Fairs/Festivals
Chain of Parks Art Festival 2027
Contact Information
Requirement Overview
- Eligible Applicant Types: Artist
- Emerging Artists: Emerging artists may apply.
- Submission Limit: 1
Media Requirements
- Images | Min: 4, Max: 4
- Total | Max: 4
Opportunity Summary
The annual Chain of Parks Art Festival is a multi-day Fine Art event that includes this two-day outdoor artist exhibition and sale. The Festival has been nationally ranked in the Top 100 Fine Art Festivals by Sunshine Artist Magazine for 12 straight years, ranking #5 in 2026. Awarding over $10,000 in cash prizes, with approximately 170 juried artists accepted to participate. Held in a group of city parks known as the ‘Chain of Parks’ in downtown Tallahassee, Florida, the Chain of Parks Art Festival has been recognized as a Legacy Event by Visit Tallahassee due to the 45,000+ visitors and patrons it attracts. All proceeds from this juried Fine Art Festival benefit LeMoyne Arts, a non-profit community-based art center.
General Information
CASH AWARDS - $10,000+ TOTAL
1. Best of Show - $2,000.00
2. Award of Excellence - $1,000.00
3. Additional Awards - The Festival uses a weighted award system for the balance of award prize monies to be divided among categories up to the total prize money amount
4. Recycle Content Art Award - $300 – Voluntary participation open to all artists in all mediums
IMPORTANT DATES FOR ARTIST PARTICIPATION
Application Deadline: October 31, 2026
Jury Notification: Mid-November, 2026
Booth Fee Due: January 8, 2027
Event Setup: April 16, 2027 (parks/8am-noon, streets/12 noon-9pm)
Show Date/Times: April 17 & 18, 2027 Saturday 10 am – 5 pm & Sunday 10 am – 4 pm
Event Breakdown: April 18, 2027 (after show closing at 4 pm)
ARTIST AMENITIES
Participation is determined by a 3-5-person blind jury who do not see artist name. Jurors are provided only the artist ID, prices, three required art images, booth image, and artist statement. Your name or business is not to appear in your application images. Jurors often use the booth image to finalize acceptance scoring, so use a booth shot that shows high quality displays of current work. Jurors are keenly interested in the process and techniques used to make your work, so descriptions with process details are important as it can often be critical in determining originality and hand-crafted nature of presented work. We allow 500 characters in the application Artist Process Statement for this purpose. Jurors evaluate work based on originality, concepts, execution and consistency of style & presentation. They will also consider artist pricing for the artist to achieve a positive selling experience at the Festival. Artist feedback has shown generally this should include those whose main body of work is priced under $2,000 with a wide variety of purchase points below that.
Note: If selected to participate in the Festival, Image #1 will typically be used to represent your art in the printed program.
ARTIST CATEGORIES
The Chain of Parks Art Festival is designed to promote artists who create and execute their own original, professional quality art to exhibit for sale. All work displayed MUST be consistent with the images submitted to jury and produced by the exhibiting artist or two-person team collaboration. Proxy or sales representatives are not allowed. Categories are outlined and developed as a tool to organize works into logical, related groups for judging competitions, website, and printed program. The Festival reserves the right to add media categories or change an artist category without notice. Typically, this is to align all works into categories as a whole, or to allow for a way to increase a balance of the prize money spread between categories.
Painting: Creation of a still life, portrait, landscape, abstract, or other image using any paint or combination of paint materials applied to a flat surface such as canvas, paper, wood, etc.
Two-Dimensional Mixed Media: This category is for work that incorporates more than one medium category of media in their processes. Two of the same media styles, i.e. oil & acrylic, pencils & pastels, etc. should not be submitted here. This category is not applicable for artwork that consists of one medium and then uniquely framed. If it is not clearly visible in your art images, please include why you applied as a 2-D MM artist in the artist statement.
