Over 125 local and national artists participated in last weekend’s Art City Austin. Sponsored by Art Alliance Austin, this three-day fine arts festival was again held at the Palmer Events Center. This was a huge improvement from those painful years when the festival shut down the streets around Austin City Hall.

Most artist booths were set up under the huge side portico and sheltered from the sun and the rain. A few high-end galleries had indoor displays. I felt this year’s artists were the best that I’ve seen at this festival. My favorite artist was Ray Shaw with his schools of three-dimensional magnetic fish.

An outdoor stage was set up behind Palmer Event Center. I listened to music by Beto and the Fairlanes and the Peterson Brothers as I browsed the booths.

Several outdoor tents were devoted to children’s art activities. Children under 12 were admitted free of charge.

The skies were overcast on Saturday, but I only felt a few sprinkles. The heavy cloud cover kept the afternoon temperatures to the mid-70s. On Sunday morning, a violent thunderstorm passed through Austin. I heard that some booths were blown over, and the festival was forced to open two hours later than planned.

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