The three stages at the Anacortes Arts Festival are packed with non-stop talent.

We are proud to be partnering with the Manieri Endowment again to bring you a group of amazing jazz musicians.  The ever-popular Nearly Dan is back on Friday night and there are a number of exciting new-to-the-Festival jazz musicians throughout the weekend.  Pearl Django and Birch Pereira & the Gin Joints are back on Saturday afternoon.  And, a band with a name that is so intriguing, that you can’t miss them on Sunday – Herding Cat Octet!

The Main Stage is packed with great music to enjoy from the Hideout Beer Garden.  Friday night features John Van Deusen and Friends and a Tom Petty Tribute Group, Petty Differences.  Saturday is all day rockin’ and country fun with Geoffrey Castle, Chris Eger Band, Knut Bell & the Blue Collars and Award-Winning Country Musician Chance McKinney.  On Sunday, Bellingham favorite Kuinka will close out the Festival with their joyful, fun pop.

Enjoying music on the dock, along Guemes Channel is one of the rare treats that the Festival offers.  Local favorite Mama Dirty Skirt is back on Friday evening, during the Friday Night Art Walk.  We’ve brought another fan favorite, Commander Mojo & the Horns of Discontent back on Saturday to rock the dock.  And, Sunday morning, start your day with Ebb, Slack & Flood.

Find the full schedule for each stage here and plan to spend time at each stage dancing, tapping your toes or clapping your hands!

Join us at the first annual Busker Fest Anacortes this Sunday, August 28 from 11:00a.m. – 2:00p.m.  Street performers will be performing throughout Downtown Anacortes, in partnership with the City of Anacortes and Open Streets Anacortes.  Ten of them will be competing in a People’s Choice competition – make sure to vote with your smartphone while you are at the event! Music, dance, juggling and so much more!

Ride your bike, your scooter, your rollerblades…or just walk!  Commercial Avenue will be closed and there will be lots of activities in addition to the great performers!

This Saturday, April 23 is the Do the Bloom Color Run.  We have more than 470 runners, walkers, joggers and strollers signed up for this fun run.  In fact, there has been such a huge rush on registrations this week that we do not have any spots open in the run.  Sorry!  Hope those of you who missed signing up can join us next year!

The course starts and ends at the Depot Arts Center, 611 R Avenue.  The Kids 1 Mile Fun Run will have a turnaround at the half mile mark, where there is a color station and the volunteers will get them headed back to the Depot.  The 5K keeps going past our new running sculpture before a turnaround brings you back to Thrive Community Fitness and then along Cap Sante Marina for the rest of the run.  Here’s a fairly rudimentary map is available if you’d like to peek.

Remember this is a FUN RUN!  We will start in waves every few minutes so that the first color station is ready for you.  If it isn’t raining, we will have a clock out for you to see your time.  However, it is not a timed race.  We have unique prizes for the top three finishers in basic categories of Women, Men, Girls and Boys.  We do our best to track those accurately at the finish line, again this is a FUN RUN!  We are proud of those who finish fastest, however, we are also really proud of those who finish most colorful!

Tip to participants – slow down in the color station, use one of our water sources (squirt bottle, hose nozzle, mister, rain) to get your shirt a little wet – the color makes better patterns when the shirt is a little wet.

Packets can be picked up at our office on Friday from 11:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. (505 O Avenue) or on event day from 8:00a.m. – 10:00a.m. (611 R Avenue).  If you come early, there are a couple of restaurants just a few blocks away for coffee or a light meal.

The run will start at 10:00a.m. in waves of 100 runners or so.

Thanks to our awesome sponsors….Thrive Community Fitness, The Allen Family, Barrett Community Giving, the City of Anacortes and the Port of Anacortes.

And, thanks to the record number of you who are participating.  We are going to have a great time, make sure to bring your cameras for post-race photos!