This weekend’s 42nd Palo Alto Festival of the Arts will turn the city’s University Avenue into an open-air gallery with 250 fine-arts booths plus chalk artists, a children’s Chalk-A-Lot area and — new this year — a DJ spin zone.
The event, hosted by the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 23-24. Admission is free.
Showing their creations at the festival will be West Coast artists working in sculpture, ceramics, glass, fiber, wood, metal, photography, leather, paint and mixed media.
Those whose medium is chalk will descend on Tasso Street for the Italian street painting expo, with the featured artist duo of Wayne Renshaw, a Santa Clara architect, and Cheryl Renshaw, a local landscape designer, demonstrating how they create trompe-l’oeil, or 3-D, chalk images. They’ll be using the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina as the inspiration for their works.
At noon each day, DJs from Pacific Crew will start spinning at the inaugural Ramona Beats & Brews area, at Ramona Street near University, where there will be room for dancing. Devil’s Canyon Brewery Co. is supplying the brews on tap, including NA beers and their popular root beer.
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More than 20 musical performances are scheduled for two stages and two street corner sites. Highlights include fiery fiddler Tom Rigney on Saturday at the Waverley Stage and a Uke Jam on Sunday at the Webster Stage. And again this year, festival-goers are invited to sit down at the “Play Me” piano located at the Chopin & Chandeliers exhibit on Bryant Street and make some music of their own.
This year’s food and beverage booths, clustered at University-Bryant and University-Waverley, will offer smoked turkey legs, shawarma and falafel, teriyaki chicken, sausage sandwiches, crepes, garlic fries, roasted corn, gelato, non-alcoholic pina coladas and more.
Details: Bring tote bags for purchases. Band lineup and details: www.paloaltochamber.com/festival-of-the-arts