The Pasadena Chalk Festival, which brings together over 500 chalk painters and visual artists, and tens of thousands of spectators from all over Southern California, is back in person at The Paseo on Father’s Day weekend. The chalky creativity is on all day Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with music, events and fun.
During the past two years, the Chalk Festival was partly virtual because of the pandemic – partly virtual because artists were actually creating in different places, on actual sidewalks and street pavements, and then showing the images online for everyone to see.
This time, The Paseo and Light Bringer Project have brought back the Pasadena Chalk Festival live and in person, with the artists working on an estimated 200 murals, accompanied by live music performers, and with food and drinks and shopping throughout the businesses on The Paseo.
Also featured in the Chalk Festival are an art gallery and a silent auction, an animation alley and the Festival’s “Chalk of Fame,” and a children’s art area.
The Pasadena Chalk Festival began in 1993 after an intern at the Light Bringer Project attended a street painting festival in Paris and came back with pictures and observations about the Paris event. The first Pasadena event was called “Chalk on the Walk” and took place at Centennial Square with over 150 visual artists from all across Los Angeles County.
In 2010, more than 600 artists came to Pasadena and used over 25,000 sticks of chalk. In one weekend, more than 100,000 visitors came to the Chalk Festival, leading to it being named officially as the “largest street painting festival” in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Leading art schools, museums and cultural centers have always been represented at the Festival.
For spectators, entry into the Festival area at The Paseo is always free.
For more information, visit https://pasadenachalkfestival.org/.
