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MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival

February 2,2012

On April 19-22, 2012, Downtown Fort Worth will once again turn its streets over to the 27th annual MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival (MAIN ST.), showcasing a nationally recognized juried art fair, local cuisine, live concerts, performance artists, street performers and more.  Known as the crown jewel of Texas’ events, MAIN ST. is ranked as the #1 arts festival in Texas and the 3rd largest arts festival in the U.S. by The Harris List and the Art Fair SourceBook, two authoritative reference works on the American art-show circuit.

 

This year’s event is expected to be filled with enchanting sights and sounds as tens of thousands of fine artists, dancers, performance artists, musicians, exhibitors, food vendors and art lovers take part in the annual four-day celebration. Lining the historic bricks of Main Street will be 225 juried artists exhibiting and selling one-of-a-kind and limited-edition works of art, all covering a broad spectrum of creativity. Also included in this year’s MAIN ST. is a performance program on three separate stages – the Sundance Square Stage, the Green Mountain Energy Company Stage, and the UT Arlington Performing Arts Stage – each of which will host local and national entertainers such as Grammy Award-winning country singer Steve Wariner, Railroad Earth, ALO and Cirque Zuma Zuma. Also taking place again this year is the family-favorite “MAIN ST. Creates!” program, presented by CHASE, a hands-on, arts-and-crafts outdoor art studio with multiple children’s and family activities such as ceramic painting, art demonstrations, tile decorating, rock climbing and much more.

 

“We could not be more excited to celebrate our 27th anniversary with the City of Fort Worth this year,” said Dr. Marie Holliday, chairman of the Festivals and Events Committee for Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc., producer of MAIN ST. “We’ve planned an amazing weekend filled with returning favorites as well new additions for every artistic taste.”

 

JURIED ART FAIR

Visual art is the centerpiece of MAIN ST.  This year, 225 artists were selected from 1,475 applications to exhibit their work, ranging from sculpture, painting and photography to woodcarvings, glasswork, jewelry, fashion, mixed media and more. More than $2 million worth of art is expected to sold during the festival, at prices ranging from $50 for signed, limited edition prints to thousands for original works. 

 

TASTE OF FORT WORTH

MAIN ST. brings hundreds of the region’s top restaurants and chefs to Downtown Fort Worth, allowing guests to experience excellent culinary fare from a wide range of local establishments such as Riscky’s BBQ, Reata and Cantina Laredo and festival favorites such as Schmidt’s German Village, McKinney’s Corn Dogs Funnel Cakes and Baja Smoothies.  Favorite menu items range from tamales and burritos to wraps and gyros, and turkey legs and funnel cakes to barbecue, burgers and hot dogs. Soft drinks, smoothies, iced tea and lemonade as well as beer, margaritas and Texas wines will also be available. Revelers can also save time and skip the lines by purchasing food and beverage coupons in advance through April 18. Strips of 10 coupons cost $10 and are available for sale at the Festival Store, located online at http://store.mainstreetartsfest.org.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

Fort Worth’s largest arts festival is also the city’s largest, free music festival. This year, more than 300 national, regional and local musicians will perform on three different stages, including Steve Wariner, JJ Grey & Mofro, Railroad Earth, Gerald Albright and Del Castillo. Check www.MainStreetArtsFest.org for a complete lineup, performance dates and times.

 

HISTORY

MAIN ST. traces its beginnings to the early 1980s when the City of Fort Worth set in motion a campaign of urban revitalization in the Central Business District. As momentum began to build, businessman Robert Bass spearheaded the initial effort in 1986 to create an event showcasing the attractions of the city's reawakening downtown core. Mr. Bass and other prominent civic leaders envisioned a multi-faceted festival that would transform downtown into an outdoor gallery and concert stage on an early spring weekend. That first MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival was a three-day event involving 140 artists, 60 performance groups and 600 volunteers. Attendance was approximately 80,000. Two and a half decades later, downtown Fort Worth has become a thriving, 24-hour live-work-play environment. The MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, meanwhile, has followed a parallel trajectory, evolving into the biggest and best-attended event of its kind in the Southwest.

Support MAIN ST. Arts Festival in two ways:
Collector’s Club
Friends of the Festival

GENERAL INFORMATION

MAIN ST. is annually produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., and is free to the public.  Festival hours for 2012 are:

  • Thursday, April 19, 2012: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
  • Friday, April 20, 2011: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 21, 2011: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
  • Sunday, April 22, 2011: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

 

For additional event information, visit MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival online at www.MainStreetArtsFest.org, “like” its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mainstreetartsfest, follow it on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mainstreetfest, or download the free MAIN ST. iPhone application directly from your Apple device or from the iTunes App Store.

 

ABOUT MAIN ST. FORT WORTH ARTS FESTIVAL

MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival celebrates its 27th year in 2012 and is presented by Coors Distributing Company of Fort Worth. Official Sponsors for 2012 are CHASE, Sundance Square, Green Mountain Energy Company, Tarrant Regional Water District and University of Texas at Arlington.  Media Sponsors include KTVT-TV CBS 11, KTXA-TV Channel 21, D Magazine, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as well as radio stations ?KDMX-FM / MIX 102.9, KHKS-FM / 106.1 KISS FM, KTFW-FM / 92.1 HANK FM, and KFWR-FM / 95.9 The Ranch. Supporting Sponsors include XTO Energy, Dallas/Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association, and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T).

 

The festival is produced by Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 organization formed in 1988 to complement the work of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and the Public Improvement District by provide a funding pathway for charitable, educational and public-purpose activities, such as community festivals, residential development and park management. Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc. produces MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival and the Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights, which includes lighting ceremonies for the city’s Sundance Square Christmas tree. These events have an economic impact of more than $19 million annually and attract thousands of visitors to downtown Fort Worth each year, creating a sterling celebration of 27 years on MAIN ST. in 2012. For more information, visit www.dfwi.org.