Drawing, Graphics, Printmaking, Photography or Computer-Generated Work: This group of categories includes various media created by using the artists’ hand. Drawing: work using chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, crayon, or ink. Printmaking: defined as multiple originals where the artists’ hand has manipulated the plates, stones, blocks, composite reliefs, or screens. Includes prints that are then hand colored. Photographic Works: two-dimensional work created by the artist that can include digital or film photography. Only artists’ original source material is acceptable. Computer Generated Work: includes original work created by the artist utilizing computer technology to craft visual images. Combinations of these media are also accepted in this category. Works displayed in booth must be printed by the artist or under the artist’s supervision in limited editions properly signed, and numbered.
Jewelry: Work must be designed, created and executed by the artist. All work displayed must be similar in style, quality and method to work presented to the jury in the artists images. No commercial casts, molds or production studio work is allowed. If using a commercially purchased component (bead, glass, gemstone, pearl, metal, or other material not made by the artist) and then strung, assembled and/or twisted on wire, the work must be unique and of an original design that makes it artistically distinguishable and attributable in design to the exhibiting artist. Embellishment to existing pre-assembled components is not considered acceptable as fine art works.
Three-Dimensional Media or Sculpture: Simply defined as works visible from 360 degrees. Original three-dimensional work incorporating any materials, or combination of materials, designed and executed by the artist using the following media: clay or porcelain work, fiber, found objects, glass, metal, wood, or any other 3-D objects. Glass work must be hand-crafted by the artist by blowing, fusing, casting or kiln forming. This category also includes works crafted from fibers including basketry, embroidery, weaving, tapestry, leather work, and papermaking. If multiple pieces similar in design are displayed, each piece must be signed. RAM pressed clay or porcelain produced from commercially poured molds is not acceptable. No forms of production studio work or mass production are permitted. All pre-manufactured glass or wearable items are prohibited regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist.
Heritage Art: defined as decorative or practical artwork using a variety of materials or media to showcase traditional techniques from a specific culture or region, often called folk art. Often unique to specific culture and viewed as steeped in grassroots history. Heritage Art is frequently demonstrated through craftmanship, utilitarian and ornamental media, color, and texture; showcasing artistic expression from a non-classically trained artist
1. Best of Show - $2,000.00
2. Award of Excellence - $1,000.00
3. Additional Awards - The Festival uses a weighted award system for the balance of award prize monies to be divided among categories up to the total prize money amount
4. Recycle Content Art Award - $300 – Voluntary participation open to all artists in all mediums
IMPORTANT DATES FOR ARTIST PARTICIPATION
Application Deadline: October 31, 2026
Jury Notification: Mid-November, 2026
Booth Fee Due: January 8, 2027
Event Setup: April 16, 2027 (parks/8am-noon, streets/12 noon-9pm)
Show Date/Times: April 17 & 18, 2027 Saturday 10 am – 5 pm & Sunday 10 am – 4 pm
Event Breakdown: April 18, 2027 (after show closing at 4 pm)
ARTIST AMENITIES
- Artist Awards of over $10,000
- Artists retain 100% of sales of artworks sold
- Artist hospitality area with complimentary refreshments and reserved portable toilets
- Welcome Reception for attending artists and guest. Date & location to be announced
- Onsite badge for artist and collaborator or associate provided for hospitality access (2 badges max per booth)
- Complimentary quality style event T-shirt (sizes 2XL & 3XL additional $10)
- Volunteer booth sitters
- Combined artist sales of over ½ Million
- 24-hour on-site security provided by uniformed Police Officers (Tallahassee Police Dept.)
- Festival website includes artist image and live link to the artist's website
- High-quality printed program with sample images and website information for each artist
- Digital marketing opportunities provided
- Social media sharing available for a nominal fee of $15, limited opportunity, first-come with posts typically running January- March.
- Complimentary reserved parking
- Limited, first-come-first-served basis, complimentary RV parking located close by
- Friday set-up beginning as early as 8:00 am
- Top award winners automatically juried into next year’s Festival
- Cover artists selected from participating Festival artists
- Sunshine Artist Magazine, Fine Art & Design Show Artist Survey – Ranked in the top 100 Fine Art Festivals for 12 years in a row.
