We’re excited to announce that the Salem Art Fair & Festival is moving to the second full weekend in September!
September 13-15, 2024
SAA Executive Director Matthew Boulay says the move to September is prompted by the extreme heat the Art Fair had the past two years, and concern over the health and safety of the artists, performers, vendors, and attendees.
“We needed to move away from the shade of the Park’s white oak trees when the City of Salem adopted a new policy to help safeguard these iconic trees, many of which are hundreds of years old,” said Boulay. “We want to do our part to help protect these trees, but it meant moving the Art Fair to the open, unshaded area of the park.”
SAA tried to minimize the impact of the summer heat and direct sunlight the past two years by renting more tents, tables, chairs, and umbrellas, but that solution was very expensive and very difficult to create shade throughout the fair and festival grounds. Moving to early September will lessen the chance for extreme weather and make the event more enjoyable for everyone.
Before committing to a move away from the Art Fair’s traditional July date, we consulted with stakeholders, including the artists, SAA members, Bush Park neighbors, sponsors, the City of Salem, and many others through informal meetings and surveys. The overwhelming majority of respondents supported the move to September, with 70 percent of the nearly 460 survey respondents in support.
We are announcing the change now so that the artists, vendors, and performers can make decisions about their 2024 calendar, and so the people who love attending the Salem Art Fair & Festival can plan ahead too. We’ve already booked the Saturday night music headliner The Daddies (FKA The Cherry Poppin Daddies) and we’re in the process of booking other great performers for the rest of the three-day festival.
As part of the 75th Anniversary and a nod to the importance of wine culture in the Willamette Valley, we’ve invited a dozen local wineries to participate in a special celebration for our anniversary and to recognize Salem as a gateway to the Willamette Valley vineyards.
Interested in being a part of the 75th Annual Salem Art Fair & Festival? We are looking for local businesses to sponsor this special event. For more information please contact Laura Stein at [email protected]