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The Durango Autumn Arts Festival

An Annual Festival In Downtown Durango Celebrating Art & Culture

The autumn leaves create a colorful backdrop for this vibrant art festival held in historic downtown Durango. The long, hot days of summer are slowly coming to an end as September brings a crisp chill to the air. In Durango, that means it’s time to focus on art and culture.

Autumn Art Festival

The Durango Autumn Arts Festival attracts around 7,000 visitors each year to celebrate the creativity and craftsmanship of Durango’s artists. This festival has a reputation throughout the region for superb art as well as great entertainment and welcoming hospitality. If you love admiring art, you’ll have a blast at this festival.

Event Info

Local & Regional Artists

Organized by the Durango Arts Center, this event is one of the best loved in the region. It is well put together and offers great hospitality and facilities. The festival showcases artwork by local artists as well as artists from all over the region. Exhibiting artists are selected for awards, including “Best of Show for Fine Art” and “Best of Show for Fine Craft.” The artists work in a number of mediums including ceramics, jewelry, mixed media, glass, sculpture, photography, painting and more.

The artists are judged on the quality of their workmanship, the originality of their design and concept and the professional look of their booth display. The starting materials must be significantly enhanced or altered by the craftspeople, and there must be a predominance of handcrafted components in the final piece. The festival does not permit certain items, including prints that are not signed or numbered by the artist, mass produced jewelry and metal or plaster casts from moulds not made by the artist.

2023 Arts Festival

This year's event will take place on Second Avenue in downtown Durango on the weekend of September 16-17. Admission to the festival is free. The festival will include live music, artwork on display by 90 exhibitors, children's art activities, delicious food from local suppliers, and fun for the whole family.

2023 Event

Everyone is welcome, and there is entertainment for visitors of all ages. A table with interactive children’s art activities will be set up, so that your little ones can join in on the fun. Stroll through the exhibitions, and decide which piece of art you like the best. The entries are always impressive and beautiful. They are sure to spark a discussion.

If you are passionate about art, why not come to Durango this September and take part in this fantastic festival? There are so many beautiful pieces of art to admire, as well as great music, food and more. While you are attending the festival, you can also enjoy many of the great attractions that Durango has to offer, such as hiking and mountain biking in the mountains, seeing fall colors on a Jeep tour, and shopping in historic downtown.

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