- Attendance of an estimated 45,000 visitors and patrons.
- Over $55K in Marketing & PR throughout North Florida, South Georgia and Alabama.
- Kicks off on Thursday evening with a ticketed performance through a partnership with Florida State University’s Opening Nights program. The public is invited to attend.
- Award announcements made available prior to show opening on Sunday via social media.
- Free live music and theatrical performances throughout the festival.
- The Children’s Park with Local Heritage booths and free crafts for kids provided by organizations to promote art education.
- Community Corner with non-profit Community Partners and Brand Ambassadors.
- Chalk Art Oasis area with live professional street art and upcycled sculpture exhibit & auction.
- Festival hosted by LeMoyne Arts, a non-profit art center.
- On-site festival staff.
- Volunteer committee with 25 members who work year-round to produce Festival experience for artists, patrons, sponsors, and attendees.
- Application Fee: $35.00 (non-refundable)
- Juried Artist Booth Fee: 10x10 standard booth/$375.00
- A limited number of Double, Corner and Priority Placement booths are sold for additional charge on a first-come basis.
- With the exception of paid upgraded priority booths, specific location/area placement may be requested in application comments, but they NOT guaranteed.
- Layout map to be provided to accepted artists prior to purchasing.
Participation is determined by a 3-5-person blind jury who do not see artist name. Jurors are provided only the artist ID, prices, three required art images, booth image, and artist statement. Your name or business is not to appear in your application images. Jurors often use the booth image to finalize acceptance scoring, so use a booth shot that shows high quality displays of current work. Jurors are keenly interested in the process and techniques used to make your work, so descriptions with process details are important as it can often be critical in determining originality and hand-crafted nature of presented work. We allow 500 characters in the application Artist Process Statement for this purpose. Jurors evaluate work based on originality, concepts, execution and consistency of style & presentation. They will also consider artist pricing for the artist to achieve a positive selling experience at the Festival. Artist feedback has shown generally this should include those whose main body of work is priced under $2,000 with a wide variety of purchase points below that.
Note: If selected to participate in the Festival, Image #1 will typically be used to represent your art in the printed program.
ARTIST CATEGORIES
The Chain of Parks Art Festival is designed to promote artists who create and execute their own original, professional quality art to exhibit for sale. All work displayed MUST be consistent with the images submitted to jury and produced by the exhibiting artist or two-person team collaboration. Proxy or sales representatives are not allowed. Categories are outlined and developed as a tool to organize works into logical, related groups for judging competitions, website, and printed program. The Festival reserves the right to add media categories or change an artist category without notice. Typically, this is to align all works into categories as a whole, or to allow for a way to increase a balance of the prize money spread between categories.
Painting: Creation of a still life, portrait, landscape, abstract, or other image using any paint or combination of paint materials applied to a flat surface such as canvas, paper, wood, etc.
Two-Dimensional Mixed Media: This category is for work that incorporates more than one medium category of media in their processes. Two of the same media styles, i.e. oil & acrylic, pencils & pastels, etc. should not be submitted here. This category is not applicable for artwork that consists of one medium and then uniquely framed. If it is not clearly visible in your art images, please include why you applied as a 2-D MM artist in the artist statement.
Drawing, Graphics, Printmaking, Photography or Computer-Generated Work: This group of categories includes various media created by using the artists’ hand. Drawing: work using chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, crayon, or ink. Printmaking: defined as multiple originals where the artists’ hand has manipulated the plates, stones, blocks, composite reliefs, or screens. Includes prints that are then hand colored. Photographic Works: two-dimensional work created by the artist that can include digital or film photography. Only artists’ original source material is acceptable. Computer Generated Work: includes original work created by the artist utilizing computer technology to craft visual images. Combinations of these media are also accepted in this category. Works displayed in booth must be printed by the artist or under the artist’s supervision in limited editions properly signed, and numbered.
