Participate

JUMP TO:

Please Note: All Applications Are Now Closed! Check back in this Fall for 2026 applications.

Street / Chalk Artists

The Chain of Parks Festival invites talented chalk artists to apply for a unique opportunity to showcase their work in the popular Chalk Art Oasis! Supported by Visit Tallahassee, this destination within the festival features 3D street art masterpieces, offering interactive photo ops and drawing crowds all weekend. For 2024, artists will celebrate Tallahassee’s Bicentennial with North Florida-themed designs that bring a WOW factor to the event. Set among lush greenery, the Chalk Art Oasis buzzes with live music, delicious food, and an exclusive Find Your Chair exhibit, where upcycled chair sculptures by local artists are displayed. Festival visitors can vote for their favorite and even bid to take a piece home. Join us to create unforgettable art and be part of this vibrant community event!

Pop-Up Artists - Upcycled Sculpture Exhibit

Call-to-Artists: Upcycled Sculpture Exhibit”

WHAT IS THE PROJECT?

Like our previous Rainbarrel, Birdhouse, and Chair upcycled sculpture projects, the Chain of Parks Art Festival is back with an exciting new pop-up public art exhibit and competition leading up to the festival weekend! To celebrate 25 years of the Festival, we will select 25 local and regional artists to create upcycled planter sculptures, to display throughout Downtown Tallahassee from March 25 – April 25, 2025. All sculptures will be transferred to the Festival for the exhibit conclusion and silent auction in our “Chalk Art Oasis” area, benefiting LeMoyne Arts on April 26 & 27, 2025.

Performing Arts

The Festival welcomes performers to apply to perform on a volunteer basis. By applying, you agree to perform for the Chain of Parks Art Festival free of charge. In consideration of performing, the following benefits are provided by the Festival as a thank-you:

Performers receive exposure to thousands of visitors at the Festival.
A performance listing in the Festival’s printed 36-page program, social media and website performance schedule, and entrance signs.
A table space by the performance area to promote future performances and to sell CD’s, merch, and sign autographs.
Inclusion in pre-event marketing campaigns.
A drink ticket at the Main Bar for performers over 21, and a scoop of ice cream voucher for performers under 21 (thanks to Johnny’s Home Made Ice Cream).

There are 3 performance spaces:

The Main Stage:

Our Main Stage is located in the Center Court on Calhoun St. and features a variety of local bands, aspiring singer / songwriters, dance troupes, and other crowd-pleasing local performing arts groups.

This section includes the City’s Showmobile and a sound engineer.
Leon County student performance groups and larger bands that require sound support will be prioritized for this area.

Children’s Park:

This is the perfect spot for interactive, kid-friendly solo / duo acts, student groups, storybook tellers, educational demonstrations, performance artists, etc.

This is in a grassy, shaded area with a tent and access to a basic mic and amp. We do not have professional sound support in this area, all performers need to be self-sufficient. We are looking into getting a small platform, but that is not confirmed yet.

The Chalk Artist Oasis:

We create a nature-themed “Oasis” surrounding our professional chalk artists with plants and shade for visitors to observe their progress in a beautiful space (on Calhoun St). There is also a sculpture silent auction, food vendors, and the LeMoyne Arts outreach tent in this area. Ideal for solo/ small-group performers to set the mood and make this a welcoming area.

This is a paved sunny area by a main Festival entrance. We provide a tent and access to basic power. We do not have professional sound support in this area, all performers need to be self-sufficient.

The Community Corner

The Community Corner features our Community Partners (local non-profits), Brand Ambassadors (local businesses), and Host-level Sponsor Booths that provide FREE interactive activities and information. These participants are located at the key entrance to the Festival on our Reid Gunn Lane (off Monroe St. in front of Il Lusso restaurant). The purpose of this area is to promote non-profit organizations that promote sustainability and support the arts & culture in our community. The Community Corner welcomes festival goers as they begin their exploration of the Festival and provides opportunities for community connections to an estimated 35-40,000+ enthusiastic visitors over the Festival weekend!

We love our Community Partners! Participation Fee

Community Partners include local non-profits that bring fun educational activities to engage visitors in hands-on interactions to broaden their experiences and knowledge.
Community Partners pay $100 to have a 10×10 booth space to share information about their organization and mission.
Community Partners cannot sell anything except for memberships. They are welcome to hand out information packets and flyers.

Be a Brand Ambassador! Participation Fee

Brand Ambassadors enjoy the opportunity to engage with our estimated 35-40,000+ art enthusiastic visitors about their business!

