Add two festivals to the list of things blooming in Richardson each spring: Cottonwood Art Festival and Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival.
It’s the 55th year for Cottonwood Art Festival (May 4-5) and the 32nd for Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival (May 17-19). Here’s what you need to know about both:
Cottonwood Art Festival
What to expect: No matter your art personality type, you’ll find something to love amid more than 200 global artists’ juried work, spanning paintings and sculpture to ceramics, jewelry, fiber art, fine glass, woodwork, mixed media, and photography.
Make sure to look for this year's featured artist, ceramicist Gregory Story. The South Texas native now works out of his Chicago studio, Modern Clay, but studied at both Texas Christian University and the University of Texas at Arlington. He's known for his signature smiley sculptures, which were created as a welcome back post-COVID, and has added onto them with baseball caps in orange, blue, black, and red.
There’s also live music across two stages along with an arts-and-crafts area for the kiddos and plenty of food and drink for all on tap.
Where: Cottonwood Park, 1321 W. Belt Line Rd.
When: Saturday, May 4, 10 am-7 pm; Sunday, May 5, 10 am-5 pm.
Tickets: Admission and parking are both free, with shuttles running continuously between the park and the Richardson High School football stadium lot.
History lesson: Celebrating 55 years, the award-winning Cottonwood Art Festival is a twice-yearly juried show that has become a signature art event in the community and beyond. The festival also provides innovative outreach programs for students, with the goal of broadening interest in visual arts and bringing the art world into classrooms.
More details: CottonwoodArtFestival.com
Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival
What to expect: With six stages and 100-plus performers, including Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Randy Rogers Band, KC & The Sunshine Band, The Struts, Sister Sledge, Monica Saldivar, and more, your listening schedule will be packed at this fest.
Beyond the stages, the Prosperity Bank Marketplace is a one-stop-shop for local and regional accessories, art, home decor, apparel, and more.
There’s also The Zoo art guitar auction, songwriter competition, and Patterson & Associates Performance Row that features street performers, acrobats, and magicians. Plus, look for Wildflower! Kids, a family-fun zone with art, games, informative activities, and kid-friendly tunes.
Wildflower! in Richardson is always a can't-miss event.
Where: Galatyn Park Urban Center, located at Galatyn Parkway and U.S. 75.
When: Friday, May 17, 6 pm-midnight; Saturday, May 18, 11 am-midnight; Sunday, May 19, 11 am-6 pm.
Tickets: Friday and Saturday are $30 online ($45 at the gate), Sunday is $15 online ($25 at the gate), and kids 12 and under are free. Richardson residents can score tickets for only $15.
A three-day pass is $65, and the popular Friends of the Festival VIP package is $400. It includes 2 VIP wristbands for the weekend, access to preferred VIP seating at Methodist Richardson Medical Center Stage, complimentary food and beverages (including beer and wine), shade and relaxed seating in the VIP Hospitality Lounge, and 1 VIP parking pass valid for the entire weekend.
Parking: Complimentary parking will be available within the nearby surrounding area. Festival-goers are encouraged to take advantage of the DART Red Line light rail, which stops at the Galatyn Park Station, located immediately adjacent to the west side of the festival grounds.
History lesson: Wildflower! began as a small community gathering in 1993 and has since become one of the most popular cultural events in North Texas, with tens of thousands of fans showing up for their favorite artists.
More details: WildflowerFestival.com
The Callback Bar.Photo by Anna Dolmany