Jewelry: Work must be designed, created and executed by the artist. All work displayed must be similar in style, quality and method to work presented to the jury in the artists images. No commercial casts, molds or production studio work is allowed. If using a commercially purchased component (bead, glass, gemstone, pearl, metal, or other material not made by the artist) and then strung, assembled and/or twisted on wire, the work must be unique and of an original design that makes it artistically distinguishable and attributable in design to the exhibiting artist. Embellishment to existing pre-assembled components is not considered acceptable as fine art works.
Three-Dimensional Media or Sculpture: Simply defined as works visible from 360 degrees. Original three-dimensional work incorporating any materials, or combination of materials, designed and executed by the artist using the following media: clay or porcelain work, fiber, found objects, glass, metal, wood, or any other 3-D objects. Glass work must be hand-crafted by the artist by blowing, fusing, casting or kiln forming. This category also includes works crafted from fibers including basketry, embroidery, weaving, tapestry, leather work, and papermaking. If multiple pieces similar in design are displayed, each piece must be signed. RAM pressed clay or porcelain produced from commercially poured molds is not acceptable. No forms of production studio work or mass production are permitted. All pre-manufactured glass or wearable items are prohibited regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist.
Heritage Art: defined as decorative or practical artwork using a variety of materials or media to showcase traditional techniques from a specific culture or region, often called folk art. Often unique to specific culture and viewed as steeped in grassroots history. Heritage Art is frequently demonstrated through craftmanship, utilitarian and ornamental media, color, and texture; showcasing artistic expression from a non-classically trained artist
Application Requirements
GENERAL SHOW POLICIES
- Open to all artists 18 years or older and are accepted for participation by a blind jury.
- Artists are REQUIRED to present and sell their own work. Absolutely NO agents, dealers, or sales representatives may work the booth in place of the artist.
- Images submitted for jury acceptance must be of artwork created within the last 3 years and consistent with the work to be displayed in your booth.
- At least 50% of the artwork displayed in your booth must be original, artist-created work. Signed and limited edition, numbered reproductions of your original artwork may be displayed, but only in conjunction with the originals. Open edition or unnumbered reproductions (such as prints) may be displayed in bins only, not hung or prominently featured.
- The Chain of Parks Art Festival is a family-oriented event, and exhibits must be in keeping with this atmosphere.
- THE FESTIVAL COMMITTEE CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH ITS COMMITMENT TO MAINTAINING A HIGH-QUALITY FINE ART EVENT. Dealers, buy-sell products, and other infringements on this core mission will be addressed on an individual basis. If discovered onsite, the artist will be disqualified from awards, and will not be invited to return.
- SALES & TAXES: Each artist is responsible for collecting and reporting 6% Florida sales tax + 1.5% local sales tax and remitting it to the Florida Department of Revenue (FDoR). We are required to provide the FDoR with your name and contact information only as record that you participated in the event.
- Participation during all advertised hours and both days at the Festival is mandatory. If an exhibitor abandons their booth during the Festival weekend without permission from Festival Staff, they jeopardize being invited back.
- Unapproved artwork using our logo / or Festival branding
- Unsigned reproductions of original artwork
- Unsigned artwork or work not using archival materials
- Copies of works reproduced or copied from works of masters, advertisements, commercial or widely circulated photographs, or offset prints
- Generative AI tools are permitted solely for preliminary ideation or draft compositions; however, but the final artwork submitted, displayed, and offered for sale must feature substantial original human artistry, execution, and manipulation.
- Work purchased from an outside source for resale
- Any artwork produced using production or cottage labor
- Work created by kits, manufactured or kit jewelry, pre-assembled supplies, decoupage, and ceramics cast from mass-produced commercial molds
- Mass-produced note cards, commercial books, etc. unless of the exhibiting artist's works
- Framing in the Parks
- Artwork not in the category in which the artist applied and was accepted
- Generators generally not allowed but if deemed necessary, they must be approved by Festival staff prior to use. Allowance based on necessity, booth location and decibel rating.
