First Sunday Arts Festival partners with MFA Gallery and Paint Annapolis for June 5th

Art will fill the air in downtown Annapolis Maryland on Sunday June 5th as the First Sunday Arts Festival teams up with the MFA Gallery’s Paint Annapolis plein air event. Early Sunday morning of June 5th starting around 8:30 am 80 plein air artists will begin setting up their easels and painting throughout downtown Annapolis in a quick draw event. These 80 plein air artists will then gather at the First Sunday Arts festival starting at 11am and joining the 130 festival artists and crafters to show and sell their just completed works of art to the art loving crowds at the First Sunday Arts Festival.  The plien air artists will be set up in Weisman Park on West Street and the Circle parking lot behind the Visitors Center.

First Sunday Arts will also be expending starting June 5th into the second block of West Street. The festivals new foot print will expand it further into the Annapolis Arts District. This adds about 30 vendors spaces in the arts district, which gives qualifying Maryland artists the opportunity to apply for tax credits when selling their art work. The new foot print of the First Sunday Arts festival in downtown Annapolis Maryland will be West Street from Church Circle to Lafayette Avenue, Whitmore Park on Calvert Street and the bonus area for June of the circle parking Lot behind the visitors center.

The First Sunday Arts festivals combined with the MFA Gallery’s Paint Annapolis event is expected to bring over 10,000  locals and visitors on Sunday June 5th to downtown Annapolis  The festival will provide shopping opportunities from over 200 local and regional artists and crafters selling their artwork.  You will find  vendors selling handcrafted jewelry, pottery, glass, clothing, purses, cutting-boards, iron-work, wood-turnings, furniture, sculpture, photography, paintings, garden art, gourmet foods and more. You will finds something for everyone, including something for dad, as Father’s Day is just around the corner.

All the restaurants in the festival area will be setting up cafe dinning, and food trucks are set up by  Whitmore Park, so its easy to take a break and enjoy some good food at the festival. Several of the restaurants also host entertainment during and after the festival including Ramshead Tavern, 49 West Coffeehouse and Gallery, Tsunami and Reynolds Tavern. Also new this year will be the Great Frogs Wine Garden located next to Stan and Joe’s Saloon. Here you will be able to sample wines made in Annapolis and purchase wine by the glass or bottle.

Performers throughout the festival will be showcasing live music, dance, theater in 4 free performance stages including, Weisman Park near the Visitors Center which is s a good spot to relax in the shade, the Garrett Park Guitars Stage in the wine garden next to Stan and Joe’s Saloon, City Gate Park and the Jeremy Ragsdale Voice Studio Stage in Whitmore Park. For the kids there is  mad-hatter hat making, face painting, a balloon artist and artist demonstrations.

Plus there are several galleries and museums with new exhibits in and around the Annapolis Arts District to check out, including Banneker Douglas Museum, ArtFarm, The Annapolis Collection Gallery,  Whitehall Gallery, Nancy Hammond Gallery and Fin Art. Stop in the visitors center on West Street for a map of all the art galleries and museums in downtown Annapolis.

The First Sunday Arts festivals are conveniently located in downtown Annapolis on West Street and Calvert Streets where parking is a breeze. There is 5 large parking garages including Whitmore, Gott’s Court and Loews Hotel parking garages located on the festival grounds and Knighton and the State Parking Garages within a 1 to 3 block stroll from the festival. Plus with so many Annapolis’ locals attending the festival, many just walk, bike or take the bus in from the surrounding  Annapolis communities . The high numbers of locals attending also means you will find a lot of friendly pets joining their families and friends at the First Sunday Arts Festivals.

To accommodate the ever growing festival attendance the festival will again start this year at 11am instead of noon. This years festivals will be on the first Sunday of each month from May to November with a bonus festival on the first Sunday of December called the Annapolis Chocolate Binge Festival.

Admission to the First Sunday Arts Festivals is always free, so bring your friends and family to spend a day out on the town. Free parking is available at the State Parking Garage located at 19 St John Street. First Sunday Arts Festivals hours are 11am to 5pm on Sunday’s  June 5, July 3, August 7, September 4, October 2, November 6 and December 4 from noon to 5pm.

The First Sunday Arts festivals are sponsored by the Inner West Street Association, Great Frogs Winery and managed by Evans Management LLC

For more information and updates visit www.firstsundayarts.com

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