More than 100,000 people are expected to swarm downtown Lake Worth Beach on Feb. 21 and 22 to admire hundreds of artists take chalk to asphalt for the city’s annual Street Painting Festival, which promises to be the biggest yet.
Artists from across Palm Beach County and around the country gather annually in the city to draw gods, dogs, exotic animals, monsters, cartoon characters, vehicle-sized, mind-bending optical illusions and more on the city’s busiest streets downtown.
This year’s festival will boast about 850 artists, the most in its 32 years of existence.
The festival is free to attendees. Lake Avenue from Dixie Hwy to Federal Highway will close starting 6 a.m. Feb. 20 until about 10 p.m. Feb. 22, as will Lucerne Avenue from Dixie to Federal. J, K, L and M streets will also close between Second Avenue North and First Avenue South.
Artist Jennifer Ripassa works on her art during the Lake Worth Beach Street Painting Festival on February 24, 2024 in Lake Worth Beach, Florida.
Artist Jennifer Ripassa works on her art during the Lake Worth Beach Street Painting Festival on February 24, 2024 in Lake Worth Beach, Florida.
Parking around the festival will be limited. Free passenger shuttle buses to and from the festival will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Feb. 21 and Feb. 22.
Tri-Rail, South Florida’s publicly funded passenger train, will run one shuttle to and from its Lake Worth Road station parking lot under Interstate 95. Another will run to and from a Palm Beach State College parking lot at Congress Avenue and Lake Worth Road.
Schools countywide will be well represented at the festival. Students from schools such as the Alexander Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Lake Worth High School, John I. Leonard High and St. Juliana Catholic School, along with middle and elementary schools, are being sponsored to participate.