Gulfcoast Arts Festival will award $25,000

The first full weekend in November each year is time for the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, one of the best-regarded, most popular arts festivals in America.

The three-day, juried art show will be held Nov. 6, 7  and 8 in Pensacola's Seville Square. Festival hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 6 and 7 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 8.

It draws the nation's best painters, potters, sculptors, jewelers, graphic artists, craftsmen and others. They'll be competing for $25,000 in cash awards.

Live musicians hit the right notes from the main stage in Fountain Park with sounds ranging from Zydeco, bluegrass, jazz and blues to classical.

The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra will return to the GGAF stage this year. Complete line-up and schedules are online at www.ggag.org/music.

The Festival also features a special area set aside for Heritage Arts: Demonstrations of crafts of the past, including blacksmithing, engraving, spinning, weaving and other skills.

The Children's Arts Festival is next door in Bartram Park, and features numerous hands-on artistic opportunities provided free of charge. Projects include face painting, clay play, a flower shop, button creations, sand art, sidewalk art and a balloon man. There will be glitter, glue, sequins and the likes for children to make things like masks, crowns, magic wands and jewelry.

The Children's Festival is open Friday for children with special needs from selected schools and is open to everyone on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Also in Bartram Park is the Student Art Show which showcases the talents of both private and public school students of Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.

Pensacola artist Susan Rand designed this year's GGAF poster. Limited edition prints will be available at the Festival, with T-shirts, caps and other items. Admission to the festival is free, as are programs and maps.