Fairfax Creative Aging Festival

The Fairfax Creative Aging Festival, held in May in celebration of Older Americans Month, promotes a series of events throughout Fairfax County and neighboring areas that recognize older adult artists and encourage older adult participation in the arts. The festival includes art exhibitions, instrumental and vocal concerts, classes, theatre, poetry readings, dance performances, lectures, photography, films, and related programming in disciplines such as yoga, tai chi, landscape design, gardening, and culinary arts.

Government agencies, over 200 Fairfax non-profit arts organizations, individual artists, and arts programmers are invited to submit events for listing in the festival website and brochure. Applicants must provide their own venue; the festival does not offer venue space. A kick-off event will be held early in May at the Goodwin House, Bailey Crossroads. The festival committee will promote all events via multiple media channels.

Submission guidelines require that the program or event involves artists who are 50+ and/or focuses on a 50+ audience; occurs in May 2015; supports the festival's objectives; is open to the public; includes a reasonable publicity plan; ensures reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities; and may provide additional information if requested. The festival's objectives are to encourage audiences for art projects created and performed by older adults, encourage older adult participation in the county's art programs, and promote public understanding of the benefits of creative engagement for older adults and the larger community. Applicants will be notified of selection decisions by early March. Contact Julie Ellis at [email protected] or 703-765-4573, TTY 711 with questions.