Jury Details
Average number of applications submitted each year
300
Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event
170
Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event
10
Booth Information
BOOTH PURCHASE & FEES
- Application Fee: $35.00 (non-refundable)
- Juried Artist Booth Fee: 10x10 standard booth/$375.00
- A limited number of Double, Corner and Priority Placement booths are sold for additional charge on a first-come basis.
- With the exception of paid upgraded priority booths, specific location/area placement may be requested in application comments, but they NOT guaranteed.
- Layout map to be provided to accepted artists prior to purchasing.
- During the Festival, all displays will be visited by the Review Committee to ensure that the displays and artwork follow Festival guidelines. It is our exclusive right and responsibility to remove work that is not in compliance. An Officer of the Festival will make the final decision. Non-compliance can result in expulsion and ineligibility for judging, awards, and potentially future Festival participation.
- Artists provide their own white tents, which must meet all fire codes. All tents must be weighted, not staked – even those exhibiting on grassy areas due to City Park restrictions. Please ensure your tent and display setup are sturdy and capable of withstanding gusty wind and rain.
- The area provided to exhibit is typically 11x11, most with storage behind them; however, some booth spaces in our highest traffic areas like Lewis Park do not have side or backspace. Some street booth locations will be allowed to bring an umbrella for extra shade around their booth area. Artists are requested to exhibit within their designated space. There are also private residences and businesses located within the festival footprint—please be respectful of these spaces as well as avoid encroaching beyond your assigned booth area. Please note if you have storage requirements or special requests in the comments section of your ZAPPlication.
- As an outdoor event, surfaces may be uneven, especially within the grass areas of the park. While street booth locations tend to offer flatter, more stable ground, artists should be prepared for some environmental irregularities. Natural drainage issues may occur due to weather and terrain. Our team works hard to manage these challenges, and we appreciate your understanding.
- Electricity is not available. Artists are encouraged to bring rechargeable or battery-powered lights and fans.
- Artists are provided a standard tent ID card at check-in for the judging process and to help patrons locate artist booths from the Festival map. Artists are required to affix these to the front of the tent so they are clearly and easily visible.
- The artist will receive check-in times, a locator map, a temporary vehicle Festival Access Pass and Exhibitor Parking Permit, State of Florida sales tax information along with other relevant information on a date closer to the event. Please be sure to check for communication messages via ZAPP.
- We respectfully ask that you consider using sentence case in your ZAPP application, including your profile. Ie please do not use ALL CAPS or all lowercase. Anything not provided in sentence case requires retyping into our artist rosters and can be a point for typo errors.
CHECK-IN & SET UP
All artists are required to check in on Friday, April 17, at LeMoyne Arts Education Center, 121 N. Gadsden Street, and show proof of identity. Check-in at LeMoyne is open from 10 am-7 pm. No-show artists – artists who do not alert the Festival of their cancellation – are subject to non-acceptance for future shows. Vehicles parked within Festival streets without a Festival-provided access permit during set-up or breakdown will be subject to towing.
Set Up: Booths located on the streets, set up only after street closures, generally noon on Friday. Based on booth location, specific setup times are provided to artists after acceptance. All vehicles are to be removed to designated parking areas immediately after unloading to allow others access. Failure to comply with this courtesy can affect artist placement in future requests. Set up must be complete no later than midnight on Friday.
Breakdown: Breakdown is prohibited prior to 4:00 pm Sunday. Once the festival closes, booths need to be broken down and items packed prior to retrieving vehicles. Streets will be reopened at 8:00 pm by TPD and all booths must be moved off streets by this time. Public parking guidelines will prevail after this time. Failure to comply with these courtesies can affect artist placement requests at future events.
SECURITY
Overnight security is provided by the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) on Friday and Saturday nights, allowing artists to leave exhibit displays. We strongly recommend that you pack up all valuable merchandise and equipment to keep with you. LeMoyne and TPD are not responsible for any loss.
