Riverfront Fine Arts Festival 2026

The Riverfront Fine Arts Festival takes place September 12-13, 2026, from 10 am to 5 pm both days along the Cannon River Walkway in Northfield, Minnesota. The festival runs in conjunction with Defeat of Jesse James Days, a community-wide celebration that brings thousands of visitors to Northfield. The festival features dozens of fine artists and craftspeople selling work in ceramics, jewelry, paintings, fiber, wood, and steel.

All booth spaces are 10' x 10' on concrete or grass. The booth fee is $185, plus a $30 jury/application fee. Artists must provide their own tent and setup capable of withstanding wind and rain. Setup hours are 6:30 am - 9:30 am on Saturday and 8 am - 9:30 am on Sunday. The festival is held rain or shine with no refunds. Artists must be onsite during the entire festival with no late arrivals or early exits. All work must be for sale, and artists retain 100% of sales while being responsible for sales tax collection and reporting. Buy/sell items are not allowed, and artists may only sell items represented in their application. Artists are responsible for proper insurance and protection of their work and setup.

Application deadline is June 5, 2026. Notification of acceptance will be by June 14, with an acceptance deadline of July 1. ST-19 forms must be sent to [email protected] by August 15. Applications are juried by three jurors using a Yes, No, or Maybe scoring system. The average number of applications submitted annually is 75, with approximately 55 artists selected to participate.