A crowd filled the street for Fort Myers’ 2025 ArtFest. -COURTESY PHOTO

Downtown Fort Myers is getting ready for ArtFest, an event filled with more than 200 artists who will be showcasing their work and educating the community on the arts.

ArtFest has been around since 1999, with the event turning 26. The festival plans to add new activities and drive the SWFL community to check out the art the city holds.

Juan Santiago, executive director of ArtFest, recently stepped into the role in 2025. He hopes to turn ArtFest into an event people look forward to all year round and strengthen the community’s love for the arts.

“I’m looking forward to the evolution of our fest. We’ve gone through some amazing 25 years where we have learned a lot, and we have slowly evolved. I am the first male and his Hispanic leader to be with the organization,” Santiago said. “So, I’m also looking into what diversity and inclusion will look like in the new era that we are stepping into.”

A previous Babcock ArtFest. -COURTESY PHOTO

With Santiago stepping into this role, he wanted to make this year’s ArtFest memorable and fill the streets with experiences the community will hold on to.

“We are expanding our Friday night footprint. We used to only have 50 artists open on Friday night. This year, we have 125, so we basically doubled that. Our VIP experience is brand-new, never done before. It’s a traveling VIP experience, journey through art, labor and sound,” Santiago said. “That whole thing is a new concept that we are bringing this year and has attendees very excited.”

With all of the additions to ArtFest, Santiago and the team want to create an opportunity to help the community and increase education on various art forms.

“I’m very happy to bring back our art for all program, which is an all-inclusive program where we partner with organizations like LARC and Family Initiative,” Santiago said. “They will be providing services, education, as well as art activities for the disabled.”

The event provides a way for the community to meet each other and for artists to share in discussions about ways to create using various mediums. The festival is also a way to boost economic impact, according to Santiago.

“The economic impact that we bring is massive. We bring over $4.3 million in a span of three days. So, as you can imagine, that is a huge fuel into our local economy,” Santiago said. “Then we have the opportunity to have been doing it for 26 years, so that is something that we’re very proud of.”

ArtFest artist Calyton Swartz’s sculpture. -COURTESY PHOTO

Josephina Espinosa’s glass artwork. -COURTESY PHOTO

The event will feature a lineup of vendors as well as competitions including “Art Under 20,” an expansive high school art exhibit and competition that has over 300 high school artists competing for $10,000 in cash prizes.

ArtFest also hosts a “Publix Run to the Arts,” a 5K with a healthy breakfast.

Some of the artists Santiago suggests watching out for at the event include Sam Vandyk, an artist who designs sculptures out of driftwood.

“They’re not your typical, typical sculptures that you will find. They’re actually massive sculptures, like 10 and 12 feet tall,” Santiago said. “So, he is going to have a massive showcase of his work. He is new, so we are very excited to have him on board for this year.”

Another artist, Josefina Espinosa, plans to showcase her crafty handwork with glass. Espinosa creates glass sculptures infused with iron that hold creative designs and vivid colors.

The SWFL community came out for a previous Babcock ArtFest. -COURTESY PHOTO

If visitors want to catch some art literally on the street, they can take a look at over 40 Lee County High School teams creating the “Chalk Block,” chalk master pieces designed along the pavement of downtown Fort Myers.

Artist Anthony Murrill was excited to discover ArtFest. He plans to put on display his various mediums and share the passion he feels for art and the story of how he became an artist.

“I’ve always wanted to be an artist as long as I can remember. I believe God gave me the desire to create. As a child, my earliest memories and some of my happiest times were drawing and making art,” Murrill said. “After initially attending college as a fine arts major, I changed paths and pursued a career doing carpentry work and owning a remodeling company. My wife encouraged me to get back to my art. I quickly realized that this is what I was supposed to be doing all along. I have now been showing and selling my art for about 7 years.”

He hopes that an event filled with a large audience of different people from all different backgrounds can be brought together by his art and the love of creating.

“With each piece I create, I want the viewer to experience the joy I have when making the piece,” Murrill said. “Visual art is very important in our world. Art brings us together and offers universal connections. It has no discrimination of age, race or sex. There is something for everyone in the art world.”

As the event gets closer and artists prepare to pick up their paintbrushes and create, Murrill is grateful to be able to share what he loves with people across SWFL.

Visitors to ArtFest can find designs like Lara Venema’s artwork that combines 3D and 2D designs. -COURTESY PHOTO

“I am so honored for the opportunity to not only be part of ArtFest but to have my work accepted for the poster winner. I love the show, and the coordinators are amazing,” Murrill said. “This show is a step above. I participate in juried shows all around the country, and this is by far one of the nicest.”

While the event is only going on for three days, Santiago believes that it is a sight worth seeing and can spark a fire in the hearts of the SWFL community to try out different forms of art.

“It takes place in downtown Fort Myers, by the water on Edwards Drive. So, the entire Edwards drive will be filled with art, music and a lot of good food,” Santiago said.

In The KNOW:

WHO: ArtFest
WHEN: Feb 6-8, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
WHERE: 1375 Jackson St., Suite 401, Fort Myers
MORE INFO: artfestfortmyers.com/