Two art festivals return… 

…to downtown Fort Worth this week. Here’s what to know

by David Moreno, Fort Worth Report
April 12, 2026. This story was originally published by the Fort Worth Report. You may read the original version here. 

Downtown Fort Worth will soon be filled with hundreds of visual artists, booths and musicians when two distinct art festivals founded by members of the Bass family return next week. 

The long-running Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival returns April 16-19 at the same time as the Fort Worth Art Fair at Sundance Square Plaza. Both events are free and open to the public. 

Established in 1986 with support from Robert Bass, the Main Street festival spans over 18 blocks on its namesake street between the Fort Worth Convention Center and the Tarrant County Courthouse. The event paused for two years during the pandemic.

The Art Fair was developed by Sundance Square owners Ed and Sasha Bass in 2022 following a dispute over the number of local artists included in the Main Street festival. The Sundance event specifically highlights Fort Worth and Texas talent and the downtown district’s artists-in-residence. 

The 39th iteration of the Main Street festival features more than 200 exhibiting artists selected by a jury from a nationwide pool of nearly 1,000 applicants. 

Fort Worth creatives taking part on Main Street include Travis Clayton at booth 347, Alexander Isokrari at booth 354 and Diane Allison at booth 572. Click here for the complete list of participating artists. 

The Main Street event will also be amplified by a diverse lineup of musical acts across three stages. Headliners include Austin-based rock artist Ian Moore, Americana group Ghosts of Hill County and Tejano band Quimikoz del Son. 

Vendors will not be accepting cash. Event organizers encourage guests to leave pets at home. Attendees can bring folding chairs to events, but they must be placed out of walkway areas. 

What times will the Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival run?

10 a.m.-10 p.m. April 16

10 a.m.-11 p.m. April 17, 18

10 a.m.-8 p.m. April 19

Nearby, the Fort Worth Art Fair will spotlight more than 100 artists from across the state and 24 local bands, orchestras, and DJs. Featured North Texas artists include Sari Shryack, Amy Jenkins, and Cedric Ingram. Click here for the complete list of participating artists. 

“That local focus matters because it supports working artists, strengthens the local creative economy, and connects them directly with collectors and the community, building relationships and keeping that energy rooted in Fort Worth,” a spokesperson with Sundance Square Art said in a statement. 

Headlining music groups include Fusion Latina, Summer Dean and Matt Kirk & The Gueyfarers. Click here for the complete performance schedule. 

The Art Fair runs from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Musicians will perform on the plaza stage from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursday and Sunday, and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. 

Coolers, folding chairs, wagons and picnic blankets are not permitted within Sundance Square. Limited seating and tables are available throughout the plaza. 

David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.

The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Steve Young with RE/MAX 817-276-5149 or steve@steveyoung.pro