All artists are required to check in on Friday, April 17, at LeMoyne Arts Education Center, 121 N. Gadsden Street, and show proof of identity. Check-in at LeMoyne is open from 10 am-7 pm. No-show artists – artists who do not alert the Festival of their cancellation – are subject to non-acceptance for future shows. Vehicles parked within Festival streets without a Festival-provided access permit during set-up or breakdown will be subject to towing.
Set Up: Booths located on the streets, set up only after street closures, generally noon on Friday. Based on booth location, specific setup times are provided to artists after acceptance. All vehicles are to be removed to designated parking areas immediately after unloading to allow others access. Failure to comply with this courtesy can affect artist placement in future requests. Set up must be complete no later than midnight on Friday.
Breakdown: Breakdown is prohibited prior to 4:00 pm Sunday. Once the festival closes, booths need to be broken down and items packed prior to retrieving vehicles. Streets will be reopened at 8:00 pm by TPD and all booths must be moved off streets by this time. Public parking guidelines will prevail after this time. Failure to comply with these courtesies can affect artist placement requests at future events.
SECURITY
Overnight security is provided by the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) on Friday and Saturday nights, allowing artists to leave exhibit displays. We strongly recommend that you pack up all valuable merchandise and equipment to keep with you. LeMoyne and TPD are not responsible for any loss.
Refund Policy
ARTIST CANCELLATION POLICY
Booth Fees are due on January 8, 2027. Once paid these fees are generally considered non-refundable, however a refund for cancellation submitted to Festival staff in writing prior to the Festival program production date of February 15, 2027 is allowed. They are subject to a deduction of $50.00 for fees retained by ZAPP and LeMoyne Arts administration fee. After Friday, February 15, 2027 absolutely no refunds will be made. We understand emergencies will happen requiring an artist to cancel after that late date, but they are not exceptions to our policy. After that date all processes to include each artist and their booth have been completed and are set for the event. Application fees are always non-refundable.
EVENT CANCELLATION POLICY
The Festival is a fundraising event run by a non-profit community art center supporting artists. Booth fees go directly to advertising and operations for the event. With a rain-or-shine policy, the Festival will remain open in inclement weather, cancelled only if the safety of the artists and patrons is deemed at risk or mandated by local, state, or federal governmental agencies. Should we be required to cancel, we will contact participating artists to evaluate options for a ‘Plan B’. However, if the event is canceled on or before February 15, 2027, we will be offering full booth fee refunds to all artists. If the event is cancelled after February 15, 2027, we will be offering at least* 50% refunds as well as a rollover opportunity. Application fees are always non-refundable. *Our event runs on a very tight budget and this amount will be based on what we are able to return after advertising and operational costs spent up to the point of cancellation can be evaluated
Booth Fees are due on January 8, 2027. Once paid these fees are generally considered non-refundable, however a refund for cancellation submitted to Festival staff in writing prior to the Festival program production date of February 15, 2027 is allowed. They are subject to a deduction of $50.00 for fees retained by ZAPP and LeMoyne Arts administration fee. After Friday, February 15, 2027 absolutely no refunds will be made. We understand emergencies will happen requiring an artist to cancel after that late date, but they are not exceptions to our policy. After that date all processes to include each artist and their booth have been completed and are set for the event. Application fees are always non-refundable.
EVENT CANCELLATION POLICY
The Festival is a fundraising event run by a non-profit community art center supporting artists. Booth fees go directly to advertising and operations for the event. With a rain-or-shine policy, the Festival will remain open in inclement weather, cancelled only if the safety of the artists and patrons is deemed at risk or mandated by local, state, or federal governmental agencies. Should we be required to cancel, we will contact participating artists to evaluate options for a ‘Plan B’. However, if the event is canceled on or before February 15, 2027, we will be offering full booth fee refunds to all artists. If the event is cancelled after February 15, 2027, we will be offering at least* 50% refunds as well as a rollover opportunity. Application fees are always non-refundable. *Our event runs on a very tight budget and this amount will be based on what we are able to return after advertising and operational costs spent up to the point of cancellation can be evaluated