If you’re dreaming of a cultural destination with ocean breezes, sunshine, and a thriving arts scene, look no further than The Palm Beaches: a place where year-round arts and cultural festivals abound. A place where you can stroll along tree-lined downtown streets and watch artisans refining their craft, sway to music by a famous band at a waterfront amphitheater or admire masterpieces created with chalk at a renowned street-painting festival.

Aptly named Florida’s Cultural Capital, The Palm Beaches offer visitors a dynamic vacation experience that can’t be found anywhere else. In addition to theaters, museums, botanical gardens and eco-tourism adventures, we’ve chosen eight top picks for stunning festivals throughout the year. Visit soon and enjoy every minute of fun!

Lake Worth Beach Street Painting Festival

Lake Worth Beach Street Painting Festival

Photo courtesy of the City of Lake Worth Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The largest festival of its kind in the country, the Lake Worth Beach Street Painting Festival draws more than 100,000 art lovers each February to walk the seaside municipality’s downtown streets and marvel as more than 600 artists put chalk to asphalt to create expansive temporary works of art. A dazzling display of outdoor living galleries, the works feature everything from replicas of famous paintings to three-dimensional illusions that create mesmerizing spaces and places. Presented by the City of Lake Worth Beach, this annual free public festival also features a mainstage with lively music performances, a food court, eclectic vendors, family activity areas and more.

Festival of the Arts BOCA

Festival of the Art Boca

Photo by Zsolt Meszaros

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 10-day open-air celebration of exciting performances and author events, Festival of the Arts BOCA’s annual gathering at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton each March is renowned for its diverse cultural offerings and intellectual fare. Since its inaugural year, the festival has been heralded as an unprecedented cultural arts festival for The Palm Beaches, attracting more than 15,000 attendees each year and drawing world-class artists and speakers to the region. With a commitment to education, the festival also offers an array of master classes, school visits, lectures and open rehearsals for young people. Come experience the magic of this extraordinary tradition in the heart of Boca Raton.

SunFest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating 40 years under the sun, the iconic annual arts and music festival SunFest takes place at the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront the first week in May. The event features national music performances on two main stages, a community stage for local acts and an Art Village made up of tented booths where artists sell their work. Attracting more than 85,000 visitors per year, the festival features beloved food vendors, interactive art, and has become synonymous with the start of summer in The Palm Beaches. Slated for May 3 – 5, this year’s festival will feature musical acts Nelly, Cole Swindell, Rebelution, Third Eye Blind, Billy Idol, and more.

TurtleFest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each February, more than 10,000 guests flock to Juno Beach’s Loggerhead Marinelife Center for TurtleFest. This free, family-friendly event promotes ocean conservation through interactive educational exhibits about marine life, as well as music, art, games and other family-friendly activities. Guests can get an up-close view of the sea turtles currently being treated in the center’s hospital, nosh on festival food and drinks, listen to music and shop for artwork created by Palm Beach County-based professional artists. For future scientists, the Junior Veterinary Lab offers the chance to learn how to rescue, treat and release an injured sea turtle.

Fiesta de Pueblo

Fiesta de Pueblo

Photo by Aladberto Boyer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The largest annual Hispanic multicultural and art festival in The Palm Beaches, Fiesta de Pueblo takes place each January and celebrates Three Kings Day, or the Three Wise Men. Drawing thousands of visitors to Samuel J. Ferreri Community Park in Greenacres, this free event provides a unique, cross-cultural celebration of Hispanic culture through music, food, art and commerce. The event includes representation from more than 21 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. With parades, games, amusement park rides, regional cuisine and live entertainment, attendees can shop for artwork and goods from Palm Beach County-based artisans at the event’s business expo. Join the fun at this annual cultural event!

ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival

ArtiGras 2024

Photo courtesy of Tracey Benson Photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In four decades, ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival has grown from a small, local art show to a nationally recognized fine arts festival attracting tens of thousands of art lovers and collectors. The festival takes place each February over President’s Day weekend in Palm Beach Gardens. Produced by the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, ArtiGras has been named one of the top 70 fine art festivals in the country and showcases a juried exhibition of gallery-quality art from 300 artists. ArtiGras also features a youth art competition, kids zone and live entertainment. A portion of the proceeds from the festival go to benefit art education in schools throughout Palm Beach County.

