Suncoast Arts Fest Set to Shine This Weekend

There will be beauty on display in Pasco County this weekend.

More than 100 artists from the Tampa Bay area and beyond will show off their creations at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel Saturday and Sunday for the seventh annual Suncoast Arts Fest, which is free to attend.  

The Arts Fest is organized by Fine Arts of the Suncoast and Wesley Chapel Nissan, and it is anticipated to draw more than 100,000 guests.

Proceeds from the festival will benefit “Arts for Kids,” a program that supports art education in schools in Pasco County.     

The main attraction of the weekend-long event is the art festival and juried art show and associated festivities in The Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive.

The festivities take place Saturday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

You will be able find works of fine art and crafts on Paseo Drive at Wiregrass. There will be clay creations, jewelry, paintings, drawings, sculpted glass and creations made with mixed media. You will also find art made with chalk. 

"We've got some of the best artists you'll find around," said Pam Marron, co-chair of the event. "We're trying to be a show that rivals Gasparilla eventually."

Adults aren’t the only ones who will get to flaunt their creations. There will be an “Emerging Artists” tent displaying juried youth art. Kids will also be able to create and show off the products of their imaginations in an “art garden.”  

Professional musicians and student bands will entertain guests with live music. Speed painter Tim Decker, who has toured nationally, will give demonstration of his skill set to music. Chalk artists will entertain with colorful creations.

"We're trying to build the show up to be a great quality fine arts show event that's known around the United States," Marron said.

On Sunday at 9 a.m., guests can take off in the first annual “Suncoast Run for the Arts” 1-mile Family Fun Run, sponsored by Big Dawg Runnin’, Inc. Registration online continues through Friday at a cost of $15 per person. You can register at The Shops at Wiregrass on Saturday for $20.

And a pancake breakfast will be waiting at the finish line. The cost for the breakfast for non-race participants is $5.

Partners will also be hosting related Arts Fest events in West Pasco. These include events at Progress Energy Art Gallery and West Pasco Art Guild in New Port Richey and New Port Richey Recreation and Aquatic Center, the Pasco Arts Council in Holiday, The PollyWogg Gallery and Labyrinth in Hudson and the Leepa Rattner Museum of Fine Arts - Tarpon Springs.

Want to know the full schedule for live entertainment in Wesley Chapel and elsewhere and the schedule for partner events? Find it below.

Live performance schedule at The Shops at Wiregrass

Sat. Jan. 21

10 a.m.- 11 a.m. The Time Bandits

11:15 a.m.-Noon  Hudson Middle School Jazz Band

12 p.m.-12:30 p.m. Hudson High School Drama and Chorus

12:30 p.m- 1:15 p.m. Tim Decker, speed painter

2 p.m.- 5 p.m.  Josh Lamkin and the Atomic Heat

Sun. Jan. 22

8:30 a.m.-10 a.m. Cypress Creek Dixieland

11 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Wesley Chapel Wind Ensemble

12 p.m.- 12:30 p.m. Rushe Middle School Drama and Choris

12:30 p.m.-1:15 p.m. Tim Decker Speed painter

2 p.m.- 5 p.m. Sol Caribe

Partner Events in West Pasco/North Pinellas

, 6231 Grand Blvd, New Port Richey,

Hours: Saturday noon - 6 p.m.

• See the "A Tropical Wintertime Paradise" exhibit featuring art about the good fortune we on the the Suncoast enjoy to be here this time of year.

, 6106 Jefferson St., New Port Richey

Hours: Jan. 21, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m; Jan. 22, 11 a.m.-5 p.m

• See the "Planes, Trains and Automobile" display. Nancy Caposey, owner of Coposey's restaurant, will draw animals for children on request.

, 6630 Van Buren St. New Port Richey.

Hours: Starts at 10 a.m., Jan. 21.

• Arts activities for children will be offered.

Pasco Arts Council, 5744 Mood Road, Holiday

Hours: 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Jan. 21

• Local artists and craftspeople will display work outside the museum store at Council headquarters. The Centennial Garden Club and Miniature Railroad Club will also have activities and tours of the historic Baker House.

PollyWogg Gallery and Labyrinth, 18522 U.S. 19, Hudson

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Browse a 5,000 square foot gallery of art and then enjoy the business's stone labyrinth path. 

Leepa Rattner Museum of Fine Arts - Tarpon Springs, St. Petersburg College Tarpon Campus, 600 E. Klosterman Road, Palm Harbor

Hours: 10 a.m -5p.m. Jan. 21, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 22.

• The museum is celebrating its birthday from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday with music, children's activities, docent tours, a book signing. It will also be featuring an exhibit  on "Telling Stories: Ten Years of Collecting" on Saturday and Sunday in honor of the museum's 10th anniversary.