Tempe Festival of the Arts - Spring 2027

Join us for the 50th Annual Tempe Festival of the Arts, March 12 – 14, 2027 in Downtown Tempe. The festival is among the oldest art events in the Southwest with around 325 artists joining us from throughout North America. It’s a three-day affair and there are around 50,000 guests per day. The Festival occurs along historic Mill Avenue, a vibrant urban main street loved by all in the Valley. 

Tempe Festival of the Arts is a juried show that promotes original art with all artists on-site to engage visitors. The festival takes advantage of the "snowbird" high tourism season in Arizona and the gorgeous Spring. More than a quarter of the Festival's visitors come from outside Phoenix and outside Arizona to shop for one-of-a-kind gifts. Arizona is also home to Spring Training, so expect visitors from around the country.

In addition, the festival offers live entertainment, roaming entertainment, a wine and spirits tasting and art centered youth programming. The Tempe Festival of the Arts offers a wide variety of amenities for artists including hospitality, booth sitting, a large art delivery assistance program and 24-hour roaming security.  
 

Event Dates & Hours
March 12 – 14, 2027
10:00AM – 5:00PM Friday & Saturday
10:00AM – 4:00PM Sunday

Fees
Jury / Application Fee: $35
Once the application period has closed, all applications will undergo review by the jurors. If you wish to withdraw your application at any point, you will still be responsible for this fee. All jury / application fees are non-refundable.

Booth Fee: Vary
Booth fees vary based on location within the festival and booth size. Tempe Festival of the Arts offers 10x10, 10x20, and 5x20 booth spaces. There is also the opportunity to purchase a corner upgrade. Booth fees range from $475 – $805.

Emerging Artist Booth Fee: $275

Commission: None
Artist Cancelation Fee:
All cancellations received in writing on or before February 12, 2027, receive a refund less a $75 processing fee.  A full cancellation policy will be included in the information sent to all invited artists.  

Applications
Everyone must apply to be considered for the festival. The application will remain open through December 15, 2026. There is no priority given to the date of the application, so no need to rush to apply early. If an artist has work in different media categories and wants to sell both at Tempe Festival of the Arts, they must apply in each category. An artist can submit up to two applications per art festival. 

Artists invited to Tempe Festival of the Arts will be made based on nine images submitted with the application. Six images must portray the full array of work being proposed, two images must represent the tools, equipment and/or workspace where the art is created and one image of the booth display. Images are used to determine style, excellence of craftsmanship, types of products to be sold, and quality appearance of your merchandising/display. Images should be professionally produced. Please do not include many items in one image, rather focus each of the four images on one representative piece each. Please do not include the artist in the booth image. Applications that do not include the required workspace / tools / equipment photos will be considered incomplete and will not be accepted for the jury to review.

You may display and sell only products similar in nature to those submitted in your application. Each type/style of artwork intended for display and sale in each discipline must be shown in the images presented and/or listed on the accompanying inventory.

Jury Process
All artists who participate in the Tempe Festival of the Arts must complete the festival’s jury process. The process, materials and dimensions for each image, as well as the artist statement are all accessible to the jury. The jury does not know the identity of any artist.

The jury evaluates each applicant based on concept, workmanship, originality, design, and presentation. In addition, the jury is looking for a well-rounded group of artists for the event. There are three rounds of scoring completed by the jurors and artists remaining in the final round are invited to participate in the festival. Some artists are placed on a wait list or not invited. Jury members change for each festival. Artist participation in a previous festival, or longstanding history with the festival, does not guarantee future acceptance.  

Emerging Artists
The festival is encouraging the next generation of Arizona artists, and we invite those who are beginning their artistic career to apply to the show. This category is intended for artists with little experience in exhibiting and selling artwork at an art festival. Student artists are also encouraged but it is not restricted to students. Artists are only eligible to be considered “Emerging” for two festivals (fall & spring combined).  If you have been selected as an Emerging Artist in the past, you may apply for the 2nd time, but subsequent entries will place you in the standard jury pool.  Emerging artists pay a reduced booth fee and are all located on Maple Avenue in a designated area and promoted as such. Please do not select the Emerging Artist category if you are not based in Arizona. Emerging artists are new on their artistic path and understand the booth placement. 

