Michigan Bucket List: Ann Arbor Art Fair
Caroline Samuelsen
| 3 min read
Every July, one of the nation’s largest art festivals is right here in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Art Fair is an exciting, three-day festival that brings half a million visitors to Ann Arbor. The fair takes up 30 blocks of Ann Arbor and features more than 1,000 artists.
The fair includes three nonprofit art fairs: The Original Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Guild’s Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, and the Ann Arbor State Street District Art Fair. The fair began with The Original Ann Arbor Street Art Fair in 1960, and all three fairs came together in 1973.
When is it?
10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 18 and 19
10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday, July 20
Music Performances
The Art Fair features three different stages with live music performances.
Stage One: On Main is the main stage, located on the Corner of Main & William in the parking lot next to Palio Restaurant. For more details on individual performers and show times, visit the main stage information website.
The second stage is called The Street Stage on William and is in the State Street District Art Fair near the Maynard and William intersection. This stage will also feature the youth talent show on Saturday. For a breakdown of the performance schedule and list of performers, visit their website.
The third stage is The Fountain Stage on Ingalls Mall, between E. Washington Street and N. University. For more information on the schedule of performances and the performers, visit their website.
Things to Do
There are many different things to do at the fair aside from looking at the exhibits of visiting artists. Visit the Art Activity Zone, the perfect place for a family activity, and create your own works of art. There is the Art Demo Zone where you can view artists developing their pieces. There will be a glassblowing demonstration and a pottery/ceramics demonstration. Details about locations and times can be found at the demo zone section of the website. Aside from the professionals, there is a Youth Art Fair within the Ann Arbor Art Fair, featuring the talents of kids grades 4-12 as they sell and exhibit their work throughout the festival.
Accessibility
The Ann Arbor Art Fair prides themselves on accessibility so everyone can access the art fair. Check out the map of the festival to see certain locations of events. The Ann Arbor Art Fair has partnered with a platform called What3Words to help users find specific locations and directions within the festival. There are a few parking structures in Ann Arbor, but there is an option to park further away and get shuttled to the festival. That information can be found here. Within that website are two locations for wheelchair rentals. Admission to the festival is free.
For more information, view the Ann Arbor Art Fair website.
