Art Fiesta promises more than 200 artists, vendors, food, music and more at Riverside Park

Just a month after Riverside Park hosted thousands for Images: A Festival for the Arts, the location will welcome another art event this weekend.

The 62^nd annual Art Fiesta offers locals and visitors the opportunity to browse through work from more than 200 hundred artists, while also enjoying food and live music.

The two-day event, hosted by the city of New Smyrna Beach, takes place Saturday and Sunday, according to Jonah Powers, program coordinator for the city’s Leisure Services Department.

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“All the artists have received their booth assignments, so everyone’s excited,” Powers said in an interview. “We have all our food trucks lined up, entertainment … there is a lot going on.”

What to expect for Art Fiesta at Riverside Park

The event has traditionally been held at Old Fort Park near Julia Street and City Hall. The reason for the location change this year is due to Old Fort Park currently undergoing restoration work.

“I think that’s the biggest shift this year, but I’m looking forward to it,” Powers said. “I think we have it laid out really well. I think everyone will enjoy being a little closer to the water.”

The featured artists come from all over the country, he said. A few applications from a few more artists can still trickle in in the days ahead of the event.

“We have over 200 vendors, artists from oil and acrylics to pastels and graphics, ceramics, clay, photography, all of that,” Powers said.

The event will also feature live entertainment on Saturday from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Music acts expected for the event include Danny Lynaugh, Glencoe Ridge, David Johnson, Daniel “The Saxman” Fuqua, Gentleman of Jazz, Ben & Jenn 2, Tony Wynn and Cameron G. Brown.

‘Building trust’ over 62 years

The move to Riverside Park will put Art Fiesta in a different setting, but those familiar with Images will know what to expect.

“It will somewhat look similar,” Powers said. “They do run down Riverside, except they also use Canal Street. We will only be utilizing Riverside Drive from Canal to Lytle, just before the overpass and in the park as well.”

He said it is still undecided whether the move to Riverside Park will be permanent.

The fact that several of Art Fiesta’s artists have been coming back to the event “year after year,” some even for “decades,” is something that helps make the event unique, Powers said.

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“There are artists and shoppers that come every year to buy pieces from them,” Powers said. “I think it’s the trust in the show and the community that has been built over the last 62 years.”

'They really know what artists want'

One of these artists is Sheila Psaledas, who has been sharing her impressionist oil paintings at Art Fiesta for the past eight years.

"There's nice music, the artists are more than willing to chat when people come into their booths and explain about their art, and I think that's a good thing," Psaledas said in an interview. "It just makes for a great time."

Her paintings often depict the natural beauty of New Smyrna Beach's landscapes and seascapes and sometimes the local wildlife.

"It's a beautiful location, and it offers so much," she added.

Psaledas praised the event's organization, citing it as part of the reason she has participated for so long.

"They really know what artists want in a show," she said. "They do everything they can to make it a professional venue."

She also said the event has "wonderful prizes" for participating artist, with a "good" and "fair" set of judges to award them.

Psaledas also approved of the change to Riverside Park this year.

"I think moving (the event) in front of the Brannon Center is a smart move," she said. "People have all those side streets now to park on, and I think it's going to bring more people to the show. And it's a lovely location, right along the (Halifax River)."

Riverside Park is located at 299 S. Riverside Drive. Art Fiesta is free to the public and runs from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Sunday.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NSB's Art Fiesta to feature more than 200 artists at Riverside Park