Venue
230 North Ingalls Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, United States
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Ann Arbor Art Fair guide
Three juried fairs, one college town.
In short
Art buyers and browsers can spend Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 July 2027 at the Ann Arbor Art Fair, open 10am to 9pm Thursday and Friday and to 8pm Saturday. Close to 1,000 artists spread across downtown and the University of Michigan campus, so wear comfortable shoes and expect large crowds.
The Ann Arbor Art Fair is three juried art fairs running side by side through downtown Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan's central campus each July. Together they bring close to 1,000 artists and nearly half a million visitors to a college town, and the organisers bill it as the largest juried art fair in the country.
Each fair chooses its own exhibitors and is run by its own nonprofit: Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original; The Guild's Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair; and the Ann Arbor State Street District Art Fair. Since 2024 they have presented themselves together under the line "Three Fairs. One Event.", with a logo that quietly nods to Piet Mondrian. For visitors that means a chance to buy art directly from the people who made it.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Saturday, 17 July 2027
Where: Ann Arbor, United States
Venue: Burton Memorial Tower area
Held: Every year
Type of event: Arts Festivals, Exhibition, Fair
Currency: US dollar (USD, $)
Time zone: Eastern Time (UTC-5, UTC-4 in summer)
Language: English (Spanish widely spoken)
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Hot pavement, dogs and a meeting point
The organisers ask visitors to leave dogs at home, because the pavement gets very hot in July. Anyone who brings one should fit protective booties and stop often for water. Pets are not allowed on the park-and-ride shuttles, though service animals are welcome.
People lose each other easily in thirty blocks of booths. The Original suggests Burton Memorial Tower as a meeting point, and it is the easiest landmark to find on campus. Carry water and sunscreen, wear comfortable shoes, and take breaks in the shade of the food tents.
Free wheelchairs, accessible buses and text alerts
Four tents lend wheelchairs free of charge, at Madison and State, Fletcher and East Washington, North University and State, and Main and William. Bring a driver's licence, which is needed at the time of loan.
All park-and-ride shuttle buses are wheelchair accessible. Tell the staff at the lot if you need the lift, and the driver will secure a wheelchair or scooter on board. Strollers can travel too.
For weather warnings and other emergencies, text A2ARTFAIR in capitals to 888777. Alerts go out only during the fair, so sign up on the first morning.
Where and how it is celebrated
The main cities where the festival is celebrated.
Downtown Ann Arbor and the campus
What happens on the day
- 10:00
Opening
Mornings are the quietest time to look properly at the work.
- From 11:00
Music
At The Original, the Fountain Stage on Ingalls Mall has a new act every hour through the afternoon.
- Midday
The streets fill
- Thursday and Friday evenings
Late browsing
Three more hours in softer light, until 9pm.
- Saturday, 20:00
Last chance to buy
Artists pack up after closing.
Seeing the fair's 30 blocks over two days
The fair covers roughly 30 city blocks, and nearly 1,000 artists set up across them. Few people manage all of it in a day without rushing past the work they came for. Two days is a comfortable pace: one for the campus end around Burton Memorial Tower, one for State Street and the Main Street blocks to the west. Thursday and Friday stay open until 9 p.m., so an evening visit after a day elsewhere is also possible.
Decide early if you are coming to buy. Collectors who want a particular painter or potter should check the exhibitor lists on the three fairs' websites in advance, note booth numbers and arrive at opening. Casual browsers can simply drift. Bring a sturdy tote for small pieces and ask artists about shipping for anything large.
How the Street Art Fair began in 1960
The first Street Art Fair, now known as The Original, opened in 1960 on South University, set up jointly by South University traders, the Chamber of Commerce and a sceptical Ann Arbor Art Association. The Art Association had its doubts and warned that serious artists would refuse to exhibit outdoors. They were wrong: 132 artists took part that first year, 99 of them local.