Delray Affair

Delray Affair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the largest arts and crafts festivals in the southeast United States, Delray Beach’s Delray Affair takes place each April along seven city blocks of the waterfront town’s vibrant Atlantic Avenue. Produced by the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce and currently celebrating its 62nd year, the show has received numerous state and international awards for its impressive mixture of art, crafts and unique goods from around the world. The three-day event features live craftsmanship demonstrations, engaging workshops, performances by musicians and interactive experiences. It’s easy to see why this festival has earned the nickname “the greatest art and craft show under the sun.”

Black Gold Jubilee

Black Gold Jubilee

Courtesy of the Belle Glade Chamber of Commerce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perfect for families, Belle Glade’s annual Black Gold Jubilee is an annual harvest festival that celebrates the area’s rich soil, dubbed “black gold” for its ability to produce bountiful harvests year after year. With multiple events leading up to the big day each April, the festival starts with 5K and 10K races and a parade on Main Street, followed by a full day of fun, food, and entertainment on Torry Island. The event includes free games and rides for children and the opportunity to shop for handmade goods from artisans. In the evening, the amphitheater stage offers a spectacular lineup of musical entertainment followed by fireworks over the lake.

Looking for more arts and culture to explore in The Palm Beaches? Download our cultural travel guide today.

 

Deadline to Apply: May 17, 2024  
Applications Open on 3/29

 

MISSION

The mission of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is to nurture, promote, and support a healthy, diverse, and inclusive cultural sector. We serve as cultural architects, championing and growing cultural organizations and creative professionals so that arts and culture are a part of everyday life, for everyone.

The Cultural Council’s headquarters (601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach) features three galleries. The spaces are used for visual arts exhibitions as well as performances (music, dance, etc.) throughout the year. The solo gallery is approximately 390 square feet and includes moveable wall in the space. The Council also offers other programs and services designed to support creative professionals in Palm Beach County and has a dedicated Artist Resource Team (ART) to support the sector.

 

VISION

We envision Palm Beach County as a thriving, vibrant, financially stable, and inclusive arts and cultural community that contributes to an exceptional quality of life.

 

STATEMENT OF CULTURAL EQUITY

We believe that everyone has cultural traditions that are inherently valuable. We seek to honor and value creative expression of all people through the work of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. Creating an art-filled community means seeing, celebrating, and serving all. Cultural equity is essential to a sustainable arts and cultural sector and a vibrant and thriving community.

 

Exhibitions

Exhibitions allow visual artists to display and sell their work in a professionally curated and well-promoted show. The Council is available to assist in the selection of the artwork to be displayed, install/de-install the show, handle logistics and sales, and answer all questions along the way. The Council retains 25% of all art sales. These funds are used to support the artist services staff and maintain the building.

 

Overview

The purpose of the Solo Gallery is to provide Palm Beach County-based emerging or professional visual artists with an opportunity for a solo exhibition (typically a full series of their work or a sampling of work representative of their career evolution). The Council uses a non-paid, competitive selection process for this gallery in an effort to provide opportunities for artists of any means.

Interested artists will submit an application and sample work to be considered by a vetting committee of visual arts professionals. The 2024-2025 schedule will include six solo shows that run for six weeks each.

 

Application Requirements

Artists are invited to submit an exhibition proposal, brief bio and up to seven images of individual artworks to be considered for inclusion in the 2024/2025 Cultural Council Solo Gallery exhibition schedule. Artwork may be any medium including but not limited to: photography, video, work on paper, sculptural installations, crafts, and textiles. Files must be jpg, not larger than 5 MB per file. Please include all artwork information (Title, Date, Dimensions, Medium, Edition, Run length, Insurance Value). The artist must be the sole author and owner of the title and copyright of all artwork entered.

Please list top three choices for show dates in application

 

Eligibility Criteria: Artists must live in Palm Beach County, Florida

 

Submissions will only be accepted by the online platform CaFE.*The Council will post a FAQ and tutorial video on how to use the online platform on its website. Applications Open on 3/29

More questions? Email art@palmbeachculture.com or call 561-472-3336 .

 

Deadline to Apply: March 15, 2024

Artists, galleries or groups are invited to apply to exhibit at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction Palm Beach!

Please complete the following application in its entirety to be considered for placement in the event. Any applications received by February 16, 2024 will be considered for priority placement. After this date placement will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Applications will be accepted until March 15, 2024. This event takes place on  April 18 – 20 at the Fair Grounds.

