The Austin ArtWorks Festival completed another successful two-day event, which shined a spotlight on local visual, musical and literary artists in downtown Austin.

Another picture painted from the festival is its growing reputation and draw from attendees coming down to take part  in the celebrations.

According to Bonnie Rietz, the festival’s co-organizer, there were about 9,000 people partaking in the weekend’s festivities, which was up from the estimated 7,500 people who came through the city during last year’s festival.

“It was amazing,” she shared. “It was such a festive time, and just wonderful. It’s one of those things that’s just like a miracle in how these things come together. We were so pleased with how it went, and it’s been such a privilege to be able to celebrate the arts, music and authors in our community.”

Aside from the number of attendees, festival organizers added an additional stage for performances this year and there was an increased number of artists who participated. In 2017, there were 52 artists that were part of the two-day event. This year, there were 67 artists and more than 100 volunteers in red T-shirts helping out.

“The interest keeps on building,” Rietz said. “These are 9,000 people who may talk to others about the festival, and that number will grow to include surrounding communities. These are things that people hear about and talk to others about. It allows the festival to keep getting bigger and bigger.”

The heart of the community

One of the bigger questions still up in the air is whether the festival would continue to be held in downtown Austin. Rietz said the steering committee would meet in a few weeks to discuss progress, and the permanent location would be something that could be addressed.

“We’ll look at whether we should stay at this location or move it,” Rietz said. “However, there’s a lot of synergy going on in the heart of the community. I would be very surprised if anyone brought the idea of moving the festival somewhere else. Downtown Austin is such a fun spot to have it, and there’s just so many positive things of what the downtown area brings to the festival.”

For the last two years, the festival was held in downtown Austin and guests were able to come and go through outdoor vendors, as well as access downtown businesses and restaurants. Events were held in close proximity to the Spam Museum and the historic Paramount Theatre.

The Austin Artworks Festival was held in the turbine room at the former Austin Municipal Plant, which had been demolished to make way for the construction of the new $35 million recreation center earlier this year, for five years

“It’s been good for our spirits,” Rietz added. “It’s fun to see the energy and excitement for those who work on the festival, and it’s absolutely amazing to see who comes out to volunteer and all the people who donate time and energy to make the festival such a successful event.”