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Taste of the Arts 2016

Two day celebration of Arts and Culture August 26 and 27

By Eddie Torres

Fort Wayne Reader

2016-08-23

The 8th annual Taste of the Arts festival kicks off on Friday, August 26 at 6 PM on the downtown Arts Campus on 300 East Main Street, and continues the next day.

The Taste of the Arts Festival celebrates and supports the rich diversity of arts and cultural experiences in our vibrant community. The festival is FREE and open to all; tickets for food and drink can be purchased for $1 each. Proceeds from donations, sponsorships, and food sales help keep admission to the event free and support artistic programming throughout the year.

Friday Night at Taste

Friday Night festivities include the WBOI Meet the Music Concert beginning at 6 PM, with musical performances by Todd Harold and Nick Bobay, Jane Heald and Shawn Ellsworth-Hoffman, David Todoran and the Mobile Home Wreckers, and Randy Kimball Blues. dAnce.Kontemporary will also perform inside the Arts United Center at 8 PM.

The infamous Pyroscope — Fort Wayne’s Fire Performance Troupe — will light up the night, followed by the Living Fort Wayne Film Series screening of “It Happened One Night” at 10 PM on the Arts United Center Plaza. Restaurant and drink vendors will serve Fort Wayne favorites all night.

Saturday at Taste

The festival kicks off bright and early Saturday morning with a new addition – the Beat Beethoven 4 Mile Run/Walk at 8:30 AM. Runners and walkers to try to “Beat Beethoven” by running or walking four miles faster than it takes an orchestra to play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. A free kids’ one mile run/walk will begin at 9:30 AM. More information can be found at www.artsunited.org/beatbeethoven.

The Taste of the Arts Festival gets its proper kick-off for Saturday at 11 AM. Ticket lines open and the festival will be in full swing with 11 stages and 70 performances, including Downtown Improvement District’s Busker Pitch. More than 30 restaurants will be present. Over 40 arts organizations will provide kid-friendly, hands-on art activities.

Cyclists can park their bikes at the Fort Wayne Trails Bike Valet, located on the west side of the Arts United Center. Local artists will be present as a part of the FortArtisan Fair, presented by Artlink. Be on the lookout for Artlink’s Wet Paint Fundraiser, where over 20 local artists will set up their easels throughout the festival grounds until 1 PM when the silent auction begins in the Artlink Gallery.

You can also partake in the creation of art with Artlink’s Paint the Piano, where the public can help paint two pianos that will be given to a music student without the means to access a piano and to Calhoun Soups, Salads, and Spirits, where the public can enjoy the musical work of art.

Also be sure to take advantage of other events around the Arts Campus, including the YLNI Farmers Market, Fort Wayne Ballet Open House, Artlink’s Annual Members Show, Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s Summer of Glass Exhibition, Cinema Center’s indoor screenings, and free admission and art activities at the History Center.

For a full list of participating artists, performers, restaurants and Kids ARTivities, visit artsunited.org/tasteofthearts/this-year-at-taste.

The even is FREE. Food and drink tickets are $1.