To learn more and to download the full application guidelines, please visit PB24_Exhibitor_App_Fillable
Upon completion, please either: email to exhibitor@barrett-jackson.com or fax to 480.355.3637.

 

Deadline to Apply: April 4, 2024 at 4PM ET

For our 25th Anniversary, Creative Capital welcomes innovative and original new project proposals in visual arts, performing arts, film/moving image, technology, literature, multidisciplinary, and socially engaged forms.

Applications open on March 4, 2024, and the deadline for submitting is April 4, 2024 at 4PM ET.

The Creative Capital Award provides unrestricted project grants which can be drawn down over a multi-year period, bespoke professional development services, and community-building opportunities.

Grants are awarded via a democratic, national, open call, external review process. Our goal is to fund individual artists creating conceptually, aesthetically, and formally challenging, risk-taking, and never-before-seen projects.

 

Grant Application Details

We invite artists to propose experimental, original, bold projects in the visual arts, performing arts, film/moving image, technology, literature, multidisciplinary, and socially engaged forms which push boundaries formally and/or thematically.

We invite artists to select a primary discipline for their proposals based on which experts are most suited and qualified to review the project proposal, with the understanding that radical art is often by nature interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or antidisciplinary. By choosing to apply within a certain disciplinary category, we are asking you to choose how you want to frame the discussion around your work and to indicate which experts are most qualified to evaluate your project proposal.

2025: 50 Grants

 

Artist Eligibility

 

To learn more and to download the full application guidelines, please CLICK HERE
More questions? Email awards@creative-capital.org.

 

Deadline to Apply: March 20, 2024 at 11:59pm EDT

EXHIBITION TITLE and THEME
Bloom Where You Are Planted exhibition features art that metaphorically conveys thriving in difficult circumstances, just like a flower that blooms despite its surroundings.

EXHIBITION DATES
May 22, 2024 – October 30, 2024

ARTWORK SPECIFICATIONS

ARTIST ELIGIBILITY
Open to all Artists who are residents of Palm Beach County at the time of application submission. Minors in the
age range of 15 to 17 who are residents of Palm Beach County may also apply. If selected, an Artist who is a
minor, and their parent or guardian, will be required to sign an acknowledgement form prior to entering into an
artwork loan agreement with Palm Beach County.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS
Elayna Toby Singer, Palm Beach County Art in Public Places Administrator (561) 233-0235, esinger@pbcgov.org

To view the full Call For Artist and to submit your application, please Click Here

Deadline to Apply: Mid-April
The City of Boca Raton is developing a public art and placemaking program which seeks to enhance the quality of life and economic strength of the City through public art. Your input will help guide the development of the program, including a masterplan and policies.
Definitions:
Public Art: Art in any media that is located indoors or outdoors, accessible to the public and created by an artist through a public process. Typologies include murals, installations, sculptures, functional, interactive, site-integrated, multimedia, and performative and it can be temporary or permanent.
Placemaking: Placemaking is a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces that promotes and improves urban vitality. Placemaking, as it relates to public art, transforms communities into vibrant, welcoming and resilient places by integrating arts and culture into city revitalization and creating a distinct sense of place.
Public Space: Any place or real property owned by a government entity which is open and accessible to the public.
To Take the Survey…and Help Shape Public Art in Boca, Visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MY9CTYQ

 

Deadline to Apply: March 18 at 5 p.m.

The 11th annual Artesian Arts Festival call for artists is now open! Artists from federally recognized tribes are welcome to apply. The competition art show and market features fine art in 21 categories, including basketry, jewelry, sculpture, metalworking, beadwork, textiles, pottery and more.

The Artesian Arts Festival takes place at the Artesian Plaza, adjacent to the Artesian Hotel and Spa, 1001 W. First St., Sulphur.

For more information and to apply, visit ArtesianArtsFestival.com or call (580) 272-5520 or email ArtistInfo@ Chickasaw.net.

 

Deadline to Apply: May 14, 2024

The Hopper Prize is now accepting entries for our Spring 2024 artist grants.

The Hopper Prize was established to provide grants, visibility, and career enhancing validation to artists who demonstrate a serious commitment to their work. We accept submissions for grants through a bi-annual open call. Each grant cycle is juried by a new team of contemporary curators who select grant winners on the basis of artistic excellence and the promise of future potential. We view the field of visual art in its broadest and most inclusive sense and therefore make our awards available to artists working in any media.

