A three-day celebration of creativity and the arts, the 48th annual Scottsdale Arts Festival will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 9–11, at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Civic Center Park. Proceeds from the Festival, listed by ABC15 as one of the “must see” springs events, benefit the programs of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts.
And this year brings some added incentives to attend:
● Advance tickets for $10 until Jan. 31. A two-day festival pass is $15. On Feb. 1, admission increases to $12, the two-day pass increases to $20. Tickets are $6 for students and free for children 12 and under, as well as Scottsdale Arts members at the friends level and above. Tickets: www.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org or 480-499-TKTS (8587).
● A $3 discount on Friday, March 9, for patrons 65 and older, and for veterans/military.
● Limited edition Festival T-shirts designed in collaboration with local company Hello Apparel.
● The Local Lounge featuring draft beer and spirits from Arizona brewers and distillers. Known for its high-quality art and beautiful park setting, this year’s Festival will showcase 175
jury-selected artists from throughout the United States and abroad who work in painting, sculpture, glass, ceramics, jewelry, photography and other media. Artwork will be available for
purchase directly from the artists and via the Festival’s online art auction.
Throughout the weekend, numerous Arizona bands and performers will provide continuous live music and entertainment on two stages, featuring blues, country/folk, jazz, R&B, rock and more. Salt Petal is the headliner for the concert on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Other performers will include The Blood Feud Family Singers, Muskellunge, Miguel Melgoza, Treasurefruit, Las Chollas Peligrosas, Cold Shott and The Hurricane Horns, The Haymarket Squares, BD Frank, Cecile Hortensia, Power Drive Band and Painted Soul Featuring Desiree White.
Foodies will enjoy a moveable feast from the Valley’s gourmet food trucks and eateries, including Barrie’s Original Kettle Korn, Even Stevens, Hibachibot, Local Lunch Box, Lu Lu’s Italian Ice, The Maine Lobster Lady, Paletas Betty, Press Italian, Que Sazón, Satay Hut, Soundbite by Short Leash, Sweet Street Mini Donuts, Tom’s BBQ and United Lunchadoras.
A variety of fine wines, beers, cocktails and other beverages will be for sale, including happy-hour drink specials and build-your-own Bloody Marys. The Local Lounge will feature Sentinel Peak Brewing (Tucson), O.H.S.O. Brewery & Distillery (Phoenix) and Uncle Bear’s Brewery (Phoenix) — with brewers on site providing samples on Saturday and Sunday, noon–4 p.m., along with giveaways and games.
The Community Art Studio will offer creative activities for all ages, including community mural, paper sculptures, face painting, paper-hat making and more. Mini workshops on mime, poetry and creative movement will take place throughout the weekend.
At the I LOVE Art Space near the iconic LOVE sculpture, Phoenix-based artist and printmaker Eli Richard will lead a “Print Your Own Merch” workshop on Saturday and Sunday from Noon–4 p.m. Visitors will learn how to screen print on T-shirts and customize the shirts featuring a signature festival design. Cost: $12 for kids, $15 for adults. The other activity, “Trees of Love,” will be run by local artist Kyllan Maney.
Scottsdale Public Art will showcase Barter Boat by RADAR Art: Robin Schwartzman, Anna Abhau Elliott & Desiree Moore. Barter Boat focuses on “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” and visitors will be asked to trade small possessions for an eco-friendly bag filled with curated objects the Barter Boat collected from a previous city. Scottsdale Public Art also will offer a guided walking tour of Old Town Scottsdale at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 11. Tour tickets, $15. Additional details: www.ScottsdalePublicArt.org.
During the Festival, admission will be free to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), which will showcase three new exhibitions featuring Claudio Dicochea, Luis Alfonso Villalobos and three generations of Inuit women. The museum will open at 10 a.m. instead of noon. On view at SMoCA’s Young@Art Gallery inside Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will be “To Dream Huge Dreams,” featuring the work of fifth-grade students from Summit School.