Discipline Categories
Artists who wish to apply in one or more categories must submit separate applications for each category, along with the processing fees and images required for each category.  Artists will be selected separately in each discipline and may only exhibit work within disciplines accepted by the jury. The festival reserves the right to re-categorize an artist that we feel would better fit in another category. 

Ceramics - Original functional and non-functional works using clay as the primary medium, including, but not limited to, porcelain, stoneware, raku, earthenware, etc., other than jewelry. Any mold used must have been created by the applying artist. 

Cottage Edibles & Crafts – Original handmade creations such as soup mixes, jams, seasonings, and herbal arts, as well as handmade soaps, lotions, aromatherapies, and functional crafts may apply in this category that do not qualify in other categories. All items must be personally created and packaged by the applying artisan. Nothing can be factory produced, manufactured, or production-line created. No distributors allowed. No laser cutting or mass-produced templates are permitted. All accepted Cottage Edibles & Crafts artisans will be located in the same programmed area on-site. Cottage Edibles & Craft artists are encouraged to send product samples to our office by December 15, 2026. 

Send samples to:
Tempe Festival of the Arts
1 W. Rio Salado Pkwy
Tempe, AZ  85281

Digital Art - Work for which the original image was executed by the artist using a computer. Work must be in limited editions, signed and numbered, on archival quality materials.  Photographs taken through a digital medium should apply in the photography category even if they have been manipulated using a computer. 

Drawing - Works that are drawn by hand incorporating dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, etc. or from a fluid medium of inks and washes applied by pen or brush. Drawing can be done on any format including canvas, paper, etc. 

Fiber - All work crafted from fibers including basketry, embroidery, weaving, tapestry, batik, painted silk, wearables, papermaking, etc. No machine tooling, machine-screened patterns or other forms of mass production are permitted. No factory produced wearable items are permitted unless there has been a minimum of 75% modification or enhancement by the artist.

Glass - Art using glass as the primary medium in any form. Kiln forming, blowing, molding or casting, as well as all cold working processes are permitted. Mass or factory produced work is not permitted.

Jewelry - All jewelry (metal, glass, clay, fiber, paper, plastic, or other materials) must be entered into this category and be designed by and hand-crafted by the artist. Molded jewelry, including lost wax cast method, is acceptable if molds are made by the applying artist. All designs and finish work involving cast and molded pieces must also be completed by the applying artist. No bead or stone stringing jewelry will be accepted. No mass-produced components assemblage will be accepted. No factory production or imported jewelry items will be accepted. Chains, not made by the artist, can be sold with handmade items as a unit, but not sold by themselves. Only those artists accepted into the jewelry category may display or sell jewelry. 

Leather - Art in which leather is the primary medium in the form of functional art, including belts, bags, shoes, hats, wallets; or, decorative art, such as wall hangings, etc. Leather can be cut, stamped, sewn, embossed or embellished according to the artist's original design. No machine tooling is permitted. All designs must be unique to the artist. No production line fabrication is permitted.

Metal - Functional, non-sculptural and decorative works that use any kind of metal as the main medium and that is modified into wall art, furniture, home decor, statuary, etc. Metal must be 75% altered in each art piece. Laser and engraving are allowed as embellishments only. No "laser cut only" items allowed. No production studio work is allowed.

Mixed Media - This category includes works, both 2 and 3-dimensional, that incorporate more than one type of material to produce, including non-sculptural work as determined by the artist. Art must be comprised of a minimum of 75% modified materials. Reproductions of other 2-D work must be clearly labeled "Reproduction". All two-dimensional work must be matted or framed. All artists who paint or apply material over their reproductions must number all reproductions and disclose that fact to customers.  Does not include wearables such as batik, silk paintings, etc.

