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Mayfaire Arts Fest is this weekend

A man and woman hunched over looking at crafts on a table at an arts festival with artwork in the background
Polk Museum of Art
/
Courtesy
Mayfaire-by-the-Lake is a Mother's Day tradition in Lakeland and a great place to browse for original artwork in a variety of media.

The two-day exhibition around Lake Morton will showcase more than 150 artists.

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.

Map says Patron Map with locations for vendors and Mayfaire By The Lake in the middle

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.

Map shows locations of where to park

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.

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