Iowa City Arts Festival Kicks Off Summer, Draws Big Crowds

The weekend long Iowa City Arts Festival has been a popular summer attraction in the area since it was first started in 1987.

Lisa Barnes, the executive director for the Summer of the Arts program in Iowa City, said that besides a hot Sunday the weather cooperated with the festival this year.

"It actually was a pretty good weekend for us," Barnes said.

Barnes said exact attendance is hard to pinpoint, but expected the number was roughly 30,000 people over the three-day festival.

According to the event's website, the following were featured at this year's festival:

• Over 120 local and nationally based artists showing and selling their work, including painters, photographers, sculptors and mixed media artists.
• Musical performances by Crooked Still, Joe Ely, Doug & Lisa Frey with Dale Beeks, Sam Knutson, Dave Zollo and the Body Electric, Teddy Thompson, The Bottle Rockets, and Alejandro Escovedo. There were also a variety of other acts featuring local poets, dancers, performers and a martial arts dojo.
• A Global Village representing 12 different countries in the Pedestrian Mall where children could learn about the world.
• A children's Fun Zone featuring both free and paid activities for kids.
• And Culinary Row featuring 15 diverse food vendors.