Painting - Painting using oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolor or other wet media on canvas, paper, Masonite, etc. Hand embellished reproductions such as Giclee, canvas or paper reproductions that have been retouched must be signed and numbered as part of an edition.

Photography - The process of capturing images that begins with a camera lens, then printing the images, by chemical or digital means, onto an archival surface. The photography category includes traditional film photography, hand-colored images, emulsion transfers and digital photography that have not been excessively manipulated to achieve results beyond what could be done in a traditional darkroom. Any digital alteration and/or hand painting, overpainting, etc. must be disclosed with the photograph. Prints must have been processed by the artist or under the artist’s direct supervision. In addition to the above, the surface on which the photographs are printed must be identified in the description (paper, aluminum, wood, fabric, canvas, etc.). Traditional photography using digital means will apply in the photography category. Photographers are required to disclose both their creative and printing processes. Studios involved in volume production are not permitted to exhibit.

Printmaking - Art created by a hand-pulled stamp process including lithography, screen printing, woodcuts, engraving, etching, mezzotint, aquatint, drypoint, etc. using block, plate, stone or other objects. Printed works for which the artist has hand manipulated the plates, stones or screens and which have been properly signed and numbered as a limited edition may be entered in this category. Each piece must be from the originally cut stamp and be non-wearable art. 

Sculpture - Art that is three-dimensional incorporating any material that is carved, modeled, constructed, cast or built-up. Sculpture pieces are one of a kind or are limited to forged series. 100% of the molds must be created by the artist.

Wood - Art which uses wood as the primary medium, including furniture, pens, games, toys, containers, musical instruments, decorative objects, etc. that have been hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned or carved. "Built up" wood must apply in the sculpture category. 75% of the wood must be modified to be considered art. No buy-sell items such as manufactured cutting boards are allowed. No mass-manufactured items are allowed. 

Awards
Awards include one Best in Show, one Best Booth Display and 1st Place awards in each category above. Cash awards will be given.  In addition, winners will be invited to return to the next two art festivals and the jury fee will be waived.

Booth Spaces
Canopy Dimensions: 10’x10’

• Due to emergency lane access requirements, booths are placed side by side and back-to-back with other artists.
• There is no storage space included in the in-booth space.

Double Booth
If any artist is interested in a double booth, they must purchase (2) 10’x10’ spaces in their desired Zone on Zapplication. The maximum number of booth spaces any artist is allowed to have is 2 10x10 spaces.
Corner Upgrades
Corner upgrades are available for purchase on Zapp. A corner upgrade will allow for 2 sides of the booth space to be open. Corner spaces are not always at the corner of an intersection, but at a break in the tent groupings.  Artists may only purchase 1 corner upgrade.
Artist must purchase a corner upgrade for the category of their booth. (i.e. If you purchase a Zone A Booth, you must purchase a Zone A Corner). If the Zone of your booth and Corner Upgrade are not the same, the corner upgrade will be reimbursed and you will have an inline booth.
Booth Preferences
Tempe Festival of the Arts will try to give accepted artists their preferred booth space; however, there are no guarantees and assigned booth spaces are subject to change. After purchasing your booth, if you have a specific booth request, please complete the booth request form on Zapplication. Booth Requests will not be accepted via email.

Important Dates

• October 1: Application Opens
• December 15: Application Closes
• January 6: Notification of Acceptance
• January 15: Deadline to Confirm and Purchase Booth Space
• January 29: Booth Notification
• February 12: Cancelation Deadline with a Full Refund (less $75 processing fee)
• February 14: Final Cancellation Deadline
• March 11: Load-In
• March 12 – 14: Tempe Festival of the Arts

Public Hours of the Event
10:00AM – 5:00PM Friday & Saturday
10:00AM – 4:00PM Sunday

Cancellation Policy
All cancellations received in writing on or before February 12, 2026, receive a refund less a $75 processing fee.  A full cancellation policy will be included in the information sent to all invited artists.  