Other fairs grew alongside it. The State Street fair, established in 1967 and now run by the State Street District, grew out of the merchants' summer trade. The Summer Art Fair was born on the University of Michigan Diag in 1970, under the name Free Arts Festival, and is now produced by the Guild of Artists & Artisans, which juries in some 375 artists. A fourth fair on South University folded when its organising association dissolved in 2020, and the Guild absorbed its space. Not everyone in town is a fan. Some residents protested about traffic and crowds with the slogan "It's not art, and it's not fair", and since 2005 the fairs have thrown a Townie Street Party for locals before opening.
Fair food has its own traditions. French fries, cotton candy and fried Twinkies have long been fair staples, while The Original now gives a tent near Burton Tower to Zingerman's and to Miss Kim.
Getting there
Flying in
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is about 25 minutes by car. Without one, the Michigan Flyer coach or the AirRide airport bus (reservation needed) run to the Blake Transit Center downtown.
By train
Amtrak's Wolverine trains stop at 325 Depot Street, a walk from downtown through Kerrytown. Detroit is about an hour away and Chicago about 4 hours 45 minutes.
Driving
Much of downtown is closed to cars; use the park-and-ride lots at Briarwood Mall and Huron High School on Fuller Road.
Where to stay during the festival
The Ann Arbor Area Convention & Visitors Bureau handles hotel enquiries for fair week. To walk to the booths each morning, look at Kerrytown or the streets near Main and Liberty.
A room further out works too, thanks to the park-and-ride shuttles.
Weather and what to pack
Mid-July in southern Michigan is warm to hot, with average highs of about 29°C (84°F) and lows around 16°C (60°F) in Ann Arbor, and the chance of a passing thunderstorm. The pavement gets hot by afternoon.
Worth packing
- A sun hat and sunscreen
- A sturdy tote for small pieces
- Water
- A light rain jacket
Car hire in Ann Arbor
Airport transfer to Ann Arbor Art Fair
Met at arrivals and driven door to door to Burton Memorial Tower area.
Restaurants and food in United States
Places to eat in United States before or after the celebrations.
Joe's Stone Crab
11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States
Cuisine:SeafoodAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Bar
Alinea
1723 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
Cuisine:ModernistAmerican
- Dine-in
- Counter seating
Franklin Barbecue
900 East 11th Street, Austin, TX 78702, United States
Cuisine:Texas barbecueAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Commander's Palace
1403 Washington Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Cuisine:CreoleNew Orleans
- Dine-in
Katz's Delicatessen
205 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002, United States
Cuisine:Jewish deliAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Counter seating
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
It centres on Ingalls Mall on the University of Michigan campus, spreading along North University Avenue and East Washington Street between Thayer and Fletcher streets. Burton Memorial Tower stands at its heart.
Its booths line State Street, East Liberty, North University, Maynard, East William and Thompson, in the shopping district between campus and downtown.
The Guild's fair runs along State Street between Madison and William, then west along Main Street and Liberty as far as Fifth Avenue. It is the fair closest to the downtown restaurants on Main.
Yes. Art-Go-Round is a free shuttle that loops the edge of the fair with six stops, including East Madison near State and East University at Willard. Register online, then join the line at any stop. It ran from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday in 2026, closing earlier on Saturday.
A party for Ann Arbor residents held just before the fair opens, running since 2005. It began as a way to make peace with locals who put up with the traffic and crowds each July.
Each fair runs its own jury. For The Original, applications for the 2027 fair open on 1 November 2026, through its website. The Guild and the State Street District take applications separately.
Only during the pandemic. No fair took place in 2020, and artists and their booths returned to the downtown streets in 2021.
Prices & payment
The Maynard Street structure, about two blocks from The Original, charges $20 a day or $10 after 5 p.m. The Thayer garage and the Fletcher and Palmer decks open to the public in the evenings and on Saturday.
Getting there
Yes. Several TheRide park-and-ride lots, including Green Road and Plymouth Road, connect by regular bus to the Central Campus Transit Center on Geddes Avenue, a short walk from the booths. A standard fare is $1.50.
Stay & facilities
The Original's food court beside Burton Tower has tables under the Fountain Stage tent and orange-umbrella seating at the Zingerman's tent. Food trucks on East Washington and North University have shaded tables of their own.