Allen Arts Festival 2026

EVENT INFORMATION

Allen Arts Festival 2026

The Allen Arts Festival, organized by the Allen Arts Alliance returns to Watter's Creek Village  in Allen, Texas!  Allen is a thriving community north of Dallas Allen, TX with a population of 110k+ people with a median age of 37.8 and a median household income of $121,259. The festival features an outstanding group of juried artists, local and regional, showcasing original art in different media categories. Live entertainment, children's art activities, and much more is offered throughout the weekend.

Watters Creek Village is a beautiful 52 acres resort-style mixed use development with office and mid-rise apartment spaces incorporated into a master planned community of walkable spaces, lush landscaping, public art, upscale shopping and top notch dining. Its prime shopping and dinning destinations draw thousands of visitors from Allen and other cities every weekend.

Allen Arts Alliance is a non-profit organization, dedicated to bringing arts and culture to our community. Proceeds from the festival are distributed back to various ArtsReach programs and to other non-profit cultural arts organizations within the Allen community.

GENERAL INFORMATION

2026 festival dates and hours

Friday, May 8th:  2:00 pm - 8 pm

Saturday, May 09th: 10:00 am - 8 pm

Sunday, May 10th:  Noon - 6:00 pm

Cancellation Deadline: Cancellation must be done in writing (email) by April 25, 2025 to receive a 50% back plus $25 administrative fee. After April 25 fees are non-refundable and there is no rain date.

Applications

Allen Arts Festival uses application to administer its entire application and jury process. The jury panel views the submitted images and reads the artist statement. The artist statement should describe material and technique rather than meaning behind the work or inspiration. Images are scored from 1(low) to 7(high) with no 4. All scores are combined and averaged. A Wait List will be established by medium category based on jury scores.  Images from Accepted and Wait Listed artists will be retained for promotion.

• All work must be original, handcrafted, created and exhibited by the approved artist themselves
• All entries will be reviewed, juried and screened prior to your acceptance
• All applications require 3 photos of your work plus 1 photo of your outdoor display

Media

• Clay
• Digital Art
• Drawing (using pen, pencil, charcoal, pastel or fluid medium of inks and washes applied by pen or brush)
• Fiber (includes leather)
• Glass
• Jewelry
• Mixed Media
• Paintig (oil/acrylic)
• Painting (watercolor)
• Metal
• Photography
• Printmaking
• Sculpture
• Wood

Artists/Exhibitors

• Displays must be professional and aesthetically pleasing
• Displays must only be in category that artist has been juried into.
• Exhibitors are responsible for bringing their own tents
• Exhibitors will leave their exhibit space clean after packing up at break down the last day of the festival. If tent space is not clean after an event this could result in expulsion from future shows.
• Artists must be present during the entire run of the festival.

RULES/REGULATIONS

The following policies and rules have been established by the Allen Arts Alliance, in cooperation with Watters Creek Village, to ensure the quality and integrity of the event.

Check-In policy:

• Check in times will be assigned and staggered to ensure ease of accessibility and safety of all vendors. 
• Artists must check-in at Check-In Booth at designated time and before unloading/setup of booth.
• Photo ID is required at check-in.
• A Hold Harmless form will be sent via email. The signed form must be handed in during check-in.
• A Welcome Packet will be provided to all artists at check in, including name tags and booth space tags.

Artwork Exhibit policy:

• The artist/exhibitor must be present during the entire festival. No agents or representatives may attend the event in place of the artist.
• Volunteers are available to booth-sit if artists need to leave their space temporarily.
• Original art must occupy more than 75% of the applicant’s booth space.
• Art displayed must only be in category that artist has been juried into.
• The Allen Arts Alliance reserves the right to refuse any entries that are deemed inappropriate for a family venue.
• No T-shirt sales allowed.
• All hanging works must be suitably framed. Prints must be appropriately matted and displayed in a suitable portfolio or stand.
• All exhibits must be contained within the parameters of the tent space. An artist/exhibitor is not allowed to take up any space outside of their designated tent area.
• Artists must define a “limited edition” through their Artist Statement and must disclose their process to the buyer.
• Reproductions of 2-D work must be clearly labeled “Reproduction".
• Ceramic works must be handmade by the artist. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed, each must be signed.
• Artist must maintain a neat booth at all times. Boxes and other unused display materials must be stored under covered tables and not to be visible to the public eye.
• Exhibiting artists are required to display their booth number sign (distributed at check-in) in a prominent place within their booths.

Parking:

• All artists must park in the designated parking areas. No RVs or unhitched trailers of any kind are allowed along the festival streets after set-up. A Guest Artist vehicle card will be provided upon check-in and must be placed inside the artist's vehicle (windshield).
• All artists are allowed one to two hours to unload before moving the vehicle.
• Vehicles and trailers must be moved to the designated parking areas before set up. This will ensure efficiency and prevent too much traffic within the festival grounds.
• Set up time is allowed until the festival opens at 2 pm on Friday.

Setup and Breakdown

• Check-in is staggered, and takes place between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 8th.
• Artists must check-in at the Artist Check-In booth before unloading.
• Exhibitors will have one to two hours to unload.
• Vehicles must be moved to designated parking area before set up can begin.
• Booths must be set up and ready to open by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 8th.
• Breakdown is NOT ALLOWED until after the event ends at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 10th.
• Tent space must be completely cleared out after the event by 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 10th.

Security:    Watters Creek Village security is on site around the clock.

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