FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Art This Way, a program of Downtown Fort Wayne, announced the lineup and programming for the 2026 Art This Way Fest during an event Friday at The Brass Rail. The free, two-day mural, music, and art festival will take place October 2-3 along Broadway from Jefferson Boulevard to Swinney Avenue.
Celebrating 10 years of transforming Downtown Fort Wayne through public art, Art This Way Fest will feature the Fort Wayne Arts Festival on Broadway, live art demonstrations, local and national musical acts, buskers, food trucks, mural dedications, kid-friendly activities, and partnerships with businesses throughout the Broadway corridor. For more information, visit ArtThisWayFest.com.
Music & Entertainment
National headliner Tank and the Bangas will take the main stage at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. The New Orleans-based group won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2017 and later earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist.
The weekend’s music lineup also includes Kangaroo Kourt, The Debutants, Whoa, Man!, Legendary Trainhoppers, Los Electro, Casual Friday, Cougar Hunter, DJ Arora, DJ Trend, DJ She Cut It, Ta’korei, and Jadon Knapp and the Crisis.
Additional entertainment will include a Silent Disco with DJ Trend powered by WindSwell Foundation, The Cincinnati Circus performing its Wheel of Death & Fire Show, roaming and aerial buskers, Art of Fashion powered by Bill Blass Legacy featuring local designers and stylists, and The Art of Freestyle, a hip-hop dance competition.
Art & Activities
The Fort Wayne Arts Festival on Broadway will feature more than 60 regional artist booths showcasing ceramics, painting, mixed media, glasswork, printmaking, jewelry, and more. The juried art fair will be open Friday, October 2, from 5:00-9:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 3, from 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Vendors confirmed to participate include 218 Art Studio, Art Bank Studios, Roy Boswell Art, Infinite Artwork by Cole, Elly Bead, Lily Feno, Maranatha Clay, Millie Young, Susan Voigt, Lexy Reader, Kerstin Glaess Art, Nicole Capriglione, Wagdog Studio, Saylor Art & Design, Strong Art Gallery, Relic Emporium, Ann English, Corrie Church Fine Art, Pelka Ceramics, Melanie Palmer of Embroiders Guild of America FW Chapter, Metaform Ceramics, YazzFW, Redhead Art Glass Studio, Imagine In Glass, William Lupkin Designs, Chuchias y Cachivaches, LK Simerman Artistry, Black Shed Art, CeeCaahKna Studio, Beth Forst, Clive Jachnik, Jordan Fine Art Jewelry, ARG the Artist, Inman Wood Art, Capricious Whimsy, Woodie Works of Art, Fremion Art, Stephanie Ross, J. Clifton Studio & Gallery, Valerie McBride Design, The Art Farm, Kimberlee Tubbs Art, Jewelry by Matt B, Jewelry Design by Paula Noll, Linda Schwartz, Fort Wayne Artists Guild, Sarah Leitch Art, Y.V. Made, Sadly Harmless Illustration, Sol Eye Glass, Reclaimed Red Oak, Gallery 809, Ahoy Handcrafted, WTM Woodcarving, and more to be announced soon.
The Art of Fashion event, powered by Bill Blass Legacy, will feature local designers and stylists, with artists exhibiting three complete looks during the coordinated fashion show. Participants include Soul Threading, Athena Baumgartner, Ale, Belle Alonzo, Pinky Saunders, Jae McGee, Tq Franklin, Lydia Waring, STMFP, Sarah Newport, Davyn Wright, Ella Tretter, and Amber Hehl.
Young artists ages 5-18 will also have an opportunity to showcase and sell their artwork in the Kreative Kids area near Hopscotch House. Additional family-friendly programming Saturday will include inflatable obstacle courses, face painting, free pony rides from Hooley Family Farms, and activities with Lutheran Health Network.
Art This Way Fest will also highlight businesses throughout the Broadway corridor and amplify existing First Friday! events within the Broadway Arts District.
New Murals
As Art This Way celebrates 10 years of bringing public art to Downtown Fort Wayne, new murals will continue that legacy during this year’s Fest. Murals will be added at 600 W. Main St., 1122 Broadway, and 1121 Broadway during Art This Way Fest.
Show Your Support
During our Amplify Art Campaign, in partnership with Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, donations of $50 or more will receive a limited-edition enamel fox pin while supplies last. For a limited time, Downtown Fort Wayne will match all Amplify Art donations up to $10,000, doubling the impact of each contribution. Campaign proceeds support Art This Way programs, public art projects, and community events.
Community members can also support Art This Way Fest by volunteering during the two-day event. Sign up to volunteer here.
Thank You
Art This Way Fest is powered by WindSwell Foundation, OUTFRONT Media, 3Rivers Federal Credit Union, Downtown Fort Wayne, Lutheran Health Network, Bill Blass Legacy, Visit Fort Wayne, Centier Bank, Lake City Bank, Jess Lewis Transmission, Nowak, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Arts United, Hedge Studios, Meijer, and Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
Art This Way’s 2026 public art projects are made possible by Downtown Fort Wayne, Barrett Realty Investments, Knight Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne City Utilities, Community Development’s Neighborhood Improvement Grant, Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, Indiana Arts Commission, and CertaPro Painters.
For Immediate Release: Friday, August 14, 2026
Contact: Alexandra Hall, Director of Art This Way, 260-417-5925, Alex@DowntownFortWayne.com
Preston Wallace, Director of Marketing & Communications, 260-203-1291, Preston@DowntownFortWayne.com