I spoke briefly about selling art locally in a recent blog post, “How to apply for art shows.” The first question I like to ask before I do my research is – ‘how far am I willing to travel?’
I currently reside in Tennessee, and I try to keep in mind that I own a van that needs gas and I need lodging for overnight trips.
Now there are two types of art festivals:
Arts and crafts festivals and fine art festivals.
- Art and crafts festivals
- Art and craft festivals are typically sponsored by small businesses with products that are mass-produced and commercially applicable.
- Fine arts festivals
- Fine art festivals are designed for the little guy. Vendors are more experienced with decades of work under their belt and their displays are often more handmade.
Click on this link to learn additional information to where to apply for art festivals.
www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/best-art-fairs.html
I price my work depending on the size of the event and the size of the work. It may vary from $500 to $2000. Another factor is supply and demand. Potential customers in the art genre sometimes have selective tastes and it varies from one region to another, but I try to stay within a reasonable price range. So here is a list of upcoming events in 2024 for local and regional artists who wish to sell their artwork.
Laumeier Annual Art Fair
Date: May 17-19th, 2025
Where: St. Louis, Missouri
Contributing artists: 150
Our eight-festival tour begins in St. Louis, a city that has frontier-town roots with its iconic Gateway Arch, often referred to as the ‘Gateway to the West’. St. Louis also has a strong sports fan base and a deep love for blues & folk music. And anytime you visit a city that enjoys blues (Memphis & New Orleans comes to mind), you will be sure to find an environment of people who have an appreciation for arts and crafts.
Laumeier Annual Art Fair is a three-day event that will be held over Mother’s Day weekend. The fair will feature over 150 artists from the local area and across the country. There will be gourmet food, live entertainment, and hands-on activities for the little ones. St. Louis will be a one-shop stop for the best hand-crafted jewelry, sculptures, original artwork and so much more in the city this summer, so come here and enjoy the site and sounds!
OneAmerica Broad Ripple Art Fair
Where: Indianapolis, Indiana
Date: May 18 & May 19th, 2025
Contributing Artists: 150
Indianapolis is the host of some of the world’s biggest single-day events in the racing community such as the Indy 500 and the U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race. But Indy also holds the throne to America’s largest children’s museum, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and to accompany that, the city has several popular war museums. Indy can be often overlooked because of its neighboring city, Chicago, but Indianapolis can provide a variety of leisure entertainment from food to sports to culture.
OneAmerica Broad Ripple Art Fair is another good gathering for the family. There will be local food and brew with live music curated by the Indy Jazz Fest. Art collectors from all over the region are expected to come and support the 150 best local and visiting artists. Indianapolis is known to be a city that celebrates the local art scene, and this year should be no different!
29th Annual St. Pete Beach Corey Area Craft Festival
Location: St. Pete Beach
When: June 3 & 4, 2025
Contributing artists: 100
At this point, you should have picked up the pattern: There’s always a summer art festival in Florida with a column of beaches nearby. Well, the city of St. Pete Beach follows suit as it is a resort set on an island, west of St. Petersburg. So, you are going to need your sunscreen and a pair of sandals when in search of the right painting to put on your wall.
The 29th Annual St. Pete Beach Corey Area Craft Festival is another recommended destination for art collectors. The festival offers more than 100 of the most talented artists in the region. Expect to choose from a variety of jewelry, ceramics, painting, pottery, and much more. Admission is also free.
Palmer Park Art Fair
Date: June 8 & 9th, 2025
Where: Detroit, Michigan
Contributing artists: 75
The days of Detroit as the automobile capital of the world and the Motown music mayhem are long gone, but the city has continued to progress by providing fine arts events and exciting local entertainment. Detroit Institute of Arts is a top draw for tourists, which attracts over 25,000 visitors per year including some of the best art festivals hosted during the summer season.
Palmer Park Art Fair is a two-day event held on the first weekend of June and the event will feature over 75 artists from the local and surrounding area. There will be music and entertainment for adults and hands-on art projects and book readings for children. If you and your family plan to visit Motor City this June, please add this event to your must-to-do list!
30th Annual Downtown Venice Craft Festival
Location: Venice
When: June 17 & 18, 2025
Contributing Artists: 100
This is our final stop on this list: Venice, Florida, but Vernice speaks for itself. And I would not do the city any justice to mention the world-class beaches with their sand volleyball courts, the romantic boardwalks, the food, the music, the entertainment, and we can go on and on. Again, this blog is about art. It’s not a travel guide, but did I mention how beautiful the women are here? You know, the ones always in bikinis and-I’m sorry. Let’s get back on track.
Millennial Art Festival
Location: Chicago, Illinois
When: July 13-15th, 2025
Contributing Artists: 120
Where should you go and visit first when you are traveling to Chicago? The possibilities are endless. You can visit Millennial Park, Navy Pier, Chicago Riverwalk, Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum, and the list goes on and on. And how can we forget about their deep-dish pizza? Fortunately, to help narrow the many choices is Chicago’s unique recognition and appreciation for the arts.
So we will start here with the Millennial Art Festival. It is located just a few blocks north of Millennium Park. This festival is a three-day event that is free to the public and will provide a wide display of original artworks, jewelry, photographs, ceramics and much more!
Belle Isle Art Fair
When: August 3 & 4th, 2025
Where: Detroit, Michigan
Contributing Artists: 125
Here we make a second stop in the Motor City. Many economists consider Detroit on the decline since the collapse of the auto industry and haven’t since recovered, but many people still care about this city. In the last decade, Detroit has slowly picked up in business and social opportunities, which has helped increase the city’s revenue. One of the benefactors of this is the art cultural scene.
The Belle Isle Art Fair will be hosted in an island park. The event has grown over the years and attracted the attention of local and international buyers. The festival has also attracted a lot of news press and local and regional media coverage and is rated in the top 10 Fine art shows in America. The two-day event will showcase over 125 fine local and regional talents and of course, there will be Motor City food to try with great music to entertain you. I would recommend that you set the time to visit Detroit to wrap up your summer travels and planned vacations.
Third Ward Art Festival
Where: September 7 & 8, 2025
When: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Contributing Artists: 140
Milwaukee is another great city to explore if you are looking for popular galleries to buy art, and one place I would recommend checking out is the Milwaukee Art Museum. The Museum has a large volume of artwork with their most notable work which includes Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso.
The Third Ward Art Festival is hosted in an upscale area just three blocks south of downtown Milwaukee. This area is often referred to as the arts and fashion district for its boutique shopping stores, restaurants, and landmarks. This two-day event is also free to the public and there will be art activities for visitors of all ages including art demonstrations and art booths for artists to showcase and sell their work.
2nd Annual Art Worth Festival
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Date: October 20-22, 2025
Contributing artists: 75
Most people who travel through Texas are familiar with Fort Worth, Texas because of the ranching industry. Many residents can claim that Fort Worth is the heart of Texas but to each it’s own. What we need to know is….. can they provide the art!
The 2nd annual Fort Worth Festival is a fairly new event, but the city’s goal is to present a platform for upcoming, talented artists as well as invite people from all over the region to embrace different mediums of art. This festival will be held in Fort Worth’s Cultural District, so please don’t forget to bring your wallet, and enjoy some great quality artwork over the three-day event.
A Shade of Art 
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