The Hastings Fall Festival of Art is returning for its second year, bringing art, culture and history to life on the streets of St. Johns County’s agricultural epicenter, Hastings.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, guests can enjoy a full weekend of immersive art, a cottage artisan market, meet-and-greets with renowned artists, kids’ activities, live music, food trucks and more. Held in collaboration with the St. Augustine Art Association, the festival will be held on North Main Street in downtown Hastings.
“There’s something about the energy of Main Street during the Fall Art Festival,” said Jena Dennis, chair of the Hastings Main Street Board of Directors. “We’ve come a long way revitalizing the downtown district while maintaining its quaint feel. This is the perfect time to enjoy the intersection of history and art.”
This is the second year that the Fall Festival of Art has called Hastings home, after being previously held in St. Augustine for many years. Through a dynamic relationship with the St. Augustine Art Association, Hastings Main Street was able to resurrect the event.
The Fall Festival of Art will feature meet-and-greets with two renowned members of Florida’s Highwaymen: R.L. Lewis will do a live painting demonstration while Curtis Arnett will sell his artwork. Painters Obie Hunter and Rosamond Parrish will offer plein art demonstrations, capturing the beauty of Main Street in real-time. Muralist Brook Page is collaborating with Lewis and bringing one of his commissioned works to life on a large scale.
The Cottage Artisan Market features the area’s best makers and wares, including jewelry, ceramics, glasswork, pottery, art and textiles. Art enters a new dimension as the Tale Tellers of St. Augustine delight festivalgoers with live storytelling and street performances.
Saturday’s Kids Zone is packed with fun and an extra special kids’ workshop, “Celebrating Sunflowers: Nature’s Food Source.” Offered in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institute, the workshop allows youngsters to create their own sunflower paintings while discovering how sunflowers help the environment and provide tasty seeds and oil.
The Kids Zone will also offer face painting, crafts and games.
Live music sets the mood, beginning at 11 a.m., and no one goes hungry with a selection of food trucks and Hasting’s Coffee Co. serving up delicious food and drinks.
To learn more about the Hastings Fall Festival of Art, go to hastingsfl.org/festival-of-art.
This event is presented with support from the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council.