We are offering grants in the amount of $3,500 (2 available) and $1,000 (4 available) to artists & photographers worldwide working in all media. In total, 6 artists will receive unrestricted cash grants totaling $11,000.

Accepting Entries in All Media:

Submissions will be juried by
— Lauren Rosati, Associate Curator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
— Maya Brooks, Assistant Curator, North Carolina Museum of Art

Our open call provides you with a direct path to get your work in front of these forward thinking exhibition makers. In addition to grants, 30 artists will be selected for a shortlist. Additional exposure is available via our online Journal as well as our Instagram feed, currently reaching an audience over 115k.

Deadline: May 14, 2024

For more information and to Submit your work, visit:  https://hopperprize.org

Deadline to Apply: March 25, 2024 by 11:59pm EDT

Palm Beach County’s Art in Public Places program (PBC AiPP) seeks to commission an Artist or Artist team (Artist) to create sculptures that support Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department’s goals of promoting healthy, happy living for residents and visitors utilizing Canyon District Park.

The selected Artist will design, permit, fabricate, install and attach art onto five (5) outdoor light poles located along Ben Ferencz Way, within the park. Specified poles can take an excess load equivalent to 350 pounds each to account for art that will result from this Call to Artists. Commissioned art will be inspired by the diverse active recreational opportunities offered within the park such as soccer, lacrosse, baseball, softball, sand volleyball as well as walking, picnicking and playground use.

The mission of Canyon District Park is to provide an active recreational facility that primarily serves the population located within West Boynton Beach and West Delray Beach in unincorporated Palm Beach County. The recreational amenities identified for construction were determined by feedback from the local community as well as overall level of service needs established in the County’s Comprehensive Plan.

 

Art Design Goals:

 

Areas for Art Integration:

Palm Beach County Canyon District Park is 52 acres. The five (5) light poles designated for art integration are near a centrally located parking lot and three (3) sports fields. The selected artists will create artwork for each of the five (5) light poles. County will install light poles for Artist to attach their art to.

 

Artist Eligibility:

Open to all adult Professional Artists with experience designing, fabricating and installing architecturally integrated art

 

Budget:

The Artist who is awarded the contract will receive a maximum fixed fee of $81,700 inclusive of all expenses including Artist
fee, design, engineering, permit, materials, fabrication, contractor, shipping, installation, construction oversight, travel, hotel, transportation, mileage, insurance, etc. All Artists who are selected to present their concept proposals to the Finalist Selection Panel (Shortlist Artists) will receive a flat fee (honoraria) of $1,000 inclusive of all expenses.

 

Questions regarding this Call to Artists must be directed to Palm Beach County’s Public Art Program Administrator, Elayna
Toby Singer, at esinger@pbcgov.org  – Subject line: “Canyon District Park, Artist Question, Last Name, First Name”

To learn more about this call, please visit the link Art in Public Places Calls to Artists (pbcgov.org)  or Call to Artists_Canyon Disrict Park_FINAL.docx.pdf (pbcgov.org)

It’s 20 minutes before sunrise and the sky over the Atlantic Ocean is fading from black to purple to orange to red, a visual symphony heralding the arrival of a new day. It’s too breathtaking for words and I have a front row seat in the sand just north of the Lake Worth pier.

Sunrises are beautiful anywhere, but there’s something special about seeing them over the ocean at a beach I can reach 10 minutes by bike.

Lake Worth Beach Pier

Growing up in Pittsburgh, I did not like the winters. I moved to South Florida in 1988 after graduating from journalism school and taking a newspaper job. Eventually, I found my way to Lake Worth Beach, a funky little town with a whimsical motto that spoke to me: “Keep Lake Worth Weird.’’ I fit right in.

And it wasn’t long before I discovered and embraced its many wonderful and quirky treasures, from the natural to the cultural to the culinary.

After watching the sun rise at the Lake Worth Beach Casino Complex, I’m ready for coffee and eggs at a table above the ocean — literally — at Benny’s on the Beach, a popular eatery on the Lake Worth Pier.

If the waves are big, I’ll pay $1 to walk out on the 1,000-foot pier east of Benny’s and watch the surfers. There’s action on the pier, too, where large pelicans gather on the railings in hopes of stealing the catches from morning anglers.

