Fayette County Alabama Fayette Arts Festival

For half a century, one Saturday in September has turned a park on the edge of Fayette into an open-air gallery. The Fayette Arts Festival is one of the oldest continuous art festivals in Alabama, and it still does what it has always done: put painters, sculptors, and makers in front of the public for a single, free day.

Held at Guthrie Smith Park on the north side of town, the festival fills the grounds with juried arts and crafts, live entertainment, and hands-on art activities for children. It is a show built on quality rather than size, and the setting among the park’s trees and lake gives it a calm that bigger fairs rarely manage.

Its long run is the story. Reaching its 50th year in 2019, the festival has outlasted trends and generations, sustained by a community that treats the arts as a part of ordinary life rather than a special occasion.

Fayette County keeps the arts close all year, and the Fayette County Alabama Berry Heritage Festival shows how the county pairs a spring heritage weekend with the fall tradition of the arts festival.

Fayette Arts Festival: Quick Facts

Festival	Fayette Arts Festival
County	Fayette County, Alabama (seat: Fayette)
City	Fayette
Venue	Guthrie Smith Park, 430 N Temple Avenue (US 43 N)
Timing	Second Saturday in September, typically 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Admission	Free
Highlights	Juried fine and folk art, crafts, live entertainment, free art lessons for children
Organizer	Fayette Art Museum and local organizers
Region	Northwest-central Alabama
Best for	Art lovers, collectors, families, and a relaxed fall Saturday outdoors

What the Fayette Arts Festival Is

The Fayette Arts Festival is a juried outdoor show held each September at Guthrie Smith Park. Artists and craftspeople set up across the grounds, and the public is invited to browse, buy, and talk with the people who made the work on display.

Admission is free, and the event runs a single day, from morning into mid-afternoon. That compact format makes it easy to enjoy without committing a whole weekend, while the juried standard keeps the quality consistently high.

One of Alabama’s Oldest Art Festivals

The festival’s claim to fame is its longevity. It has run for decades without interruption and marked its 50th year in 2019, a milestone that makes it one of the longest-running consecutive art festivals in the state. Few community events reach that kind of endurance.

That record says as much about Fayette as it does about the festival. A town that keeps an art festival going for fifty years is a town that values its artists and its cultural institutions, and the event has become a point of local pride.

Guthrie Smith Park as a Venue

Guthrie Smith Park is a 100-acre facility on US 43 North, with athletic fields, picnic areas, walking trails, and a ten-acre lake. The festival spreads across its open lawns, giving the show room to breathe and visitors a pleasant place to stroll between booths.

The park is also home to the Fayette Aquatic Center and, in winter, to a drive-through holiday light display. Using the park for the arts festival ties the event to a space the whole community already knows and uses.

A Juried Show

The festival is juried, meaning artists apply and are selected rather than simply renting a space. That process is why the show maintains its reputation: the work on display has been reviewed for quality, and categories like fine art and folk art are represented by established makers.

For visitors, the practical benefit is a show worth the trip. Rather than a mixed market of unrelated goods, the festival offers a curated range of painting, sculpture, and craft, with a clear standard running through it.

What to Expect at the Festival

Fine Art and Folk Art

The festival’s core is its art. Painters, sculptors, and other artists display original work across the park, ranging from traditional landscape and portrait painting to the folk-art style that Fayette is known for through its museum collection.

Buying directly from the artist is part of the appeal. Visitors can ask about technique, materials, and inspiration, and take home a piece with a story attached rather than an anonymous souvenir.

Crafts and Handmade Goods

Alongside the fine art, craftspeople offer handmade goods such as pottery, woodwork, textiles, and jewelry. The mix gives the festival range, so visitors can find everything from a serious painting to a small gift.

Because the show is juried, the crafts maintain a similar standard to the art. That consistency is what keeps collectors and casual visitors alike coming back to a one-day event in a small town.

Live Entertainment

Live entertainment plays through the day, with local and regional performers providing a soundtrack to the browsing. The music stays in the background where it belongs, present enough to enjoy without competing with the art.

Between the stage and the booths, the park becomes a lively but unhurried place. Visitors can listen, shop, and rest by the lake without feeling that they are missing something elsewhere on the grounds.

Art Activities for Children

One of the festival’s signature touches is its free art lessons and activities for children, typically aimed at elementary-age students. The programs let young visitors try their hand at making art rather than only looking at it.

That focus on children is part of why the festival has endured. By inviting the next generation to participate, it keeps the arts a living part of community life rather than something reserved for adults.

Planning Your Visit

Getting to Guthrie Smith Park

Guthrie Smith Park is at 430 North Temple Avenue, along US 43 North on the edge of Fayette in northwest-central Alabama. Fayette is about an hour from Tuscaloosa and a little over an hour from Birmingham, making the festival an easy day trip from either city.

