Santa Fe College is holding its 47th annual Spring Arts Festival in downtown Gainesville. This year is the first time the main stage is at Bo Diddley Plaza.
The festival is Saturday and Sunday on Northeast First Street and on the grounds of the nearby Historic Thomas Center, located at 302 NE Sixth Ave. It is one of the three largest annual events in Gainesville and features artwork from ceramics to glass art and live music.
More than 200 artists will be in attendance, working with a variety of media, and more than 100,000 people are expected to attend, Kathryn Lehman, Santa Fe’s cultural affairs coordinator, said.
Lehman said that over 47 years, the festival has won several awards, including being top tourist attraction, and best arts and crafts festival in the state of Florida.
There is a variety of food concessions and a Saturday-evening concert. Along with the festivities, Saturday at noon there is a celebration for Santa Fe’s 50th anniversary.
“There is something for everyone and the family, and it’s lots of fun,” Lehman said. “Everyone comes out, and they have a great time.”
Musical acts include GrüvTherapy, an urban jazz/neo soul group; N2Q, a group with electric mixes of ukuleles and singing instruments; and Jewish folk music group Klezmer Katz.
Admission is free and no pets are allowed. On Saturday the festival is from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the festival is from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For Eleanor Blair, a veteran artist at the festival, this marks her 45th consecutive year participating in the Spring Arts Festival. She recalled the early years when the festival was much smaller and held at the Hotel Thomas, which is now the Historic Thomas Center.
Blair said the festival has grown to include artists from around the country, and the quality of the art has improved.
“I’m amazed I am still doing it 45 years later — still doing it and still enjoying it,” she said.
Alongside the art, Blair said there is more to experience, with “music, great food and wonderful performances.”
