This is the weekend we wait for all year long! It’s time for the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival . . .but did you know that this event is actually two separate art shows?
The Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce hosts the 63rd Annual Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival with 230 participating artists and the Eastern Shore Art Center joins in with their 43rd Annual Outdoor Art Show which features 140 artists.
Together, they make for one HUGE event, which last year, drew 250,000 people to town! (We only have around 19,000 residents in Fairhope).
It’s the very best week of the entire year because the weather is usually always gorgeous, and the crowds are so friendly. Artists from across the country are carefully selected to represent the best in their fields and have been streaming into town the past few days with their trailers loaded with creative work.
Here are a few things to remember for this year’s Arts and Crafts Festival:
*The hours have been extended on Friday and Saturday, 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-5pm.
*There will be an extra parking/shuttle area located at Volanta Park (Hwy 98) and the other locations are still available in the parking lots of Piggly Wiggly, Big Lots and whatever that other place is that used to be Food World. Rides on the BRATS (Baldwin County Rapid Transit System) shuttle are $2 each way and worth every penny for not having to try to find parking on your own.
*The free bicycle valet parking will be located behind the Fairhope Museum of History, so help cut down on traffic and ride those bikes!
And don’t forget to visit all the local stores and restaurants in the area because most are having huge sales.
I’ll be posting photos of this year’s event to my Instagram account throughout the weekend, so be sure to follow along either by clicking HERE or over on the righthand sidebar where you can also enlarge the photos by clicking.
Hope to see everyone downtown!