Snake Alley Art Fair 2026

Art Center of Burlington presents its 59th Annual Snake Alley Art Fair on June 21, 2026 from 9AM-4PM.

A celebration of creativity and community, this day long fine arts fair is the largest event of its kind in the region since 1967. Taking place on historic Snake Alley — "The Crookedest Street in the World!" — and in the leafy Heritage Hill neighborhood of a Mississippi River town, this community event features over 70 art exhibitors, as well as live music, family activities, and the best food vendors.
 
A long-standing tradition, Iowa's typically beautiful June weather makes this Father's Day event a festive celebration.

About Snake Alley
Constructed in 1894, Snake Alley boasts five half curves and two quarter curves that span 274 feet. In 2017, Ripley's Believe It or Not declared Snake Alley as one of the most unbelievable spots in America! Take a look

You don't have to worry about setting up on this unbelievably crookedest street. Today artists set up on level streets in the beautiful Heritage Hill Historic District above the famous Alley!

SAAF is a program of the Art Center of Burlington, a non-profit, community-based arts organization dedicated to providing quality art, programs and events in the Burlington area.

Important Dates

• January 16, 2026 - Date artists may begin submitting applications on ZAPP
• March 15, 2026 - Application deadline
• March 23, 2026 - Date by which artists will be notified if they have been accepted
• April 10, 2026 - Deadline for artists to accept or decline invitation to participate and booth fee due
• May 1, 2026 - Full refund request deadline

We have simplifed our categories. Please choose the category that you think best describes your artwork. There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards for each category.

MEDIA CATEGORIES:
• 2D – Original two-dimensional work including graphite, charcoal, chalk, pastels, wax crayon, inks, washes, photography, and collages.
• 3D Functional – Dimensional work that has a function – such as wearable fiber or wood furniture. 
• 3D Non-Functional – Art that serves an aesthetic not functional purpose. Generally, sculptures made from wood, glass, clay, metal.
• Painting – Original, two-dimensional work created with pigment, including oils, acrylics, watercolor, egg tempura, etc.
• Jewelry – No buy/sell or buy/sell fill-in allowed.

To sell more than one medium in your booth, you will need to fill out separate applications for each medium.

ARTIST SERVICES

• Complimentary breakfast pasteries and coffee
• Booth sitting
• Complimentary water delivered throughout the day
• Professionally judged with ribbon and cash awards
• Pull up adjacent to your booth space for set up/tear down

We also have a pre-party for participating artists the night before with music, food, and cash bar. You can pick up your welcome packet and ask any questions you might have before the big day!

APPLICATION MATERIALS & PAYMENT

All artists must submit a completed application on time and online via Zapp. All payments for jury fees and booths will be taken through Zapplication only.

ARTIST STATEMENT
Be descriptive of your creative process, techniques, and materials.

SUBMITTING IMAGES

• You must include four high-quality images that represent the overall body of your work.
  • Make sure the images are clear with good lighting.
  • Choose images of your work that clearly show your creative, artistic, and technical skills.
• You will also need to submit a photo of your booth.
  • Your booth shot should be taken from the front and close enough that the jurors can see how your work is displayed and what the overall look is.
  • Appearances matter! Be sure that your booth is styled and visually appealing.
  • If this will be your first booth, no worries! Please take the time to create a mock up (preferred), a vignette of how you plan your booth to look, or a photo of a booth you plan to emulate. Please specify if it is NOT your booth.

Please note: High quality photos by artists and artisans selected to exhibit will be used for publicity purposes, increasing the artist’s visibility and promoting sales.

The jury will judge based upon originality, design and composition, creativity, quality, and craftsmanship. Your body of work needs to be clear. Not all applicants will be accepted.

Artists with little or no show experience may qualify for our Emerging Artists section on Snake Alley proper.  

• Artists may only exhibit and sell work in the media category for which they are accepted.
• Artists may not exhibit or sell work by other artists.
• No booth sharing unless the artists collaborate.

ELIGIBLE ARTWORK:
• All artwork must be original work of the individual displaying it.
• Only original artwork is allowed.

ARTWORK NOT ELIGIBLE:
• Ceramics made from commercial molds
• Commercially fabricated jewelry
• Items from kits
• Copies of others' paintings
• Mass produced items, commercial, or production methods
• Decorated wholesale items, kit-art or hobby crafts​​​​​​

AI-Generated Artwork Policy:

• Artwork that is solely AI-generated is not permitted.
  • Limited use of AI tools may be acceptable only when they are used as part of a broader creative process (e.g., reference generation, minor compositional assistance, or editing tools) and not as the primary creator of the artwork.
  • All artists must disclose any use of AI tools in the creation of their submitted work. Failure to disclose AI use will result in removal from the festival with no refund.

The SAAF committee reserves the right to remove works or exhibitors not in compliance with rules or that is not consistent with the submitted images and the rules listed above. Failure to comply will result in immediate removal from the festival with no refund.

SALES
Artists retain 100% of their sales and are responsible for the collection and reporting of all applicable sales taxes. 

• All sales are subject to a 7% sales tax – a 6% State of Iowa sales tax and a 1% local-option tax.
• The Iowa Dept of Revenue no longer provides a temporary tax permit. Snake Alley Art Fair committee is required to provide a list of all artist participants (Iowans and out-of-staters) to the Iowa Dept of Revenue with their Tax ID number prior to the event.
• If you do not have a sales tax permit, you may apply here: https://www.idr.iowa.gov/CBA/start.asp.
• If you have any questions on applying for a sales tax permit, please contact Patricia Cooper, Revenue Agent at (515)802-7999.

APPLICATION FEE $20 (NON-REFUNDABLE)

BOOTH FEE
Booth spaces are 10 feet deep x 12 feet wide.
 • $125 booth space fee for exhibitors who are Art Center members
 • $150 booth space fee for exhibitors who are not Art Center members

SET-UP & DISPLAY

• Exhibitors may set-up between 6am and 8:30am the morning of the Fair. Artists can unload near their booth during set-up and tear down. We depend upon artists’ cooperation to keep traffic moving. We ask that upon arrival at your booth location you unpack then move your vehicle before you start set-up. 
• The Fair is open to the public from 9am-4pm. Artists must be present at their booths during these times.
• Artists must provide their own display materials including canopies, tables, etc. Canopies cannot be staked, but they must be weighed down. 
• Electricity is not available. Please inquire if you would like to bring a quiet generator. We want to be very mindful and respectful of our Heritage Hill neighbors.
• The SAAF committee assigns booth spaces based on various factors including: returning vendors, category type, surface/shade requirements, special requests, and the Art Center’s discretion.
• Two adjacent booth spaces may be assigned but the exhibitor will pay two booth fees.
• Spaces consist of a variety of natural circumstances including: sun/shade/partial shade, flat/slight incline, and on cement.
• SAAF is open rain or shine. In case of dangerous weather, the fair will be canceled but our committee will keep open communication leading up to this.

TEAR DOWN
At the end of the day, be sure to have all of your artwork packed and ready to load. You will be given a pass from a volunteer before you can bring your vehicle next to your booth to load up. This helps with the flow and ensures that your fellow artists have access to their booths easily.

Booth registration fees are non-refundable after 5/1/2026. Application fees are not refundable. Refunds will not be issued under our rain or shine policy nor due to any forces of nature. We understand that there are many unforeseen circumstances that may arise last minute; however, we cannot make exceptions to this policy.