gate that had each booth color-coded by the artist's chosen medium. If performing arts is more your taste, the Houston Arts Alliance will host a performing arts stage, with music and dance conducted by the CORE Performance Company, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater and other multicultural ensembles.
Kids can also join in the fun at the Creative Zone, an interactive area where families can create their own messes masterpieces. Make sure you sample the wide selection of international food, but be warned about the beer and wine cafes. No one likes waking up next to a painting of a turquoise coyote howling at a hot pink moon. Don't ask.
Tickets are only $10 for adults and are available at the gate on festival days. All proceeds benefit the Art Colony Association's Non-Profit Partners. Unfortunately, there will be no public parking at Memorial Park for the festival. Free parking will be available at Northwest Mall (610 North Loop at 18th Street). You can also park in the Downtown Theater District lots but you will pay the standard rates. There will be free shuttles to Memorial Park from both locations.
Bayou City Arts Festival
Memorial Park
March 27 - 29, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m each day
Photos courtesy of Flickr users eschipul, aggiechristine and chookooloonks
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