The Sunset Beach Art Festival is not just for moms.
Now in its 44th year, the Mother’s Day weekend tradition, which will be held on May 7 and 8 in the seaside community, is putting a new spin on the event—a Kids Zone.
The festival’s Kids Zone will have a life of its own, according to members of Las Damas, the longtime service club that raises money for local charities and produces the festival each year. It will also act as a place for kids to be kept safe and have a fun time, while mom and friends can peruse the various arts and crafts.
Items will be on display and for sale in the Sunset Beach Community Center and on the green belt between North and South Pacific stretching from Broadway to the children’s park.
“In past years, the Sunset Beach Art Festival Kids’ Booth consisted of simply an arts and crafts area for children to create masterpieces for their mothers,” said Aurea Hoad is the Kids’ Zone chair. “This year, Las Damas has created the Kid’s Zone to expand the opportunities for kids to include music and performing arts.”
The Kid’s Zone will be located at the south end of the Art Festival, at 7th Street on the greenbelt in Sunset Beach.
“The Kid’s Zone’s new location and expansion was designed to be a family fun area where parents and their children can exhale from the hustle and bustle of the fair,” Hoad said.
This interactive picnic in the park feel will feature carnival game booths (open 9 a.m. daily), face painting by Tasha, for kids who walk in imagination (open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily), drawing lessons from Jon Abelardo, a master at caricature (times vary in the afternoon), and our beloved Arts and Crafts Booth (open 9 a.m. daily) where creativity can run wild.
The Kids’ Zone will also be raffling off toys, apparel, a skateboard, and Disneyland Park Hopper tickets for a family of four. Every $5 dollar raffle purchase will be given complimentary units to use freely at all Kids’ Zone Stations.
The stage will feature the Kids’ Talent Show st 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, where contestants will be dancing, singing, and strumming their hearts out on guitars. On Sunday, May 8, throughout the day, the Zone will host performances by the up-and-coming singer Holly Brice, the Sunset Beach Jazz Project, and other local musicians.
The regular portion of the festival offers artisan’s unique work to visitors and the community. The art ranges from year to year and has featured unique paintings, one of a kind jewelry, blown glass vases, hand painted pieces, and hand made clothing.
The event features entertainment with local bands, raffles of donated items from the artists and the hand made quilt, sewn by local women of the community and members of Las Damas. The highlight of the weekend will be the quilt raffle at the end of the event, at 4 p.m. on Sunday. You do not have to be present to win.
The food at the festival features local restaurants such as John’s Philly Grill, Fish Tacos, Shaved Ice, and others. For additional information call (562) 592 1825.
