Columbia’s spring festival season kicks off Saturday, March 7, as the 8th annual Cottontown Art Crawl returns from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., transforming the historic Cottontown/Bellevue neighborhood into a one-day, open-air gallery.
This year brings a record 215 local and regional artists setting up on front porches, sidewalks, and closed-off streets. Artists feature everything from paintings and photography to ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and fiber art.
Live music
(Franklin + Sumter streets stage)
10 a.m. | Stampede
11 a.m. | The SilverTones
12 p.m. | Welcome + special presentation
1 p.m. | Stillhouse
2 p.m. | Toni Esther
3 p.m. | Prettier Than Matt
Food and drink
This year features twice as many food trucks, with vendors lining Sumter Street, the 1700 block of Franklin Street, and the Indah Coffee parking lot.
Parking + getting there
The festival has expanded parking options with nearby business lots open for attendees, plus street parking around Main Street and Elmwood Avenue. Carpooling and ridesharing are still encouraged. Two additional blocks — the 1400 block of Summerville Avenue and 2200 block of Wallace Street — will be closed to vehicles to make room for the crowd.
The annual event is free, family- and pet-friendly, with ~7,000 visitors last year and artists reporting more than $240,000 in sales. Fingers crossed for no rain, but if it pours, the makeup date is Sunday, March 8 from 12 to 5 p.m.
