WINTER PARK, Fla. – Get ready for a picture perfect walk in the park—Winter Park, that is—as the city prepares for its 63rd Sidewalk Art Festival.
City officials put on the event, which draws crowds of about 350,000 visitors each year, to “bring local artists and art lovers together,” the event’s website reads.
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The festival will be held 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 18-19 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 20.
According to festival officials, about 900 artists applied from around the world to compete for 63 awards and a chance for their work to find a new home in the Winter Park Public Library. The prizes for the artists, who were hand-selected by an independent panel comprised of three judges, total $74,500, depending on where they place.
For the whole weekend, the streets of Winter Park will transform into a world of clay, digital art, pastel, painting, photography and so much more.
Beth and Whit Whitworth joined the crowds on Friday making their way through Central Park. They stopped at a booth to purchase a glass vase.
“The color drew me to it. It’s amazing,” Beth Whitworth said.
The event is making a comeback this year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to cancel the event in 2020 and delay it last year.
“There was a hole, something was missing and now that we’re back, it seems like there’s a little more normalcy and I think everybody having gone through the pandemic, they’re now appreciating things a bit more,” festival co-president Terry Forrester said.
Nightly music and educational art workshops will also flood the city in a sea of art and culture. A children’s workshop, held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. all three days, will feature hands-on art activities, as well as easel painting on the weekend.
According to the event website, merchandise near Park and New England avenues, Morse Boulevard and Park Avenue, and Park and Garfield avenues will be available for purchase.
Forrester said the event will bring a big boost to local shops and restaurants.
“They have purchased extra items and things specifically for the festival and so they’re anticipating a nice crowd and they would love to see everybody,” Forrester said.
Those attending are also encouraged to wear masks and ride bikes in the area, where they can park it for free off Morse Boulevard across the street from the train station parking lot.
A Winter Park ordinance says no animals, with the exception of service animals, are allowed in Central Park or on Park Avenue between New England and Canton Avenues during festival hours.
For more information on the events and activities offered during the festival or to donate or become a volunteer, call 407-644-7207 or visit wpsaf.org.