Downtown Naples Festival of the Arts

The 29th Downtown Naples Festival of the Arts, which takes place on Saturday, March 18th and Sunday, March 19th, allows thousands of art-savvy festival goers to mill about the 230+ booths that participating artists set up under the canopy of oak boughs and golden trumpet trees that shade flower-lined Fifth Avenue South from southwest Florida’s brilliant springtime sunshine from Highway 41 west to 3rd Street South just blocks from the gulf.

The setting is definitely a big part of the allure associated with this end-of-season art festival, where artist tents and booths are nestled between rows of Mediterranean-accented buildings housing banks, stock and real estate brokerages, European-style boutiques, high-end jewelry stores, prestigious art galleries and some of the finest restaurants, bistros and outdoor cafes in all of southwest Florida. Old-fashioned city clocks, public art sculptures and a bevy of bubbling fountains add to Fifth Avenue’s aesthetic appeal and ambiance. Shoppers will have the opportunity to mingle with about 220 professional artists from around the country in categories ranging from original oils and acrylics on canvas to watercolors, 2D and 3D mixed media, limited edition prints, photography, digital art, sculpture, wood carvings, ceramics, hand-crafted jewelry, leather works and more.

Unlike a gallery or museum, a fine art festival such as this one offers savvy art enthusiasts the unique opportunity to meet the artists in person; commission a specific piece; ask questions about techniques; learn the sources of their inspiration and purchase fine works of art directly from the artists.