If you want a break from driving, you can stroll the streets of Downtown Fort Worth at the Main Street Arts Festival. NBC 5’s Noelle Walker was there for opening day of the juried festival ranked among the top arts festivals in the country.
The 38th annual Main Street Arts Festival opened to the public Thursday morning under a sunny, bright blue sky.
"It's a great place to immerse yourself in culture," said Main Street Arts Festival Public Relations Manager Claire Armstrong.
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WATCH HEREArmstrong said the four-day juried arts festival is among the top-rated arts festivals in the country. More than 1,200 artists applied, and just 219 were selected to show their art.
"You are setting yourself up for success to get into Main Street," mixed media illustrator Elissa Brown said. Brown won last year's Main Street Arts Festival 'Best in Show'.
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SIGN UP "There's a lot of pride that comes with getting juried into the show," Brown said. "Everybody has to submit work and be allowed in, and you're getting really the best of the best people applying every single year."
"I look for soul," Fort Worth photographer Greg Davis said, explaining the images framed in his booth. "A lot of my work involved Indigenous peoples from other places that we aren't familiar with, so I want to bring those to light so that we have respect for others who aren't like us."
The Main Street Arts Festival has something for everyone, from mixed media, paintings, jewelry, glass sculpture, and more.
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"We had over 1,200 applications from artists across the United States apply to exhibit and only 219 were selected, so it really is world-class art here," Armstrong said. "There's truly something for everyone and across all price points. You can find something for $5 and you can find something for $5,000."
An estimated $ 4 million worth of art will be sold over the four-day event, but the connections made are priceless.
"And frankly, sometimes it's more rewarding than the sale, right?" Brown said. "You connect with people through art in ways that you can't do any other way."
"Yeah," Davis said. "I want people to feel something deeply when they see the work. I've been doing this for 20 years, so I've witnessed a lot of beautiful things happen."
The beautiful weather is expected to draw record crowds to the four-day event, which is Fort Worth's second largest event next to the Stock Show & Rodeo.
Streets are blocked off downtown for the Main Street Arts Festival, so parking is limited. Public transit is highly recommended. Admission to the festival is free.
