Annual art festival to be held at Carefree Desert Gardens

By Maya McFall
Mail

The Carefree town council approved street closures and a new format for the Thunderbird Artists’ fall festival at the June 2 town council meeting.

The festival is 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 7-8 at the Carefree Desert Gardens, 101 Easy Street.

According to the town, Thunderbird Artists has hosted the Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festivals for over 30 years—usually in the fall, winter and spring.

The new format aims to reduce the number of street closures and create a more open design for nearby merchants and patrons within the town center. Unlike previous years, the layout will not include fencing around the entire event.

“The only part that is fenced is going to be the wine pavilion, so the rest of it is going to be very open flow, so people can come and go,” said Haley Austin, executive director of Thunderbird Artists. “So, no admission. That way, not only can patrons enjoy the festival that way, but all the locals, the dog walkers, people that just want to utilize the spaces can use that.”

Sundial Circle and Sunshine Way will be closed 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6, through 5:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. Fencing will be limited to the Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion area, where alcohol will be served, and on closed streets.

“If we close the streets, it takes the streets away from our residents,” said Carefree mayor John Crane. “So this is an experiment. We’re going to try to see if it works…I think it’s going to be a very good situation.”

Vice mayor Cheryl Kroyer expressed concerns for the safety of the plants within Desert Gardens.

Austin assured council that there will be structured paths on the concrete sidewalks to guide visitors around vital parts of the Gardens.

An estimated 80-100 vendors are expected to participate in the event, said Austin.

“I kind of like that it’s not gonna be fenced off, and you might have people that are just walking around town and decide to stop in and come there,” said councilmember Colleen Rose-Scurti. “So, I think it’ll be interesting. I think it might be a good idea.”

For more information on Thunderbird Artists, visit thunderbirdartists.com.

To watch the rest of the meeting, click here.