Arts & The Park 2026

Arts & The Park: Celebrate Imagination will be held from April 24 through May 3, 2026 with indoor, outdoor, in-person, and virtual offerings. The theme for the festival, “Celebrate Imagination”, will focus on on cleverness, originality, ingenuity, and the limitlessness of the mind. Celebrate Imagination hopes to highlight how the imagination supports and benefits not just the artistic process, but other areas of life such as technology.

The printed program for Arts & The Park is published in the April issue of The Springs Magazine. Click here to view the program.

Arts & The Park is hosted each year by the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance as part of the organization’s mission to celebrate the arts and culture of the Hot Springs area. Arts & The Park 2024 will include live performances, workshops, children’s events, and art exhibitions. 

All Arts & The Park events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. All events are “family friendly.”

Some of the highlights of the 2024 festival included:

Art Moves – Friday, April 24, 5 PM, 411 Hollywood Ave. – The annual Art Moves exhibit, made up of 20 original works of art reproduced onto 30″ x 40″ metal sheets, is installed along the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail and will remain there until the springs of 2027. This outdoor exhibition encourages everyone to go outdoors to enjoy nature year-round.

Art Springs –  Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25 – Art Springs, the free 2-day outdoor festival, takes place the first weekend of Arts & The Park at Hill Wheatley Plaza in the heart of historic Hot Springs. Art Springs is an annual juried festival filled with talented artists, artisans, and fine crafts. Food trucks, beverages for purchase, a children’s area with a book giveaway, the Renaissance Fair, and storytelling make it an annual favorite for the entire family. Also included in the Art Springs festivities:

• Chalk Walk: A Sidewalk Chalk Event 
• Under Pressure a steamroller block printing event on Spring St. – Rain location 324 Malvern Ave. enter on Broadway.
• Children’s Book Giveaway presented in partnership with the Hot Springs Community Foundation.  

Garland County Library Events – The Garland County Library will host multiple events during the festival. More details to come.

Wednesday Night Poetry – Wednesday, April29, at 110 Central Ave. 6:30 PM- Wednesday Night Poetry in Hot Springs is the longest-running consecutive weekly open mic in the country.

Ibla – Thursday, April 29, 6 PM, 841 Quapaw Ave – The IBLA Foundation in New York City organizes annual music competitions for pianists, singers, instrumentalists, and composers which take place in Ragusa Ibla, Italy. Winners have been presented in prestigious venues such as Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall, KIOI Hall and Tokyo Opera City Hall in Japan, Tchaikovsky Bolshoi Hall in Moscow, and other prestigious venues globally.

Take a Hike with Gene – Date TBD – Beloved local legend and iconic woodturning artist, Gene Sparling will lead participants through the beautiful hiking trails on his land nestled at the foot of the Ouachitas.

Gallery Walk – Friday, May 1, 5 PM – 9 PM – The first Friday of every month, Hot Springs area galleries and participating studio spaces opened their doors for Gallery Walk. 

Studio Tours –  Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3, from 10 AM – 4 PM – Artists open their studios for on-site tours.

If you are looking for accommodations during Arts & The Park, please check with our festival hotel partners, who will be happy to assist you.