Cain Park Arts Festival 2026

The Cain Park Arts Festival is a juried fine arts and fine crafts event held over three days in Cain Park, a municipally owned park in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The festival features approximately 55% two-dimensional art (painting, drawing, hand-pulled prints, and photography) and 45% fine crafts across all categories including clay, sculpture, glass, fiber, leather, jewelry, and wood. The outdoor event takes place rain or shine and includes restaurant-quality food concessions and entertainment set up away from artist exhibit areas.

Accepted artists must attend in person and remain throughout all three days. The application fee is $40, and the booth fee for accepted artists is $450. Booth spaces are 10 feet wide with depth depending on location, set up on flat, grassy ground. Electricity is not available in booths. Artists keep 100% of sales revenue with no commission taken by Cain Park. A panel of professional artist judges will award cash prizes, and Judges' Selection and Director's Choice certificates will be awarded to approximately 23 artists. A special "Artist-to-Artist" award is selected by vote of participating artists. All award winners are automatically accepted to the 2027 Arts Festival.

The jury panel consists of three visual arts professionals who evaluate applications anonymously based exclusively on artistic merit. Previous year award winners are automatically accepted to the 2026 Festival but must comply with all other requirements, fees, and deadlines. Inadmissible work includes buy-sell art, imported art, workshop art, mass-produced items, work produced from dies, casts or molds, and decorations on commercially produced products. Artists who withdraw after May 1, 2026 will not receive a refund of booth fees.