When most people think of the city of Coral Springs, I’d hazard a guess that what first comes to mind is the excellent public schools, its low crime rate, and its overall family-friendly livability. The city, officially chartered on July 10, 1963, is where my family settled when we arrived here from NYC over 15 years ago and coming from the greatest city in the world, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from Coral Springs other than it being a really good place to raise a family (despite no signs of any natural springs whatsoever).
What people might not recognize is that the city is home to the Coral Springs Museum of Art AND the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, an expansive cultural center that offers music, theater, comedy and dance. And then there’s the Coral Springs Festival of the Arts that just celebrated its 15th year this past weekend. And for the fourth year in a row, I was there with camera in hand and a few good lenses. That I wasn’t aware that this festival even existed the 11 prior years is a whopping “my bad!” on my part but you can bet it’ll be on my calendar every year going forward.
Why? Well for one its free. And for two, it’s pretty awesome. The Festival, held at The Walk of Coral Springs every March, attracts 30,000–40,000 people from all over the South Florida area. The Coral Springs Festival of the Arts features a professional juried art and craft show with over 175 fine artisans and crafters. The Festival also features entertainment from all of the arts: music, dance, theatre and literary performances that take place on two separate stages.
In short, the Coral Springs Festival of the Arts offers something for everyone, from children to seniors. But don’t take my word for it, I’ll let the photographs (courtesy of the Pentax K-1 and a few good lenses) do the talking. Enjoy…and see you next year!
The Walk of Coral Springs
Plenty of arts, crafts, clothing, plants, food and drinks for sale…
A fashion exhibit created from wallpaper? Yup. Courtesy of Atlantic Wallpaper of Pompano Beach
Plenty of activities to keep the kids busy…
No dog (or pig) sitter? No problem, pets welcome…
Live music and entertainment? For sure. And on two separate stages. Jazz, country, disco, soul, latin and even a pipe band for St. Patrick’s Day. The Coral Springs Festival of the Arts has got you covered…
Street artists battled it out over two rounds in a timed art competition. This year’s winner was Nate Dee.
That’s all for now. Make sure to follow the Coral Springs Festival of the Arts for info on next year’s event. See you there…
[Photographs taken with the Pentax K-1 using the 24-70mm 2.8, Tamron 70-200 2.8, IRIX 15mm 2.4 and the Pentax 43mm 1.8 Limited]