Taste of the Arts, a free festival celebrating the diversity of arts and cultures in Northeast Indiana, announces its full schedule of events for Saturday, Aug. 26.

FORT WAYNE – Arts United and presenting sponsor 3Rivers Credit Union host the 15th annual Taste of the Arts festival 11 a.m-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Arts Campus Fort Wayne, The Landing, and Promenade Park. This free festival celebrates the rich diversity of arts and culture in Northeast Indiana.

The 2023 festival comprises four block parties of arts and culture programming. Activities include live performances of music, theater, dance, and more, visual art for purchase, local food and drink vendors, special events by partner organizations, and buskers throughout the festival. Proceeds from donations, sponsorships, and vendor registration fees help keep admission to the event free.

“The Taste of the Arts Festival provides the community a cost-free opportunity to experience the arts and culture here in Northeast Indiana,” said Carmen Tse, co-chair of the festival. “Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to continue and expand this access to the arts for all.”

The full schedule of events and activities includes the following:

Performances – Located At Arts Campus Fort Wayne, The Landing, Rousseau Plaza, And Promenade Park

A belly dancer performing at Taste of the Arts.

Enjoy more than 80 live performances of music, theater, dance, and comedy across 12 stages, indoors and outdoors, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. See a full list of performers and schedule here. WBOI’s Meet the Music Finale Concert brings the final activities of the festival to the Auer Lawn at Promenade Park.

Watch the live recording, hosted by Julia Meek and Rob Martinez, featuring performances by JJ & McRae, KelsiCote, and Los Galaxy beginning at 5:30 pm. The festival concludes with a fire-spinning act by Pyroscope Entertainment after sundown.

NIPSCO STEAM Park – Located At Freimann Square

NIPSCO STEAM Park features kid-friendly activities based in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) by 30 organizations in Freimann Square.

Restaurant Rows (Food And Drink Vendors) – Located At Arts Campus Fort Wayne, Rousseau Plaza, Calhoun St., And Promenade Park

Patrons can enjoy a variety of food and drinks during the festival 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. from local vendors. Purchases can be made directly with the vendors, most of which will accept both cash and credit cards.
This year, forty vendors will offer a variety of American and international fare, craft beer, desserts, and more. See all participating food and drink vendors.

Special Events At Taste

A singer performing at Taste of the Arts.

The Human Library Fort Wayne chapter offers the art of storytelling upstairs in the Arts United Center. People of diverse backgrounds are loaned as “books” to initiate a dialogue about challenging topics. This culture-sharing activity lets patrons have a conversation with the book.

PFW Department of Art and Design will host their VR display experience in the west hall of the Arts United Center.

Cinema Center will be presenting A Taste of Hobnobben from 11 am – 6 pm inside the Arts United Center behind the box office. The Hobnobben Film Festival is an annual film festival by Fort Wayne Cinema Center. A Taste of Hobnobben will feature select films as a preview to the upcoming October event.

Artlink Market at Taste of the Arts is a one-day outdoor, curated marketplace featuring the best in contemporary craft and handmade goods from 11 am to 6 pm on the 300 block of Main Street. Artlink Market at Taste of the Arts will feature more than 30 vendors.

Artlink’s Figure Drawing Club will have clothed figure drawing on the Rousseau Plaza. Artists and non-artists alike are encouraged to join in the drawing.

Artlink Gallery also will be presenting two exhibitions from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.: Moments: The Plein Air Movement, in partnership with the Fort Wayne Artists Guild, and The Red Planet by Mary Johnson. Admission is free.

Fort Wayne Artists Guild presents the Kekionga Plein Air Event in August, culminating at Taste of the Arts. On Aug. 26, activities include the Paint Arts Campus Fort Wayne competition and wet-paint sale at the Arts United Center Plaza. Competition prizes and purchase awards at 5 p.m. during the Taste of the Arts Festival.

In partnership with Fort Wayne Sister Cities, the Taizhou Huangyan Jiufeng Landscape Painting Academy is hosting five artists for live painting from 1-3 p.m. at Fort Wayne Museum of Art during the festival. The exhibition, Poetry in Painting: Scenes from Fort Wayne’s Sister City Taizhou, China will be on display until September 17, 2023. Fort Wayne Museum of Art will offer free admission during their regular gallery hours, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Alex Hall, manager of Art This Way, will be conducting public art tours in Downtown Fort Wayne. The 1-mile walking tours will last approximately one hour and will be at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m., starting at the Helmholtz sculpture west of the Arts United Center. Dogs are welcome.

A musician playing piano at Taste of the Arts.

Sweet Breeze, Fort Wayne’s authentic canal boat replica is offering guided cruises on the Fort Wayne Rivers at Promenade Park. Join the 90-minute tour for $30 at 1 p.m. or the 45-minute tour at 2:45 p.m. for $20.

The YLNI Farmers Market is an open-air outdoor market on Barr Street, offering fresh and unique local produce, plants, meats, baked goods, and homemade crafts. Shop local vendors 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The schedule is subject to change; any updates will be posted online.

For more updates about the 2023 festival, visit tastefw.org and follow Taste of the Arts Festival on Facebook and Instagram.

Taste of the Arts is sponsored in 2023 by 3Rivers Credit Union, NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation, AWS Foundation, Arcpoint Productions, The Landing, Arts Campus Fort Wayne, Riverfront Fort Wayne, Ambassador Enterprises, AEP Foundation, Parrish Leasing, Sweetwater, Current Mechanical, Do It Best Corp., DWD, Ingram Content Group, Ash Brokerage, ARC Document Solutions, PHP, The James Foundation, 1st Source Bank, Ferguson, Fort Wayne Metals, The Joint Chiropractic, Lincoln Financial Group, Strahm Building Solutions, WANE 15, WMEE, Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne, Downtown Fort Wayne, and Rea Magnet Wire.

About Arts United

Arts United is a private, nonprofit local arts agency that serves Northeast Indiana through arts advocacy and promotion, fundraising and grantmaking, business services support, community and economic development, and Arts Campus Fort Wayne coordination. Arts United’s mission is to mobilize resources to develop, coordinate, and support arts and culture, enhancing the quality of life and the economic vitality of Northeast Indiana.