Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival

Rick Socha

Saw a commercial during the week for the art festival, and because we've got out of town guests looking for something to do, we figured that we'd give it a shot. We have been staying home during the entire covid-19 time except for groceries and doctor appointments and thought this would be a good fresh air event to try. We've lived in Phoenix for 2.5 years but had never gone to Carefree before. We were impressed by the amount of artists participating and the size of the layout. We were also glad to not see any booths set up for selling non-art things (windows, newspaper subscriptions, etc.) We thought it had more art than the Scottsdale art festival, but it's just our opinion and based on nothing else. There was a lot of variety but do wish there was more. Also, we felt the prices we looked at were too high, but I don't think we were going to purchase anything today so we weren't seriously looking. Perhaps they were priced high because of the area? Also, we wish parking options were more visible - - having never been there before, we didn't realize the shopping centers that were backed up to the festival, and we ended up parking that may have been "reserved" for a brick-and-morter business.

Melody Ferguson

First time here. Enjoyed the different booths filled with art. The wine tasting was great. Will attend next year.

Gretchen Falch

Such a great festival. The artist had very unique displays. I visit several art fairs through the year in AZ and this one had the best quality of artist. There was not a huge wine selection. Maybe a total of 8 different booths and tastings were 2 tickets at least. You only get 6 tickets so you can't really sample many wines.

Vibhas P. A. Kendzia

Art, Wine and Music: I visited this Festival many times and this year I will be performing on my Native American Flutes over Latin Rhythms .... (The Photos are from hikes near by). The "Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival" has a very intimate setting and you get to know the local Wineries and the Artists up-close. The landscaping looks like a botanical garden, very pretty. Below is some more information from the organizer, Thunderbird Artists: It is an Annual Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival Mid-March - (March 17th, 18th & 19th, 2017) Established 1995 The Town of Carefree Signature Event Admission $3.00 - Hours 10am - 5pm Wine Tasting Ticket with Souvenir Glass $10.00 This wonderful three-day festival is widely known as a collector’s show, due to its rigorous jury, which produces a festival unequaled in quality. The streets of downtown Carefree close, making room for more than 165 artists and an excess of 5,000 original masterpieces of fine art. Artists’ works include small, medium, life-size and monumental bronze sculptures, metal, clay, wood, stone, glass and mixed media sculptures. There is an array of pottery, photography, hand crafted jewelry, batiks and select fine crafts. There are also spectacular oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, watercolors, pastel, charcoal, etchings and mixed media paintings. Subject matter ranges from Southwest and traditional to contemporary and abstract, including floral, wildlife, European, African and Native American art to name a few. The festival offers a wide variety of mediums, styles, sizes, subject matters and price ranges, to ensure there is something that appeals to everyone. The Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festivals are enhanced by the beautiful Sonoran Desert backdrop of Carefree. Thunderbird Artists holds the title of Arizona’s largest wine-tasting events, featuring first-class wines from around the world. These festivals touch each of the senses, with fine wines, mouthwatering chocolates, the visual feast of art and the subtle sound of ambient music. After taking in all the sights and sounds of the festival, make sure and leave yourself time to discover Carefree’s assortment of unique shops, boutiques, galleries, restaurants and outdoor cafes.