Artist Amenities
We strive to make the festival very comfortable for our artists, amenities include:

• Booth Sitting
• Complimentary Snack & Water Delivery
• Artist Hospitality Tent
• Artist Reception
• Large Art Delivery Service
• 24/7 On-Site Private Roaming Security
• Online Artist Directory Listing 

More Questions?
Please check our FAQ PAGE and the For Artist PAGE. These are resources for you!
 

By Participating, you are agreeing to all Rules & Regulations in this document.
We have great respect for our participating artists, and therefore we ask that these rules are honored so that quality original artwork is the essence of this event. Any failure to comply with the following Festival Rules will result in immediate removal from the Festival and the Artist will be ineligible to participate in future Tempe Festival of the Arts events. The following rules and policies are provided to ensure fairness to all participating artists and to the buying public.

• Permitted Age of Artists - Tempe Festival of the Arts is open to all artists 18 years of age or older.
• Artist Must Be Present - The artist/artists who sign the contract MUST be present at the show for the entire three-day event. Representatives may not attend in place of the artist. Photo I.D. will be required at check-in. This is intended to give our audience an opportunity to engage with the artists themselves, which creates a greater connection to the works.
• Collaborators - Exhibitor ensures that he or she has direct hands-on involvement in the creation and execution of each piece of work to be exhibited. Collaborating artists, if accepted, may show only their collaborative works and their names must be listed as collaborators on the show application. Collaborations are intended to be true artistic collaborations rather than business partners. The creative contribution of each artist in the collaboration must be identified on the application.
• No Distributors Allowed - Artists involved in distributing volume production for others are not permitted to exhibit.  If the artist himself/herself is a distributor or wholesaler, then only work personally created and made by the exhibiting artist is allowed to be presented in the festival.
• Rain or Shine Event – Artists agree to be present despite weather conditions. Though rain is not common in the Desert Southwest, each participant is responsible for preparing their displays to withstand weather fluctuations including rain and wind.
• Good Neighbor Policy – We expect all our exhibiting artists to show respect and courtesy to their booth neighbors. Please do not engage in any activities that will decrease your neighbor’s ability for success. Do not be rude, loud, encroach on their space, engage their customers inappropriately, use strong smelling chemicals, play music too loudly, smoke in or near your booth, or in any way be disrespectful.  
• Original Work - The Tempe Festival of the Arts has the right to investigate the origins of all artwork presented. If any artwork is found to be not original of the applicant's creation, the Tempe Festival of the Arts has the right to refuse participation without refund.  All work - in every category - must be the original work produced by the exhibiting artist.  No "buy/sell," mass-produced component assembly, or other art that is not personally created and produced by the applying artist is permitted. Work which has been produced with commercially acquired kits, molds, patterns, plans, prefabricated forms or other commercial methods is not permitted.
• Jewelry - Jewelry can only be present in the booths of those artists in the jewelry category. Please do not sell jewelry or pins if you have not been juried and accepted as a jewelry artist. Chains and chokers not made by the artist may be sold by jewelry artists as part of a unit, but they may not be sold by themselves if they are not original works of the artist. If you apply in another category but the work is jewelry, we will move you in the Jewelry category.
• Reproductions - Reproductions of 2D works are to be in limited editions and numbered. Original works should occupy a minimum of 60% of any artist booth, leaving 40% for reproductions. 2D reproductions must be matted.
• Only Approved Inventory May Be Included - Work displayed on-site must be consistent with the work shown in the digital images submitted. No work outside of your juried category will be allowed. Festival staff reserve the right to cross-check your application to the work you bring to the event. All displayed work must have been accepted by the jury process.
• No Promotional Additions Are Permitted - Exhibitors are prohibited from selling non-original promotional items (i.e., posters, postcards, calendars, tee shirts, mugs, videos, DVDs, etc.) at the Festival. All items exhibited must be submitted for jury approval in their appropriate categories listed in the artists' application.
• Disclosure of Licensed Image Sales - If artist has sold or licensed images of his/her original work to commercial concerns and those images which will be displayed at the Festival, the artist must disclose that licensing through on-site public disclaimer signage stating that some of the images being presented have been licensed for reproduction and may be found at commercial sale as reproductions being sold at discounted prices.
• On-Site Set-Up/Strike Requirements - All applicants are required to check in prior to setting up and photo identification is required. Booths must be set up by 9AM, open by 10AM and remain open until the official close all three days.  Applicants must claim their assigned booth space no later than 8AM Friday or it may be forfeited. Applicants are responsible for removing debris and ensuring the general cleanliness of the area surrounding their booths throughout the Festival and following its conclusion. All artists must complete their load-out by 11:59PM on the last day of the festival. No on-site storage is available unless it is arranged during the booth application process.
• On-Site Safety & Security - Applicants shall display all work at their own risk. The Tempe Festival of the Arts and Downtown Tempe Foundation, Inc. are not responsible for damage, theft or loss of artwork or display furnishings. All participants are responsible for their own replacement, comprehensive and liability insurance. Applicants must obey all pertinent safety codes and laws, including, but not limited to fire, safety, and parking regulations.  
• No Show - If an artist does not check-in and set up for the festival and does not contact the Director, they are considered a “no-show”. We understand that emergencies do happen and there will be latitude for such circumstances; however, a no-show will result in forfeiting any future participation in the festival. Should an emergency or last-minute situation arise, contact the Director immediately.
• Tents - Canopy tents must be fire retardant and must be tied down with a minimum of 40 pounds of weight on each leg at all times.
• Images - Artists agree that the images provided will be used for the jury process and may also be used for specific event-related publicity.  Any other proposed image usage will be arranged through a separate consent agreement with the artist.  Event participants agree to allow the use of videos and photographs taken at the event for promotional purposes.  Any photos taken by the event are the property of the festival.
• Generators and Propane Tanks – The use of a gas-powered generator and/or a propane tank is prohibited.
• Theft/Damage - By participating in the festival, all vendors agree to allow Downtown Tempe Foundation staff and Tempe Festival of the Arts staff to act on their behalf in the event that any theft or damage occurs overnight during the festival. Staff will take any reports, notify police, and proceed with the prosecution of individuals on behalf of the artist/vendor. The artist will also be immediately notified.

