Nestled in the high Sonora Desert north of Phoenix, Arizona, Carefree is surrounded by sharp mountains, abundant desert growth and blue, blue sky. Carefree, conceived in the 1940s as a planned community, places emphasis on leisure as well as Western culture. The street names reflect the overall feeling of Carefree: Easy Street, Tranquil Trail, Ho & Hum Roads as well as Stagecoach, Long Rifle and Bloody Basin roads for a Western flavor. The town’s motto is “Home of Cowboys and Caviar, Where the Old West Meets the New.”
That motto exactly captures the flavor of the 14th Annual Carefree Art & Wine Festival, Nov. 2-4, and the charming setting provides a unique backdrop for this celebration of art, great wine, live entertainment, gourmet food and more! The quaint streets of downtown Carefree are closed during the festival, making room for more than 160 artists and over 5,000 original fine art masterpieces.
This is a “juried” fine art event, which means artist must submit samples of their work and pass through a jury selection process before showing their fine art at the festival. The work must be artist created and not manufactured and the jury is looking for the best of the best in fine art. The event attracts only the best artists as well as the most discriminating art collectors from the U.S. and abroad. Subject matter ranges from Southwest and traditional to contemporary and abstract, including floral, wildlife, European, African and Native American art.
Visitors can find amazing works of art from small, medium, large and extra large, including life-sized bronze sculptures, as well as metal, clay, wood, stone, glass and mixed media sculptures. An amazing array of pottery, photography, handcrafted jewelry, and select fine crafts will be on display and for sale, as well as a spectacular range of oils and acrylics on canvas, watercolors, pastels, charcoals, etchings and mixed media paintings.
The Carefree Art & Wine Festival holds the title of Arizona’s largest wine-tasting event, featuring first-class wines from Arizona, California, Australia, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. Visitors can purchase wine tasting tickets and receive a souvenir glass to sample the wines and can purchase additional full glasses of their favorites.
To add the perfect touch of taste to an already amazing event, many of the Carefree restaurants and outdoor cafes will be providing delicious samples. For chocolate lovers, several confectioners will be on location to provide tasty samples. Visitors can also enjoy a wide range of entertainment.
The Carefree Art & Wine Festival is held three times per year, in the Spring, Fall and Winter. The dates for 2009 are not yet available.
Event Details:
Where: Downtown Carefree, Arizona (Easy and Ho Hum Streets)
Hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Admission: Free on Friday, $2 per person on Saturday and Sunday
Parking: Free (where ever you can find a spot)