Parking and Getting Around

The park has its own parking and additional space along the entrance road, and because the festival is contained within the grounds, visitors can park once and walk the rest of the day. Arriving near the 9 a.m. opening gives the best choice of spaces.

Admission and Costs

Admission is free. You pay only for art, crafts, and food, and the entertainment and children’s activities are included at no charge. Bring a budget for artwork if you plan to buy, since direct-from-artist prices vary widely.

Weather and What to Wear

Early September in northwest Alabama is still warm, with highs that can reach the upper 80s and a chance of afternoon showers. Dress light, bring water and sun protection, and wear comfortable shoes for walking the park’s lawns and trails.

Where to Stay

Fayette has small hotels and inns near town, with more options in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. Because the festival is a single day, many visitors come as a day trip, but staying over lets you pair the show with the park’s trails and the Fayette Art Museum downtown.

A Sample Arts Festival Saturday

Arrive near the opening, when the park is quiet and the artists are still setting out their best work. Start with a full loop of the booths to see everything before you commit to a purchase, then circle back to the pieces that caught your eye.

Take a break by the lake or on a trail when the midday crowd builds, and catch a set of live music while you rest. If you have children, work in the free art activities, which tend to fill up as the day goes on.

The festival ends mid-afternoon, so there is time afterward for a drive into downtown Fayette. A stop at the Fayette Art Museum, which holds thousands of works, makes a fitting close to an art-filled day.

Other Festivals to Compare

Fayette County and the surrounding area host events through the year:

Frog Level Festival	Downtown Fayette, October — jumping frogs, cars, and crafts
Berry Heritage Festival	Berry, April — heritage, crafts, and a vintage cruise-in
Festival of Lights	Downtown Fayette, December — holiday lights and a Christmas parade
Buttahatchee River Fall Fest	Nearby Hamilton area, fall — arts, crafts, and a vehicle show
Christmas at the Park	Guthrie Smith Park, winter — a drive-through light display

Practical Checklist

• Arrive near the 9 a.m. opening for parking and a quiet first look.
• Walk the whole show once before deciding on a purchase.
• Bring water and sun protection for a warm September day.
• Sign children up for the free art activities early.
• Pair the festival with a visit to the Fayette Art Museum downtown.

Beyond the Festival

Fayette’s cultural life centers on its art museum and civic center, which together hold one of the larger folk-art collections in the region, much of it by local and self-taught artists. The Fayette County Depot Museum, in a restored 1880s train station, adds the county’s history to the picture.

Guthrie Smith Park itself is worth more than the festival day. Its trails, picnic areas, and ten-acre lake make it a good place for an afternoon, and the Fayette Aquatic Center draws families through the summer months.

The wider county keeps a steady calendar. Berry opens the year with its heritage festival in April, Frog Level takes over downtown in October, and the Festival of Lights closes the season in December. The Arts Festival holds the September slot, tying the county’s cultural year together.

The Significance of the Fayette Arts Festival

Half a century of any community event is remarkable, and for an art festival it is a statement. The Fayette Arts Festival has given generations of artists a place to show and sell their work, and generations of residents a reason to value the arts close to home.

It also shows what a small town can build when it commits to something. A free, juried, family-friendly art show that has run for fifty years is not an accident; it is the result of a community deciding that art belongs in the middle of its public life. That is the festival’s real legacy.

Festival Area Map

The festival takes place at Guthrie Smith Park, 430 North Temple Avenue along US 43 North in Fayette, Fayette County.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Fayette Arts Festival?

It is held on the second Saturday in September, typically from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Confirm the exact date before you travel.

Where is it held?

At Guthrie Smith Park, 430 North Temple Avenue along US 43 North in Fayette, Alabama, in Fayette County.

Is admission free?

Yes. Admission is free, including the live entertainment and the children’s art activities. You pay only for art, crafts, and food.

Is the festival juried?

Yes. Artists apply and are selected, which keeps the quality of the fine art and craft consistently high across the show.

Is it good for children?

Yes. The festival offers free art lessons and activities for children, along with the park’s open space and trails, making it a family-friendly day out.

What is Fayette known for?

Fayette is the seat of Fayette County, Alabama, known for its long-running arts festival, its folk-art museum, and a calendar of seasonal community events.

What to Expect From the Next Fayette Arts Festival

The festival is an annual event and is expected to return to Guthrie Smith Park on the second Saturday of September.

How often is the Fayette Arts Festival held?

Every year, on the second Saturday in September. It has run for decades, marking its 50th year in 2019.

When is the next festival?

The next edition is expected on the second Saturday of September. Organizers publish the date, categories, and entertainment in advance.

Will the schedule change?

The second-Saturday timing has been consistent, but the exact date, artists, and entertainment can change year to year, and late-summer weather can affect an outdoor event. Check the current schedule before you go.

Last updated: October 2026

The Fayette Arts Festival is a free, juried outdoor art show that has run for half a century — original art, handmade crafts, live music, and art activities for children at Guthrie Smith Park. Come for the art and stay for the park.