File photo of a pair of festival-goers stopping to take a look at colorful windmills for sale at the Fremont Festival of the Arts in Fremont, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
The Fremont Festival of the Arts is back this weekend, Aug. 5-6, and it’s a big event, no matter which numbers you look at.
This is the 39th year for the festival, and more than 300 arts and crafts vendors are participating. Total attendance on Saturday/Sunday is expected to hit 150,000.
Festival-goers will find live bands on two stages, a Kid City play and crafts zone, gourmet marketplace and food, wine and microbrew booths. Many of the food booths benefit local nonprofits; over the years, millions of dollars have been raised for these groups, according to the chamber.
Among the nonprofits running their own booths this year: The Knights of Columbus will make linguica sandwiches; Temple Beth Torah is doing fruit smoothies, cups and mangonadas; Stage 1 Theatre will be popping the kettle corn and caramel corn; and the Tri-City Band Corps and Tri-City Ecology Center will keep the crowd cool with snow cones and lemonade, respectively.
Each beer or wine pour is $8, after purchase of an $8 branded Festival of the Arts glass. Wineries participating include Joel Gott, Josh Cellars, Menage a Trois, Mission Peak, Seaglass and Yellow Tail. Pouring beer will be local brewers Das Brew and Jack’s, along with Deschutes, Golden Road, Estrella Damm, HenHouse, Kona and Michelob.
The festival site, along Paseo Padre Parkway, Walnut Avenue and nearby streets, is located a two-block walk from BART.
Details: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days; free admission; www.fremontfestival.net
Originally published at Linda Zavoral