octagon art festival

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55th Octagon Art Festival: Sunday, September 27, 2026

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THE FESTIVAL
The Octagon Art Festival takes place the fourth Sunday of September along Main Street in downtown Ames, IA. The festival is held outdoors on pavement, RAIN OR SHINE. Visual arts, children’s art area, food vendors and performing arts form the foundation of the Octagon Art Festival. Approximately 10,000 people attend the festival.

Maximum # of Artists: 100

THE OCTAGON CENTER FOR THE ARTS MISSION
The Octagon Center for the Arts encourages interaction and creative self-expression by providing inclusive opportunities and spaces that bring people together through art.

BOOTH FEES
Booth Fee: $110 ($95 for Octagon members)
Double Booth Fee: $195 ($175 for Octagon members)
Octagon Artist Membership (optional): $25
Corner location: $50 (3 open sides; extra 5 x 10 feet of space; limited quantity)
Electricity: $20 (limited)
Late Fee for registrations submitted after May 1: $25

ARTIST AMENITIES
• 12 x 12 booths
• 4 feet open buffer space between booths
• 2 feet storage space behind booth
• Curbside loading and unloading
• Free parking
• Complimentary breakfast and coffee/tea
• Booth sitters and friendly volunteers
• Artist’s lounge at the Octagon Center for the Arts with indoor restrooms
• Complimentary water and snacks delivered to your booth
• 4 cash purchase awards (1 Best of Show and 3 Honorable Mentions)

CALENDAR & DEADLINES

Artist deadline for jury submission …………………………………. May 1
Jury Results emailed to artists ………………………………………… May 15
Booth Payment deadline (via electronic invoice) ………. June 15

Artist booth location & info emailed to artists ……………… August 1
Cancellation deadline, refunds denied ………………………….. August 15
55th Octagon Art Festival …………………………………………. Sunday, September 27, 2026 10am – 4 pm

BOOTH AWARDS
A panel of 3 jurors (NOT Octagon staff) will perform an on-site judging for cash purchase awards on the day of the festival between 10 am – 2 pm. Three Honorable Mentions ($100 each) and one Best of Show ($150) will be presented to the winning artists at 2 pm.

Call for
Volunteers

Be a part of the Octagon Art Festival in Downtown Ames. It takes a community to make the Festival a success and we need you!

Choose from many different shifts / tasks and sign up for your desired volunteer shift(s). Please keep your volunteer hours to 4 hours or less on the day of the Festival – we appreciate your help, and want you to have the best experience possible! Volunteers will check in at the Octagon Center for the Arts at 417 Douglas Avenue in downtown Ames. Please plan to check in at least 15 minutes before your shift begins.

If you volunteered in the past and you have a purple volunteer t-shirt, please wear it. If you are part of a service group who is volunteering, feel free to wear a shirt from your organization (e.g., FUEL, church group). Please dress comfortably and take the Iowa weather into account.

Plan ahead — parking the day of the Festival may be tricky! We recommend using Cy-Ride or bicycling (if you can) to avoid the parking hassle.

We could not make the Octagon Art Festival happen without such great volunteers like you!

Volunteer Sign Up Coming Soon!

Our 2025
Festival Artists