Santa Fe College Spring Arts Festival 2026 - 54th Annual

Santa Fe College announces the 54th Spring Arts Festival, taking place on the picturesque Northwest Campus in Gainesville, Florida. The festival has moved to a prominent new location on the northeast corner of campus centered around the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall, providing drive-up access for setup and breakdown on pavement with level ground. The event runs Saturday, April 11th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday, April 12th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, with drive-in setup on Friday, April 10th from 1:00-8:00 pm. Booth spaces are 10' x 10' with double booths available.

The festival offers $22,000 in total awards including Best of Show ($4,000 for both 2-D and 3-D divisions), Awards of Distinction ($1,000 each, eight total), and Awards of Merit ($500 each, twelve total). Over 15,000 visitors are anticipated to attend this North Central Florida springtime arts celebration. Santa Fe College provides exhibiting artists with Friday evening booth setup, coffee on weekend mornings, light lunch both days, an Artist Award Ceremony Saturday evening, 24-hour security, booth sitters, and festival programs.

Juried artists pay a $25 application fee due January 5, 2026, and a $225 exhibition fee due February 9, 2026 upon acceptance. Community artists (residents of Alachua or Bradford County) pay no application fee and a reduced $125 exhibition fee. Accepted artists will be notified by January 16, 2026. The festival accepts work in multiple media categories including ceramics, drawing and printmaking, digital media, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, and wood. All works must be original art created by the displaying artist.