Annual Festival Of The Arts Returns To Downtown Fremont

FREMONT, CA — The largest free street festival west of the Mississippi is returning to Fremont this weekend, according to city officials.

The Fremont Festival of the Arts will be held in Downtown Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Paseo Padre Parkway, Walnut Avenue and Liberty Street will be closed down for the event.

Attracting more than 150,000 people each year, the event brings hundreds of "top-quality" art and craft booths, along with food vendors, along with artisnal food vendors, street performers, rides for kids and live music, according to organizers.

"If you lined all the booths and attractions up in a straight line, there’d be almost (four) miles of Festival fun," according to organizers.

This is the festival's 42nd anniversary, according to organizers. It serves as one of the largest fundraisers for local nonprofits.

Throughout its existence, the festival has raised more than $11 million, according to organizers.