Lions, tigers and elephants are coming to town this weekend.
The Gainesville Community Fest, a new community festival, will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Alachua County Fairgrounds.
Advance tickets, available at gainesvillecommunityfest.com, are $5 for students and those ages 13 and older. The cost is $3 for children 5 to 12. Tickets at the gate will be $6 for students, $7.50 for ages 13 and older and $5.50 for children 5 to 12. Children under 5 years old get in for free, and students should bring a student ID.
The fair will have elephant rides from All About Elephants and lions and tigers from Single Vision, a Melrose endangered species educational company.
“It’s a way to celebrate the community and the people that are a part of it,” said Richard Dreher, president of Gainesville Activities, the organization hosting the fair.
There will also be a rock-climbing wall, an archery range, laser tag and an inflatable jousting arena.
A portion of Gainesville Community Fest proceeds will be donated to Kids Kicking Cancer.
The event showcases about 100 of Gainesville’s businesses, clubs and nonprofit organizations in order to encourage residents to spend their money at locally owned stores, said Jordyn Reese, the festival director.
“Gainesville is such a thriving bubble, and we ourselves could easily self-sustain our city,” Reese said. “Having an event that really shows the different aspects of our city will really inspire people to buy local and play local.”