Brand Ambassadors pay $500 for a 10×10 booth space to interact with the public and talk about your offerings.
Please note: you are not allowed to sell goods or services, but you are allowed to provide attendees with hand-outs, make appointments, and share mailing list information.
Booths must have an interactive activity, like a group art project, raffle, or game.

Food & Beverages:

The Festival strives to have a wide variety of wholesome and delicious food with a preference for local food vendors. We are looking for grab-and-go meals and snacks for visitors to enjoy throughout the day!

Chain of Parks Art Festival is now in its 9th year of “Greening the Festival”. The Festival has partnered with Sustainable Tallahassee to continue Greening the Festival which will require your help as a food vendor to reduce food waste and waste generated from food and beverage containers. See Greening rules under the Terms & Conditions section of the application.

Benefits to Participating:

Opportunity to feed an average of 15-17K visitors on Saturday and 10-12k on Sunday (depending on weather and football games).
Listing in the 36-page Festival Program distributed to hotels, sponsors, and at the Festival.
Digital Festival recognition for pre-show promotion.

What We’re Looking For:

We prioritize local food vendors who provide quality goods, are easy to communicate with, and follow our guidelines.
As a fine arts festival, we prioritize booths and trucks that have attractive curbside appeal and avoid set-ups that are more appropriate for a carnival/ fair.
We are looking for grab-and-go meals and snacks, not packaged food accessories (i.e. jars of honey/ jam, hot sauce, dog treats, etc.)
We avoid duplicating offerings so that visitors have a wide variety of options. Feedback from our attendees is that they are not only looking for sweets but healthy options as well! Many visitors request vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
See the application for additional information and review carefully before applying.

The Children’s Park:

Hosted by The Apalachee Center

Participate in the Children’s Park, which is a highly interactive part of the Festival that provides opportunities for community connections with our visitors. The purpose of this area is to offer artistic experiences for children and promote organizations that support the arts and heritage in our community. We want to get children excited about the arts and give their families an opportunity to learn about what our community has to offer.

The Children’s Park incorporates Pop-Up Studios, Interactive Art Vendors, Heritage Booths, the historical Jacques Le Moyne Encampment, Pop-up Entertainers, fun snack foods, and more!

Your participation in the Festival provides the following benefits:

Outreach opportunities to an estimated 35,000+ visitors to the Festival interested in art.
Listing in the Festival Program distributed to hotels, sponsors, and at the Festival.
Entrance sign listing your organization & activity.
One reserved Parking Pass.
Digital Festival recognition for pre-show promotion.

Pop-Up Studios: Free

Children’s Pop-Up Studios offer free art projects for children to make while they experience a wide variety of art media reflecting the art of the participating professional artists in the festival.

What is a Pop-up Studio?

Pop-up Studios in the Festival are interactive art-making spaces presented by organizations that provide a children’s art activity and visually engaging booth for up to 500-800 kids during the Festival weekend.
There is no charge to the organization to participate so resources can go toward providing staffing, supplies for children’s activities, and tent decorations (there is a fully refundable $100 deposit).
The Festival provides a 10×10 white tent in the park, 2 tables, 6 chairs, and colorful bunting around the tent’s edge. The Children’s Park will also be decorated creating a welcoming setting for families to visit.
This is an opportunity for your organization to promote the work you do through interactions with the kids and their families and through branded décor and materials.
The Festival encourages organizations to provide eco-friendly art activities using upcycled materials to promote sustainability.

Local Heritage Booths: Free

Over the last few years, visitors have been able to interact with the Festival’s namesake, Jacques Le Moyne, the first known European artist to sketch native Florida, in a 1560s living history encampment featuring actor interpretations and activities by Theater With A Mission. We have expanded this educational offering to include other local heritage groups to tell their story!

What is a Local Heritage Booth?

Located in the Children’s Park next to the Pop-up Studios (where organizations provide a children’s art activity and visually engaging booth), we have added several 10×10 white tents dedicated to sharing historical information about our region from different cultures, called “Local Heritage Booths”.
We are primarily interested in featuring groups that focus on local and regional heritage education. We want visitors to learn about the history of our beautiful city, so we are primarily looking for applications that relate back to different cultures within our community.
There is no charge to the organization to participate so resources can go toward providing staffing and supplies for children’s activities and tent decorations (there is a fully refundable $100 deposit). Each tent should be decorated to represent your culture, offer educational materials, and an interactive activity of some kind.
The Festival provides a 10×10 white tent in the park, 2 tables, and 4 chairs. You will be responsible for creating a welcoming and visually appealing space.
We welcome Heritage Booth participants to read stories and perform cultural dances or skits on our small Children’s Park stage. The more vibrant your presentation is, the more fun and engaging the experience is for everyone!