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Organization
Mission
The mission of MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival is to produce a free, high-quality, annual arts festival that promotes the diversity, vibrancy and life of Downtown Fort Worth; to promote the qualities of Downtown to regional and national audience; and to contribute to the overall quality of life for Downtown Fort Worth residents.
In the 1980’s, this incredible revitalization was in the very early stages and prominent citizens planned a celebration of the arts to herald the coming of spring and the beginning of the city’s rebirth called Festival Fort Worth held for the first time in 1984. Now the city has come alive with activity, events and people, while the Annual MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival has become the city’s most beloved event of the year and the largest free, four-day visual arts and entertainment festival in the Southwest. The community ideals behind MAIN ST. represent what is best about America—the past and the present, and the ability to realize and celebrate their dreams for the future.
Fort Worth
From cowboys to culture, Fort Worth has it all. Residents and visitors alike can travel back in time at the stockyards national historical district featuring the old North side of town made up of wood-framed sidewalks and saloons, Wild West shows and professional rodeos. In addition to the preservation of this national treasure, downtown Fort Worth has blossomed into a thriving business center and cultural marketplace of art, music, dance and theater. This past summer, the spectacular Bass Performance Hall was opened and sits among historical turn-of-the-century buildings, modern skyscrapers, galleries, museums, retail shops, nightclub hotspots, world-class hotels and four-star restaurants.
Festival Facts
Thousands of people converge on downtown Fort Worth stretching nine blocks on Main Street from the courthouse to the convention center to interact with the arts alfresco during the season’s first, warm and sunny, 70 ° days each year. The streets of downtown are filled with fascinating sights and sounds as more than 500 fine artists, dancers, performance artists, musicians, exhibitors and food vendors take part in the four-day celebration. Two hundred juried artists line the historical red bricks of Main Street weaving gorgeous blends of texture and shape down a magnificent mile of visual art booths, performance stages and colorful characters to create an explosion of color against the turn-of-the-century buildings and modern skyscrapers of downtown Fort Worth.
Art
MAIN ST. is recognized as The Top Show in Texas by The Harris List. Art enthusiasts can choose from a variety of creative and original works of art including sculpture, painting, photography, woodcarvings, glasswork, jewelry, multimedia compositions and more. Over $4 million of art is sold during the festival with prices ranging from $50 for quality reproductions to several thousand dollars for signed limited editions or one-of-a-kind treasures. A highly competitive show, the momentous jury process is held early in the year by an esteemed panel of national jurors to select two hundred of the best artists from around the country.
Entertainment
Our Music on MAIN presented by WaMu schedule features over 150 different local, regional and national musical acts from alternative rock and folk to cool jazz and hot Tejano rhythms on the Sundance Square Stage and the WaMu Stage. MAIN ST. entertainment also offers the Target Performing Arts Stage dedicated to enriching the festival experience with an eclectic collection of diverse performances in dance, theater and performance art. Audiences will take a cultural journey through authentic rhythms and dancing with dramatic performances that will shatter the boundaries between music and theater. And adventures for children come to life in the MAIN ST. Creates! area presented by CHASE - two city blocks dedicated to creative and artistic interactive activities for children of all ages!
Cuisine
Although there is no real logical explanation, the food at MAIN ST. just tastes better outdoors in the shaded courtyard of Gourmet Fare watching people go by enjoying themselves at the biggest downtown celebration of the year. Whether it’s crawfish, turkey legs, bratwurst, funnel cakes or ice cream, festival goers crowd the food counters in an almost hypnotic-like state ordering more and more food–just because it’s fun! And to wash it all down, visitors can pick and choose from a huge inventory of soda, beer, margaritas and Texas wines. MAIN ST.’s Gourmet Fare is one stop shopping that’s entertaining to do over and over again.
Sponsor
One of the most important key elements in the success of the festival has been the strong show of support from the community, volunteers and sponsors. MAIN ST.’s event management team of staff and seasoned volunteers work year round to ensure the smooth running of the festival. Large corporations, area businesses and local residents also give their time and effort during the festival providing 1,200 volunteers to help out during the four-day operation. Because MAIN ST. is a free gift to the community, it further relies on the generous contributions by official sponsors including presenting sponsor Coors Light.
Conclusion
In its 25th year, MAIN ST. has maintained it commitment to the community ideals set forth years ago and continues to strive for expansion of activities and entertainment, exploring new avenues to fulfill its mission of promoting the diversity, vibrancy and quality of life in Fort Worth. The success of MAIN ST. is evidenced by the electricity and pulse running through downtown unlike any other time during the year, providing the perfect setting to celebrate Fort Worth at it’s cultural best.