Art This Way Fest 2026: Mural & Music Festival on the Broadway Corridor · Fort Wayne
Two days, one street, and ten years of Fort Wayne public art. Live bands, murals, a fine art fair, dance battles, a runway show, a silent disco, and a kids' market, all free and open to all ages.
Ten years of transforming downtown through public art.
Art This Wayis Downtown Fort Wayne's public art program and place-making initiative. It builds public-realm art projects, plans events, and helps property owners bring public art onto their buildings. It's behind many of the murals you walk past downtown.
Art This Way Fest is the 10th-anniversary celebration. For one weekend the Broadway Corridor becomes an open-air gallery and concert hall, running from the Main Stage at Jefferson Blvd. south through the Broadway Arts District, under the railroad underpass, and down to Electric Works and McCulloch Park.
The festival brings visitors to local businesses, makes public space safer and busier, and strengthens Fort Wayne's cultural life. Friday night doubles as First Friday, so every gallery and shop on the block is open late.
The festival runs along Broadway from W. Jefferson Blvd. south past the railroad underpass to Electric Works and McCulloch Park. The shaded gold block is the Fort Wayne Arts Festival on Broadway.
Tap the map to open it full size.
EMS / emergency service tent
Mural & art activations
Sign language interpreter area
Information kiosks
Uber / Lyft shuttle zone
Bars & drinks
Restrooms
1
Main Stage
Fri 5pm – 11:30pm · Sat 5pm – 11:30pm
Powered by Downtown Fort Wayne & 3Rivers FCU
2
Sponsor Area
Powered by A grant from the WindSwell Foundation
3
Silent Disco
Fri 6pm – 9pm · Sat 7pm – 10:30pm
Powered by A grant from the WindSwell Foundation
DJ Trend + JRVISD, plus a surprise DJ each day.
4
Food Trucks & Bars
Fri 5pm – 10:30pm · Sat 10am – 10:30pm
5
Creative Kids Market at Hopscotch House
Fri 5pm – 7pm · Sat 10am – 1pm & 3pm – 7pm
Powered by Old Mill Arboretum & Wendy Stein
6
Ask a Doc
Sat 10am – 2pm
Powered by Lutheran Health Network
A life-size game of Operation®, first-aid kits for kids, blood pressure and finger-stick glucose checks.
7
Art of Freestyle
Sat 2:30pm – 10pm
Hip-hop dance competition.
8
Art of Fashion Show
Sat 1pm – 3pm
Powered by Bill Blass Legacy
9
Underpass Rave
Sat 7pm – 10:30pm
Projection mapping by Derek Devine · DJ SheCutIt · Juggle ’til I Drop.
10
Weigand Yard Stage
Sat 3pm – 11pm
Powered by Electric Works
11
Cincinnati Circus & Buskers
Sat 12pm – 5pm
Powered by Centier Bank
12
Cinema Center Hobnobben Preview
Sat 7:30pm – 9:30pm
13
McCulloch Park
Saturday
Kid Zone: bounce house, obstacle course, pony rides, face painting, and Dumpster Drummers (1pm – 3pm).
Don't miss
What's happening
Beyond the main stages, the weekend is packed with competitions, shows, and hands-on fun for every age.
Hip-hop dance competition
The Art of Freestyle
📍 Broadway x Lavina St.
1v1 open-styles battles on Broadway. Free to spectate, $15 to compete, with judges Lady C, Buddha Stretch, and Jardy, DJ Jamini on the decks, and Xcentric on the mic.
Winner — $700
Runner-up — $200
Cypher King — $100
Cypher Queen — $100
Freshly Dressed — $50
Bill Blass 100 · runway show
Art of Fashion
📍 Broadway x Railroad Underpass
Powered by Bill Blass Legacy
A fashion show honoring Fort Wayne’s own Bill Blass, featuring local designers and stylists, plus a Bill Blass–inspired sculpture by Greg Mendez.
