Denver Chalk Art Festival 2017

The Denver Chalk Art Festival is an award-winning event that transforms historical Larimer Square into a colorful street museum. Over three days, over 200 professional, amateur, and student artists create chalk drawings on the pavement. The festival attracts 175,000 attendees who enjoy food and live music while watching chalk pieces come to life. The event is produced by the Lower Downtown Denver Arts Association (dba Larimer Arts Association), a nonprofit organization established in 1996 dedicated to promoting arts awareness and education in metro Denver.

The festival takes place June 2-4, 2017: Friday, June 2nd from 5pm to 10pm (optional); Saturday, June 3rd from 10am to 10pm; and Sunday, June 4th from 10am to 7pm, with an Awards Ceremony at 5pm on Sunday. The festival offers two levels: Master level (for artists 18 and up) and Youth Challenge (for high school aged students). All squares are 8'x8'. A limited number of 8'x12' vertical spaces are reserved for the 3-D challenge. Artists can also apply to be considered for mural teams creating 8'x17' horizontal images (requires 3-4 artists).

Application requirements include submitting one image of the proposed chalk drawing and three images of past artwork in any medium. Artwork must be appropriate for public viewing with no words, symbols, or logos intended as advertising. Only non-oil-based soft chalk/pastels in solid form may be used. Artists reproducing another living artist's work must obtain written permission. The festival provides one set of 24 soft pastels, water, breakfast, and lunch both days. All artists are invited to a VIP party Saturday night. Artists are not paid and there is no reimbursement for travel or lodging. Artists must work on their chalk drawings both Saturday and Sunday and must be at least 18 years old. The entry deadline is March 15, 2017, with jury results expected by early April 2017.