Application / Jury Fee: $35
Application fees are not refundable in any circumstance. 

Booth Fee: Varies
Booth fees vary based on location within the festival and booth size. Tempe Festival of the Arts offers 10x10, 10x20, and 5x20 booth spaces. There is also the opportunity to purchase a corner upgrade. Booth fees range from $445 – 785.

• Zone A 10x10: $615
• Zone B 10x10: $565
• Zone C 10x10: $475
• Zone A 5x20: $805
• Zone B 5x20: $700
• Cottage Goods & Crafts: $475
• Emerging Artists: $275

Double Booths are available by purchasing two 10x10 spaces.
Corner Booth Upgrade: $115

Electricity (very limited availability): $85

Load-In
Load-in takes place March 11^th throughout the day and into the evening. Due to the urban setting of this festival, most streets do not close until the end of the business day. Therefore, the majority of set-up is during the evening.  

Note about the Spring 2027 Festival
Downtown Tempe is in the midst of a major streetscape project that includes Mill Ave and 5^th Street that will affect the layout for the Spring 2027 art festival and possibly future festivals. We are working with stakeholders to determine the impact but anticipate having to adjust some booth spaces. We are currently exploring options and will make every effort to minimize the impact on the booth layout. Please note, in some areas the layout of booths and booth numbers have changed – an updated map will be emailed prior to application notifications. There is a possibility that once booth assignments are complete, booths may need to be adjusted due to construction progress.