Jacob Ascher, a 12-year-old artist, used his tie-dyed colored pencil box to store his cash.
He said he did not realize he would sell as many of his art pieces, which were of dinosaurs and American landmarks, as he did at the Downtown Festival & Art Show on Saturday and Sunday.
“I’m more of an artist than a salesman,” Jacob said.
He was one of 240 artists at the downtown festival who displayed their works for about 90,000 attendees, said Sunshine “Sunny” Andrei, the event coordinator. The event kicked off with a free Downtown Blues Concert Friday night. On Saturday and Sunday, parts of Northeast First Street, Southeast First Avenue, West University Avenue and Southeast Second Place were closed off for art and food vendors. Andrei said the event was aimed at showcasing the cultural diversity of the city.
“We want to increase the public’s knowledge of organizations to show what’s here in Gainesville,” she said.
The festival also featured four stages and multiple street performers. Greenwood Morris dancers, dressed in traditional folk costumes, danced down Southeast First Street to upbeat music. The local dance group has participated in the festival since 2000.
“We dance for our dinner and beer,” said Cindi Moncrief, the head dancer.
On Saturday, Missouri resident Anand Avtar Kaur and Gainesville resident Lloyd Dubuc danced on the lawn in front of the Bo Diddley Community Plaza stage to Tim Luhrman and Friends’ live performance.
“We are strangers, but we dance to inspire adults to be kids,” Kaur said.
At the Imagination Station, an interactive entertainment area for youth, children yelled and jumped as they painted tables, streets and themselves. The area included a craft station, face painting, chalk murals and magical and circus performances.
“It’s absolute insanity,” said Craig Rolend, a UF art history professor and organizer of the kid’s section. “We are just one kid short of chaos.”
Maddie Howard, 3, got her face painted with swirls of pink and purple and black musical notes.
As the Downtown Festival & Art Show was taking place, Chomp-A-Thon Gainesville held its first food truck rally in a parking lot across the street from the Hippodrome State Theatre, located at 25 SE Second Place, on Saturday.
Food Truck Eats Jax, a Jacksonville booking and food truck event planning company, teamed up with Gainesville City Center to host 11 trucks, including Adler’s, Delish Kebabs and funnel-cake makers Dank Cakes.
Other food vendors that lined the streets attracted long lines.
Chase Werther, a 20-year-old UF philosophy junior, went to the event with a friend Sunday and got pad thai from a vendor next to Bo Diddley Plaza. She sat with her meal and watched a ballet performance on the plaza stage. She said she enjoyed seeing the crowds the art attracted, but her favorite part was spotting the dogs and children at the event.
“Seeing people with their pets and babies are really fun,” Werther said.
Andrei said the event was aimed at all types of people, no matter their age or cultural background.
“That’s the goal, to have something for everyone to enjoy,” she said.
Eugenia Soto contributed to this report.
Sofia Otero, 6, works on her painting alongside other children at the 36th annual Downtown Festival & Art Show on Saturday.
Bob Senesac, a local artist, speaks to attendants who stop by his booth. More than 200 artists had their work on display at the festival.
