INSIDE: Host a mini sidewalk chalk art festival this and connect with friends in your neighborhood. Get tips for hosting and learn how to make this an AWESOME summer tradition for your family!
One weekend each summer, people of all ages flood our town square to come together to create beautiful art for our local Chalk Fest. It is one of our all-time favorite summer events.
We walk the downtown sidewalks admiring work like this...
Unfortunately, the annual summer gathering has been canceled this year for safety reasons. While we respect the decision, our hearts were broken when we heard the news.
So this year, we're inviting neighbors to safely continue the annual chalk art tradition going on the sidewalks in front of their homes!
Would you like to join us?
Fun tips for YOUR mini sidewalk fest How to host a neighborhood event
Below are a few tips for hosting neighborhood a chalk festival as well as seven tips for making chalk fest a fun event for your family!
GETTING STARTED: Pick a date for your neighborhood sidewalk chalk art festival & invite friends to join.
Hosting an event is as easy as 1-2-3:
- Pick a designated weekend and send out a "save the date" text or social post inviting families to participate.
- Be sure to send a reminder to your friends and neighbors the week of the chalk art festival in case they want to order chalk pastels online!
- Invite neighbors to share the sidewalk chalk art. Encourage people to post photos of their work online or to walk the neighborhood with their family and see the sidewalk chalk art.
Our neighborhood has a private Facebook group where I was able to create an event to share. Creating an "event" on a social network can make it easy to get additional people to participate.
I'm also asking participating neighbors to share their addresses so I can use Google pins to create a custom Chalk Fest map as a walking guide. So fun!
7 Quick Tips For Participating In A Neighborhood Sidewalk "Chalk Art Festival"
Below are seven tips we've noticed from watching artists at our local chalk festival year after year.
1. Pull together special art supplies for chalk fest.
A vibrant set of colorful artist pastels will turn chalk art from "a normal day outside" to a fun-filled festival. Working with lively colors energizes the experience.
Order your set of pastels today so you have them for YOUR neighborhood chalk art festival.
ORDER CHALK ART PASTELS ONLINE
*This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link we may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Here are a few other items to gather from around the house, to borrow from a neighbor, or to pick up at your local store:
- Chemical-free water bottle — for blending colors & cooling down!
- Artist sponge — (or old kitchen sponge) for blending
- Paintbrushes of all sizes — grab anything you've got lying around
- Masking tape — great for mosaics and creating a clean frame line around chalk art
- Garden kneeling pad — to keep your knees comfortable as you work
- Generic sidewalk chalk — for filling in large color spaces
- Liquid watercolor paint — vibrant liquid watercolors mixed with chalk is fun
JOIN OUR CHALK FEST: Grab your supplies and join us! Our local community-wide chalk fest is usually scheduled the second weekend in July, so we're sticking with that date for our neighborhood sidewalk chalk festival! We will be doing art on Fri/Sat for showing on Sunday, July 12.
2. Research chalk art ideas ahead of time and have a design gameplan.
Start a Pinterest board or bookmark cool chalk art ideas you find. Share the inspiration with the kids and have them pick a design to work on during your neighborhood chalk fest.
Yes, your kiddo can just play with chalk on the designated day. But if you're intentional, with a little effort you can help facilitate easy sidewalk chalk art ideas that will truly make your children proud.
I am in love with this simple chalk mosaic idea...
3. Know that the chalk art festival is for teens & adults too.
Yes, little artists should most certainly participate with simple chalk art! But remember that chalk art festivals are an opportunity for artists of ALL AGES.
Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up.
—Picasso
My teen girls are participating and I hope that YOU and the young adults in your family will too. This is a fun opportunity to share a message of love + hope with your community.
^ I love this collection of sidewalk messages from Roni Wood. This design stands out to me right now, "We don't have to agree on everything to be kind to one another."
4. Set aside a full day for chalk fest.
A neighborhood chalk art festival is the perfect excuse for an unbusy summer day. Be sure to keep your calendar clear and leave yourself plenty of time to relax and enjoy the experience.
If you're a parent, I strongly encourage you to use this neighborhood chalk fest as an opportunity to sit and connect with your kiddos. Design your own sidewalk square or work on a collaborative chalk art piece with your family.
5. Start early & take lots of "artist breaks" when working on your sidewalk chalk art.
Skip the mid-day sun and start working on your chalk art early in the day. Break production down into bite-size work sessions and take breaks when needed.
We plan to do most of the artwork in the morning and evening. If it is a hot day, we'll do a "cool-down break" in the house in the afternoon!
6. Keep that starving artist fed and hydrated while they work.
Make the event memorable simply by having a cooler of drinks and snacks out in the yard to enjoy while working on the sidewalk chalk art.
GET OUR FAVORITE SUMMER LEMONADE RECIPE HERE
7. Share your chalk art with the world.
Take pics and share your family's sidewalk chalk art with friends and family on Instagram or Facebook because...
Creativity is contagious.
— Albert Einstein
Pass it on.
We hope you will join us!
P.S. Our community Chalk Fest usually also includes a sunrise balloon launch and outdoor Kiwanis' pancake breakfast. Both of these events have also been canceled this year...
To honor our summer tradition, we are still going to get up at sunrise (just for fun) and enjoy coffees while we start to work on our sidewalk chalk art.
Later in the morning, we plan on bringing the patio table to the front yard, pulling out the extension cord, and making pancakes on the griddle outside! Of course, we will still make a donation to the local Kiwanis Club too.
I hope you're finding fun and safe ways to carry on with summer traditions this year too! xoxo
