Now in its 31st year, the Festival of the Arts is returning to downtown Palo Alto this weekend, Saturday and Sunday.  The legendary festival will draw more than 300 artists from all over the United States to showcase their work, and is expected to attract about 150,000  people this year. 

Attendees should expect University Avenue to be closed from High Street to Webster Street from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cowper and Emerson streets will be open on Saturday at 8 p.m. for traffic. For the 10th consecutive year, Italian street painting will take place on Tasso Street, from 1 p.m. on Saturday to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Vendors, including Kara’s Cupcakes, Lemoine Creperie and Oaxacan Kitchen, will be located throughout the festival. In addition to the regular activities, several musicians and bands are scheduled to play, including the Cocktail Monkeys and Valerie Rose. Other special attractions include a kid’s art studio and the colorful “Wild and Whimsical” Sculpture Garden by husband and wife sculptors Mindy Rodman and Paul White.

The festival’s host, MLA Productions, recommends the festival’s visitors take public transportation due to the popularity of the event.

More Festival info can be found here: http://www.mlaproductions.com/PaloAlto/