Dallas CityArts Festival in Fair Park

The Dallas Black Dance Academy will perform at the 2010 CityArts Festival.

Fair Park in downtown Dallas will host this year’s CityArts Festival May 7th-9th, 2010. Now in its 7th year, the CityArts Festival provides a weekend full of unique tastes, sights and sounds. Best of all, this family-friendly event is free of charge.

More than 50 live acts perform throughout the weekend. This year’s selection features several dance troupes, showcasing a variety of styles including classical ballet, folkloric dance, jazz and modern. CityArts offers an eclectic mix of live music, too, everything from R&B, African drumming, bluegrass, Chinese folk, Zydeco, Latin, jazz, and more.

Dozens of local eateries will provide snack booths at Fair Park. Meanwhile, the Culinary Showcase offers cooking demonstrations, food samples, and wine tastings. There are some intriguing demos planned, such as how to make banana sushi, how to pair wine with chocolate, a tequila tasting, and the unlikely-sounding vegan ribs demonstration.

Fair Park’s Automobile Building houses a Crafters Village for the festival, where artisans demonstrate how to make jewelry, pottery, leather goods, blown glass and more. An indoor children’s area provides plenty of hands-on activities to keep the little ones happy, while Fair Park’s museums offer free admission at certain times of day (this depends upon the site.)

Keep in mind that while the CityArts Festival is free of charge, parking is $10. If you want to skip this fee, you can always take DART’s Green Line to Fair Park Station, or do some extra walking.

What: Dallas CityArts Festival
When: May 7th (6pm-10pm), May 8th (11am-10pm), May 9th (Noon-6pm)
Where: Fair Park in Dallas (map)
Price: Free admission
More information: Dallas CityArts Festival official website

Photo credit: Courtesy of Dallas CVB