SOUTH BEND — The 18th annual Art Beat fest will feature more than 500 artists, dancers, musicians, actors and culinary specialists as it returns from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, filling blocked-off streets on the Jefferson Bridge and East Bank Village.
The key organizer, Downtown South Bend, will provide increased spacing between artist booths to help with physical distancing, plus extra hand sanitation stations to help comply with county COVID-19 precautions. Complimentary masks will be available at the information booths.
Admission is free. Parking will be free all day on downtown streets and in the Crowe, AM General and Peoplelink parking lots, as well as in the garages at Main and Wayne streets and at Beacon Health System’s Leighton Center. Paid parking will be available in the Century Center parking lot.
Below is the lineup of activities, according to a press release from DTSB. For more details, visit www.ArtBeatSouthBend.org.
• Booths will show off art, including watercolor, jewelry, print making, drawing, pottery, photography and fiber arts.
• The juried Fine Art Showcase will have 20 visual artists located on Jefferson Boulevard between Niles Avenue and Hill Street.
• Musicians, singers, dancers and thespians will perform, some roaming the streets as others take to one of four stages near Plaza Park, on the Jefferson Bridge, in Howard Park and at St. Louis and Wayne streets. They will include a fashion show for local clothing designers at St. Louis and Wayne streets.
• KID BEAT! at the northeast end of the Century Center parking lot will have more than 20 booths with artwork and activities by and for kids, including easels and art supplies to try.
• The South Bend Museum of Art will stay open during Art Beat hours.
• A community art project, from noon to 5 p.m. at Plaza Park, will allow the public to paint rocks for placing in rock gardens in downtown.
• The Culinary Arts Village promises a record number of vendors in a variety of cuisines in Howard Park, including a beer garden. There also will be a “Food Truck Alley” across from KID BEAT! near Plaza Park.