Tubac Festival of the Arts

The Tubac festival of the arts is held annually. It features some 200 artists in the town of Tubac. Stroll the mini streets to see the artworks. It is a quaint town with several galleries to go in and out of.Porta,-potties, public restrooms along with restaurants to choose fromPay to park and the fee is $10. The event goes for a few days.

First time attending. Been to several festivals. This one was big and was fun. Weather was chilly but beautiful. Mostly a lot of art, not too many crafts. All the cool little local shops were open as well. Really enjoyed it. The only draw back was the wine tasting and beer was confined to a small area in the corner. We weren't permitted to walk the festival with drinks.

This place is fun! My complaint is that the maps they hand out are worthless. They don't list restaurants. They barely list businesses, and they don't list parking lots. They don't show "north" (N) to help you get oriented.Even the permanent maps along the walk ways don't have a "you are here" to know where the heck you are!We spend 20 minutes looking for a restaurant only to have a local shop owner help us find it. We spend another 20 minutes trying to find our car!C'mon guys - you can do better!

First weekend in February for about 60 years.... the village of Tubac "shuts down" to traffic. Hundreds of Art Vendors from around the country come to display, be seen and sell their wares. Always a busy time... those who actually live in the village (and yes there are quite a few) and local business owners are given passes to drive in to town, but usually avoid doing so until the end of each of the 5 days of this event. Really, really hard to drive with thousands of people walking in the street. I know... I've done it.But this is about Art...all kinds of art...painters, sculptors, jewelry makers and more. Plus vendors of specialty foods and soaps and stuff. Stroll through the villages' three main streets and while you do so, don't forget to stop in at the shops. Tubac is and has always been an Art Community so stop at the shops and art galleries along with the visiting the vendor tents. Or come back when the festival is over and visit the art galleries, jewelry and pottery shops and eat at our local restaurants. And don't forget to visit the landmark church of St. Ann's.During the festival on one of the "back street" you will find the inevitable food vendors with lots of good food to eat. There is a tent with tables so you can sit to eat.But whether you are here for the Festival or here just to visit the town... This is the desert...drink plenty of water...carry it with you.Enjoy the the Art... Visit Tubac! Visit the Tubac Festival of the Arts each February.

We planned on going to Tubac anyway and it happened to be the festival. So much to look at, we barely scratched the surface. We figure that even without the added tents, there's enough to see on non festival days. We have family coming to visit, so will be back in March/April. Weather was cold and windy, so hoping the weather will be a huge improvement by then.Also super close to the border, so if you have your passports there might be some great shopping across the line too. Note that you will need to go through customs on the way back to Tucson.

One would think that after all the years that these folks have been producing this festival that they would have a system down, but assuming that - would be dead wrong. Just trying to fight your way into the town to go to the festival was a challenge. The "cops" were doing a damn fine job of standing around doing nothing, and trying to get them to help in finding a parking lot was like trying to get out of a maze with a blind man - shoulder shrugs and "I dunno" was their mantra. The artists that were there were really impressive, for real. The talent in that festival was amazing. BUT, as I said, getting into the place, that was pathetic. There were not nearly enough food vendors and no T-shirt booths. Well, let's see what next year brings . .

The iconic Festival takes you through the Village of Tubac. Built in the 1700's, Tubac has evolved into an art colony filled with galleries, unique shops, restaurants, historic landmarks, and working artist studios. The festival has literally hundreds of artist booths woven throughout the Village, along roads and in the plazas. There are many food trucks to choose from, as well as many excellent restaurants. There is also a wine and beer garden and live music. A great day trip from anywhere in Arizona.