2024 San Marco Art Festival
November 30@10:00 am-December 1@5:00 pm
FreeThe San Marco Art Festival will be held in Balis Park, San Marco Square (1999 San Marco Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32207) on Saturday and Sunday November 30th and December 1st, 2024.
This is the 26th Art Festival in San Marco. 30 artists will pitch their tents in Balis Park for this two-day free Art Festival in the middle of historic San Marco Square. For this event traffic is not blocked off around San Marco Square and free parking is plentiful so our patrons can come and go freely. The art for this festival is carefully selected and includes paintings, sculpture, woodwork, glasswork, and hand-made jewelry by local and regional Florida artists. See www.sanmarcoartfestival.com for festival detail and a listing of our artists and sponsors
Rula Carr, Owner, The Vault at 1930 Art Gallery, commented on the recent history of the San Marco Art Festival as currently conducted:
“In 2019 we felt a need to “Bring The Festival Back” to San Marco after what had been an annual festival did not happen for several years! After emerging from the COVID pandemic in 2022, and in collaboration with the San Marco Merchants Association, the Festival was a resounding success in 2022 and 2023 with hundreds of patrons attending each day of the Festival. We are again very excited to promote the 2024 San Marco Art Festival and help support our local artists, and we ask everyone to help support this event and support our talented artists and our galleries. We are surrounded by art in our daily world, whether it be in a painting we see that brings us joy, an advertisement that captures our imagination, or a cartoon that reaches out and makes us share it with our friends. Art is a big part of humanity, how we express ourselves and communicate.”
“Art events such as this are paramount for the future of strengthening ties with our immediate community, our city and our artists and local small businesses! So, we ask you to support LOCAL artists and businesses!”
Background Resources
About San Marco Square
San Marco Square is a historic business area in the middle of the San Marco Community. Enjoy the annual San Marco Art Festival in Balis Park in the Square. The artists are located surrounding the Fountain of Lions which reflect the neighborhood’s association with the Venice, Italy business district., Take the time to visit San Marco’s many diverse businesses including trendy boutiques, art galleries, bookstores, coffee and tea shops and a wide selection of great cafes and restaurants.
About Balis Park
“:Balis Park is located in the middle of the square at San Marco – a commercial district in south Jacksonville. Development of the San Marco subdivision began in 1925, and one of the first commercial structures (completed in early 1927) was a quaint, Spanish-style Gulf service station, in the middle of the square. Gulf oil later replaced the station with a modern version, and the city purchased the parcel in 1984 for development as a park – which the San Marco Preservation Society and local merchants envisioned as a center piece for the square. Sheffield and his wife Abla Balis were longtime residents of San Marco, and Mrs. Balis funded the park’s development, in memory of her husband who passed away in 1976. The dedication ceremony took place in January 1988, and later improvements included a sound system, the bronze sculpture windy days, and landscaping, which were funded by the estate of Abla Balis and the city.” (City of Jacksonville.net)
Festival Details
1999 San Marco Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida 32207
Saturday November 30th – 10am to 6pm
Sunday December 1st – 10am to 5pm
Website – www.sanmarcoartfestival.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sanmarcoartfestival/
Instagram – #sanmarcoartfestival
Festival Title Sponsor – Robin Ibarra