Sarah Harris
Soul Threading
Lydia Waring
Amber Hehl
Sewing Different
Ale Designs
Belle Alonzo
Pinky Saunders
Jae McGee
TQ Marie
At Hopscotch House
Creative Kids Market
📍 Hopscotch House, Broadway at Brackenridge St.
Powered by Old Mill Arboretum & Wendy Stein
Twelve booths of young makers, ages 5 to 17, selling handmade goods, art, trading items, craft projects, baked goods, and refreshments. Bring cash and be generous.
Projection mapping after dark
Underpass Rave
📍 Broadway x Railroad Underpass
The railroad underpass becomes a light-and-sound room, with projection mapping by Derek Devine, DJ SheCutIt, and Juggle ’til I Drop.
Powered by Lake City Bank
Headphones on
Silent Disco
📍 Broadway x Sturgis St.
Grab a pair of headphones and pick a channel. DJ Trend and JRVISD spin, with a surprise DJ each night.
Powered by A grant from the WindSwell Foundation
McCulloch Park
Kid Zone
📍 McCulloch Park
A bounce house, obstacle course, pony rides, balloon animals, face painting, and Dumpster Drummers from 1pm to 3pm.
Lutheran Health Network
Ask a Doc
📍 Broadway x Lavina St.
Lutheran Downtown Hospital staff run a life-size game of Operation®, make first-aid kits with kids, and offer blood pressure and finger-stick glucose checks.
Powered by Lutheran Health Network
Street performance
Cincinnati Circus & Buskers
📍 Broadway x Dynamo Alley
Stilt walkers, jugglers, and street performers working the crowd all afternoon.
Powered by Centier Bank
Fine art fair
Fort Wayne Arts Festival on Broadway
Fri 5pm – 9pm · Sat 10am – 5pm
Artist booths fill the gold-shaded stretch of Broadway on the festival map. Browse, meet the artists, and buy work straight from the makers.
Friday, October 2 · 5pm – 9pm
It's also First Friday.
The festival lands on the Broadway Arts District's monthly open-late night. Eighteen galleries, studios, antique shops, bakeries, and bars from 721 to 1622 Broadway keep their doors open. Walk the block between sets.
Friday, October 2, 2026 from 5pm to 11:30pm and Saturday, October 3, 2026 from 9am to 11:30pm.
Where is it?+
Along the Broadway Corridor in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It runs from the Main Stage at Jefferson Blvd. and Broadway south past the railroad underpass to Electric Works and McCulloch Park.
Does it cost anything?+
No. Art This Way Fest is free and open to all ages. Food, drinks, art, and market goods are sold separately, and dancers who enter the Art of Freestyle battle pay $15.
Is it family-friendly?+
Yes. Saturday has the Kid Zone at McCulloch Park, the Creative Kids Market at Hopscotch House, Ask a Doc, and circus performers all day. The later-night events are all ages too.
How do I get there and where do I park?+
Use the Uber / Lyft shuttle zone near Van Buren and Wilt St., or park near Dynamo Alley and Electric Works and walk up Broadway. Expect streets inside the festival footprint to be closed.
Is the festival accessible?+
Sign language interpreters are stationed at the Main Stage both nights. Restrooms, an EMS tent, and information kiosks are marked on the festival map.
Is it the same night as First Friday?+
Yes. Friday, October 2 is also First Friday, so the galleries, studios, shops, and kitchens of the Broadway Arts District are open late from 5pm to 9pm.
What is Art This Way?+
Art This Way is Downtown Fort Wayne’s public art program. It develops public-realm art projects, plans events, and helps property owners commission public art. 2026 marks its 10th year.
Thank you
Thank you for joining us as we celebrate 10 years!
WindSwell Foundation
Downtown Fort Wayne
3Rivers Federal Credit Union
Lutheran Health Network
OUTFRONT Media
WANE 15 · Visit Fort Wayne · Centier Bank · Lake City Bank · Jess Lewis Transmission · Nowak · TinCaps · Hedge Studios · Old Mill Arboretum · Bill Blass Legacy · ARC Document Solutions · Meijer · Wendy Stein · Greater Fort Wayne Inc. · Electric Works
