Mother’s Day weekend coincides with Lakeland’s liveliest and most established arts festival, Mayfaire-by-the-Lake.
Created in 1971 as a small crafts fair on the lawn of the Lakeland Public Library, Mayfaire has become one of the best outdoor fine arts exhibitions in Florida.
When: May 10 and 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This year’s edition, presented by Citizens Bank & Trust and The Ruthvens, and organized by the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art, will have more than 150 artists exhibiting along the shore of Lake Morton, at 177 booths.
There is a guide to the participating artists here.
There’s a festival guide here.
Admission is free.

Parking: There is parking available at the northeast corner of the intersection of Lime Street and Massachusetts Avenue, and at the campus of Florida Southern College (areas marked in orange on the map below).
There’s a parking shuttle from FSC to the festival.

The artists are competing for prizes:
- Best of Show $5,000
- Awards of Excellence (2), $2,000
- Awards of Distinction (4), $1,000
- Merit Awards (6), $500
- Honorable Mention Awards (5), $200
Robert Meyerowitz is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom providing independent local news for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.