Nothing beats the scenery at the pier, but my two favorite breakfast spots are across the Lake Worth Bridge: The Pelican Restaurant on Lake Avenue, known for Indian fusion, and Farmer Girl Restaurant, an old-school eatery on U.S. 1 in my College Park neighborhood.

Snook Islands Natural Area

After breakfast, I explore the Snook Islands Natural Area, with its boardwalk winding around mangroves and wading birds at the northwest end of the Lake Worth Bridge. If the wind is calm, I’ll head north to the Lake Worth Beach Golf Club to rent a kayak and paddle south in the Lake Worth Lagoon.

For an added treat, I paddle under the bridge for an up-close view of a breathtaking mural, on the wall of the bridge’s main support, of a woman rising from the Intracoastal Waterway. Painted in 2017 by the artist Hula during Canvas Art Festival, the lady in the mural always turns heads whether you’re on water or on land strolling the walkways to the southeast in Bryant Park.

Lake Worth Beach is known around South Florida for hosting large annual events – the Street Painting Festival each February; the Palm Beach Pride festival and parade in March; the Midnight Sun Festival paying homage to the town’s century-old Finnish heritage with music, food and the amusing Wife Carrying Contest; and Dia de Los Muertos in October.

Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts

But there are plenty of year-round options, like the city’s vibrant arts offerings. I always enjoy the galleries on the ground floor of the beautiful art deco Cultural Council of Palm Beach County building, which spotlights the work of local artists like painter Serge Strosberg and ceramic artist Heather Couch. Admission is free. Be sure to walk outside and check out the larger-than-life Martin Luther King Jr. mural on the building’s south wall.

I always find something inspiring on the walls of mtn space gallery on Lake Avenue and at the funky Flamingo Clay Studio artists’ coop on South J Street.

An even more eclectic treat can be found just west of U.S. 1 at the Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts. The transformed historic FEC train depot houses working spaces for emerging and established artists and offers workshops in glassblowing, welding and jewelry.

Café Tecun

By now, I’m ready for lunch. If it’s Wednesday, I’ll stop by L-Dub Subs (slang for the city’s initials) on South J Street for their weekly special — the Mama Gizza Meatball Sub, made by a local gourmet pasta maker. Other days, I’ll grab a burrito and a cold Corona at Cafe Tecun, where the only thing better than the food is the friendly staff.

In the afternoon, I’ll take Lucy and Ginger, my friendly dogs, to Bryant Park or Spillway Park on the city’s north end and watch them chase squirrels.

During football season, there’s no better place for transplanted Pittsburghers to watch their Steelers than Dave’s Last Resort and Raw Bar in the heart of downtown. If the place is too packed, I’ll walk across the street to the roomier Irish Brigade with its multiple screens.

Lake Worth Playhouse

Lake Worth Playhouse

One recent Saturday afternoon I caught a matinee of “Oklahoma!” at the Lake Worth Playhouse, celebrating its 100th birthday this year in the heart of downtown. A few weeks before that, my wife and I stopped at the playhouse’s Stonzek Theater, home to great independent movies, and watched a music documentary called “The Stones and Brian Jones.’’

By the time the movie ended, we were primed for live music. But first, dinner at our favorite restaurant, Lilo’s Streetfood and Bar. The sidewalk tables were all taken — a testament to the great food — so we sidled up to the bar and ordered our usual yummy shrimp tacos.

Harry’s Banana Farm

By 8 p.m., we grabbed a table at Rudy’s Pub on South J Street and watched the Cedric Talton Experience. “No grouchy people allowed,’’ says the sign inside Rudy’s, where great live music can be seen all week, often with no cover charge.

On certain Friday nights during the year, weather permitting, we head back to the beach to meet up with friends and neighbors at the city-sponsored beach bonfires, featuring live music from bands like The Killbillies and The People Upstairs.

My day isn’t complete without a nightcap at Harry’s Banana Farm, a bar known for cheap cold beer and a rich sense of humor: Whimsical messages on the bar’s marquee – such as “Retirement: it’s like high school but your parents r never home”  – have been stopping traffic on U.S. 1 for years.

Finally, I’m off to bed, dreaming of another beach sunrise.

 

For more to do and see in Lake Worth Beach and across Florida’s Cultural Capital, visit our events calendar.