April has traditionally been the month for two of the OKC metro’s most magnificent arts festivals: The Festival of the Arts and the Downtown Edmond Arts Festival. Between cancellations and rescheduling, it has been hard to keep up, but this year, festival life should finally — fingers crossed — return to something closer to normal. We reached out to the directors of these festivals to discuss what to expect this year.
Festival of the Arts | Tuesday, April 19-Sunday, April 24 Bicentennial Park, 500 Couch Drive
OKC Director Seth Lewis said that he is excited for the return of Festival of the Arts to April. He noted that the 2022 festival will “expand our footprint in the city, and will utilize the east lawn of City Hall this year. Last year, we started with a stage on the east side, and now that stage will be a dedicated Children’s Stage. It will be surrounded by other children’s activities including Creation Station, Young at Art Mart and the Youth Art Show on Saturday. While the entire Festival is family-friendly, the east and west lawns of City Hall will be full of activities geared for children and families.” Crowd favorite International Food Row will return, lining the north and south streets of the Civic Center. Three stages will be set up, and Lewis said, “These stages will have Oklahoma’sbest talent performing from open to close all six days.” Many returning and new artists will have their work displayed, so be sure to head downtown for the Festival of the Arts.
For more information visit artscouncilokc.com or @artscouncilokc on FB and Instagram.
Downtown Edmond Arts Festival | Friday, April 29-Sunday, May 1 N. Broadway and Main St., Edmond
Co-Chairs Michelle Schaefer and Nancy Meoli have some exciting news about what is different this year. “One of the biggest things is that we will have a free shuttle service. Guests can park near UCO and ride in an air-conditioned motor coach to and from the festival. No more hunting for parking spots and walking several blocks in the heat! We’ll also have a tent for all the children’s activities, so guests won’t have to wait in the hot sun to get a face painting or talk to a princess,” Schaefer said. “So many favorite artists will return; some have been with us for over 15 years. Plus the traditional food trucks, and local music legends like Edgar Cruz.”
Follow @DowntownEdmondArtsFestival on Facebook for more information.
Both events will be following their city’s current COVID protocols and will have hand sanitizing stations throughout the festival. They are also looking for volunteers, so make sure to reach out if you are interested in getting involved.
