Gainesville’s downtown sector was filled with tents, and pedestrians pushed strollers and walked dogs as they wandered through the 32nd Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show on Saturday and Sunday.
Although the art was the main draw of crowds this weekend, those who attended were surprised by other fixtures at the festival such as a flutist performing hypnotizing melodies and a band set up at Bo Diddley Community Plaza.
Hannah Carr, an 18-year-old UF accounting freshman, said she was happy to be viewing the exhibits for the first time this weekend.
“Some people think you have to go to school in a big city to find art like this when really our campus is just a block away from some really amazing stuff,” she said.
Original art pieces ranged from photographs to jewelry. Sitting near their work, the artists acted as voices for their masterpieces and told the stories behind their work.
Mosaic artist Kevan Breitinger, who exhibits her work at about 30 shows a year, enjoys coming to Gainesville to display her art.
“The Gainesville community is great about supporting the arts,” she said. “It’s what’s had me coming back for five years now.”
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 11/18/2013 under the headline "Art festival draws thousands downtown"
