Norton Commons Art Festival 2026

The Annual Norton Commons Art Festival is a curated, two-day outdoor event celebrating creativity across fine art, functional design, and thoughtfully handcrafted goods. Held in the heart of Norton Commons, one of the Louisville area's most walkable and vibrant mixed-use communities, the Festival features an eclectic mix of original painting and photography, ceramics, jewelry, woodworking, fiber and leather goods, mixed media, baskets, and select specialty foods. This balanced approach attracts collectors, families, home decorators, and first-time art buyers alike, creating strong engagement and sales across a wide range of price points. Now in its 11th year, the Festival is artist-friendly, professionally run, and supported by a community that genuinely shows up to celebrate creative work.

The Norton Commons Art Festival welcomes original, artist-made work across a wide range of mediums, including painting, photography, ceramics and pottery, wood, jewelry, fiber and textiles, leather goods, mixed media, basketry, home décor, and select specialty foods and consumables. All work must be handcrafted by the artist and meet the Festival's quality and originality standards. Buy-sell, resale, imported, mass-produced, kit-made, or commercially manufactured items are not permitted. AI-generated or AI-derived artwork is not permitted; limited AI-assisted tools used for routine editing must be disclosed in the application. The juried artist must be present and actively involved in the booth during Festival hours. Booths may not be operated by agents, dealers, or substitutes, and booth sharing or subletting is not permitted unless submitted and approved as a joint application.

Booth options are Single Booth ($300 for 10' x 10') or Double Booth ($600 for 10' x 20'). Artists are responsible for providing all display materials, including tent, tables, and display fixtures. All tents must be properly secured with professional weights of at least 40 lbs per tent leg; staking is not permitted. Set-up is Friday, May 15 from 3PM-8PM and/or Saturday, May 16 from 7AM-9AM. The event runs May 16-17, 2026. The Festival provides organized load-in and load-out, overnight security, live music, and booth sitters available for short breaks. Booth fees do not include tents, tables, chairs, or electricity. Battery-powered lighting is permitted. The Festival does not offer awards or prize money. Booth fees are nonrefundable except in the event of Festival cancellation due to pandemic or governmental mandate. No refunds will be issued due to inclement weather, as the Festival is held rain or shine. Application deadline is March 8, 2026, with notification on March 16, 2026. Purchase deadline is March 30, 2026.