Kentuck Festival of the Arts to Draw Thousands to Northport This Weekend

Thousands of art lovers will come together in Northport this weekend for the 52nd Kentuck Festival of the Arts.

Almost 300 creators across all kinds of media will exhibit at the Festival, which will also feature nine different live music acts and a full lineup of performers on the separate Kathryn Tucker Windham Spoken Word Stage.

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Kentuck is the region's biggest non-sports tourism event every year, and this weekend's Festival coincides not only with the University of Alabama's homecoming parade and football game but also with a rare ring of fire eclipse on Saturday.

"Kentuck Art Center is incredibly excited to host this event that brings 20,000 people to the Northport and Tuscaloosa areas, and I think this year is going to be extra special," said Amy Echols, Executive Director of Kentuck Art Center. "In addition to the wonderful selection of more than 270+ artists and a 2-day lineup of music and spoken word, there's going to be a solar eclipse on Saturday the 14th. With all the extra work that's gone on at Kentuck Park this year to prepare for this event, it feels like Heaven and Earth have moved to make this event happen. The 52nd Kentuck Festival is not going to be one to miss!"

The Festival runs Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 to 4. A single-day ticket costs $15, and a weekend pass costs $25. Children 12 and under will be allowed to enter free of charge and enjoy the Kentuck for Kids activity section, where they can enjoy tie-dyeing, calligraphy, face-painting, a petting zoo and much more.

Pets are not allowed at the Festival, only service animals.

The biggest change this year will be a serious shortage of available parking as Northport prepares to add tournament-ready baseball and softball fields to Kentuck Park as part of a broader effort to increase recreational opportunities in the city.

A section of the park is closed while the city stockpiles $1.4 million of dirt that will eventually become the foundation of the ball fields.

This weekend, the paved parking lot inside Kentuck Park next to the Festival grounds will be reserved for people with disabilities, exhibiting artists, benefactors, and sponsors only and only those with applicable parking permits will be allowed to park there.

Everyone else is asked to take a free shuttle from one of four pick-up points on Main Avenue or a new stop at the Northport Public Works building on Harper Road.

The forecast calls for a crispy, cloudy weekend, which bodes well for the rain-or-shine Festival fun. Learn more on Kentuck's website here!