The 32nd annual Downtown Festival and Art Show will morph downtown Gainesville into a melting pot of art, entertainment music and food Saturday and Sunday.
Ranking among the top festivals in the nation, the downtown art show allows visitors to meet exhibiting artists, enjoy live music and sample international cuisine, according to a news release.
The City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs department presents the festival that draws about 100,000 people every year and includes about 250 artists, according to a news release.
Nasthia Villavicencio, a 19-year-old UF economics junior, said when she attended the festival in the past, it was crowded but worth the trip because there were interesting exhibits.
“One that I really liked was a guy that used metals to make a 3D figure,” she said. “It was fun — you see families and people walking their dogs and enjoying the art.”
Adam Goldstein, a 22-year-old UF business administration senior, said the most interesting part is that artists come from across the nation.
“It’s people from all over the U.S., not just Florida or close by,” he said. “It’s also really cool that everyone comes to little old Gainesville just for that.”
Some city bus routes will be delayed and detoured with a few temporarily closed bus stops due to the festival.
Beginning Saturday and continuing through Sunday, Routes 1, 5, 15 and 25 will be affected.
Route 5 will follow its normal route from the Oaks Mall to Main Street but will then detour to South Main Street to Southeast Fourth Avenue to the Downtown Station. The returning trip from the Downtown Station back to the Oaks Mall will follow the same route.
Some stops along Route 5, including Arlington Square Apartments, City Hall, and Bo Diddley Community Plaza, will be out of service.
Additionally, Routes 1 and 25 will follow its normal route to Main Street but will then detour to South Main Street to Southeast Fourth Avenue to Downtown Station. Bus stops to be closed along these routes include Arlington Square Apartments and the Hampton Inn.
Bus Route 15 will also be affected. It will follow its normal route to University Avenue, and then will detour to South Main Street to Southeast Fourth Aveue to Downtown Station.
Bus stops closed on Route 15 include City Hall and Bo Diddley Community Plaza.
All affected routes can expect delays because of the detours. Normal bus service will resume Monday.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 11/15/2013 under the headline "Festival to draw artists, music, cuisine downtown"
