Arts Alive 2026 will take place in Wilson Park in downtown Florence, Alabama the weekend of May 16th & 17th. The festival hours will be Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Local, regional, and national artists will sell their wares in the park and Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts will showcase a gallery exhibit in conjunction with the festival. The exhibit will be available to view from May 16th through June 26th.

Arts Alive is fun for the whole family! Browse the park for your next artwork purchase. Bring the kids by the Children’s Tent for a creative, hands-on activity. Have lunch at one of the specialty food trucks. Then visit the KD Art Center. In addition to the Arts Alive Gallery Exhibition, artwork from Lauderdale and Colbert County elementary students will be on display in the breezeway.

The evening of Saturday, May 16th the 2026 Arts Alive Artist Reception will be held in the garden at the KD Art Center from 5:15 to 7pm. Join us for a casual gathering of artists and patrons catered by Jill’s Sweet Memories, followed by a brief awards ceremony. Purchase tickets now.

Arts Alive is an annual fundraising event for the Kennedy-Douglass Volunteers. Funds raised during the festival and gallery exhibit help to support arts in our community through Art Education Endowments. This event is sponsored by the Alabama State Council on the Arts, Bank Independent, and other many other local businesses and supporters.

Located at 217 East Tuscaloosa Street in Florence, the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts is open, free of charge, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday, and Sundays 1 to 4pm.

Click HERE to visit the official Arts Alive website!