The Cottonwood Arts Festival is a biannual, 2-day event at the Cottonwood Park in southwest…read moreRichardson, TX. This is a juried event, so artists apply and a jury reviews and selects about 200+ artists to display and sell their impressive work. There is always a featured artist whose art is displayed on an event poster and a t-shirt for that spring or fall event. I can't usually afford any of the professional art pieces that sell for thousands of dollars, but I can always get the $20 t-shirt with a replica of one of the pieces of the featured artist. Some artists are aware that not everyone can afford the original on canvas, so they make smaller giclées that are more affordable for the masses. Even if you don't have the money or space in your place to buy, you can come and look for FREE! There is no cost to enter the festival. Plus, there are two stages of live music being performed all day Saturday and Sunday. Even parking is free across the street at the Richardson High School. You can also park in the neighborhood, but it isn't necessarily more convenient. Food often includes a few local places like Tongue and Cheek ice cream as well as a Gyro place. Of course you can also find a Fletcher's corn dog, and you didn't even have to drive to Fair Park for the State Fair. I love this festival and will always make a point of going and supporting artists if I can.

I really enjoy this arts festival. Each year brings both returning artists and new faces as well…read more We have been coming for many years. We always find something new to bring home. This year was the only exception. It looks like all the pricing rose out of our budget. But we still enjoy visiting all the booths especially the talented student artists, and seeing the live music. Park over at the school and take the free shuttle! Enjoy some delicious local beer while you browse!

Tons of fun and lots of activities for everyone…read more Live music all over the area. Tons of food trucks, from bbq, hot dogs and burgers, Popcorn, funnel cakes, desserts, to pastries oh goodness. Alcohol tasting, horse and carriage rides. I love seeing all the vendors show casing their arts. homemade candles, honey, bracelets, hats, u name it.

This was a delightful art festival for a small town community. It was well organized with…read moreactivities for all. The weather was cool and comfortable Friday night for walking around downtown Plano and checking out the numerous vendors. Since this event takes place in the spring the weather can be somewhat unpredictable, but it was lovely the evening we went. The main street in downtown Plano is closed for pedestrian traffic only. vendors line the center of the street. Stores and restaurants are open late too trying to take advantage of the increased foot traffic. Parking was free in nearby surface lots. If you get there early enough, you might find street parking. In addition to the main street, there is also a kid zone and a food truck area setup in a street lot. More artists and vendors can be found as you wander around Haggard Park. Let's talk about the art: -Artistic - real photographers, painters and crafts people had their wares on display. I enjoyed the dog silhouettes out of license plates, the lights made from car hub caps, chains and metal bits, and the digital light show put on by UT Dallas students at a warehouse on the main strip. -Unusual - artists spray painting large banners of what appeared to be plastic saran wrap strung between trees. The local maker space advertising some of the cool things that can be done at there 24-hour facility. One guy was making leather jewelry and giving it away to those who stopped by to chat. -Educational - attendees were invited to pick colored caps from a bucket and arrange them into a canvas with sectioned off walls to define the piece. It was visually interesting and educational as it was encouraging the reuse of plastic. Interactive - Invite your dog to have its paws dipped in paint and then run across a white festival shirt as your keepsake. -Dangerous - There was a blacksmith on site welding and shaping iron pieces. There was also a wood worker who was carving his sculptures with a chainsaw. The Usual - face painting, henna hand designs, jewelry vendors, the latest health massage technique hocus-pocus vendors, and size-zero, tie-died, flour sac type dresses, scarves, and bags for the rare young person with the money to buy it and body type that can wear it. This was a fun, free event for an evening out. It went on all weekend, so you could pick the day that worked best for you and your family. My hubby and I made it our Friday date night, and it was a success.

I am glad I waited 3 years to write this review. This…read morefestival is getting worse and worse and we won't return next year. We are lucky we live close by so we always bike here, so at least we can beat the traffic and the horrific price for parking. First year they ran out of gyros, no joke!!! Second year, no baklava sundae , ran out. This year, not enough that the prices skyrocketed, some vendors didn't even make an effort to print new menus, they literally just crossed prices and put whatever they wanted. Or, they wanted to go with the last year price but seeing all other vendors increased theirs... hmmmm ,, yeah !! Us too! We tried the gyro, no flavor, mediocre at best, so expensive , $12 for just the pita and the meat. No side, and they all wrapped up on trays, God knows how long they stay there. Lamb sliders and fries was our next choice, nothing special there either. Again, store bought slider buns and not enough meat, not tasty, fries also stay under a heat lamp, the frozen type of course. Like can you guys make some effort at least??? Fast paced, long lines, order, pay, GET OUT!!! We were not impressed at all. Best thing was the baklava sundae for sure. So... bye bye OPA! Greek festival. We had enough of your traps.

Food is amazing. 3 days of fun music and incredible food. Lamb, pork, chicken , gyros, salads…read moreand enough pastry and desserts to sink a ship! And I am told they donate a huge % of the funds to organizations outside the walls of the church. Excellent!!!!

A three day food festival that's hosted in Addison Circle Park. Entry fee is $10. The streets are…read morefull of food vendors offering free samples and lower prices samples as well. All the vendors are local so you really do get a taste of Addison. There's one main stage and then two smaller stages on campus where performances are going on through the festival. The mayor even came out to greet the people all 3 days on the main stage. There were also a bunch of art exhibits and vendors as well. Plus some carnival rides and games. So there's definitely a lot for family and friends to do out. My suggestion is come on an empty stomach so you can stuff your face

Fun three day event in Addison. Kid friendly and $15 ticket entrance fee. A lot of restaurants set…read moreup booths around Addison Circle for everyone to sample foods they haven't tried. Lots of random events and crafting to do, local artsy booths to purchase from, a petting zoo, and live music. My friend and I had fun and bought food faster than we can eat. Good for a first experience!

PROST! Crowded it was this Saturday night. Long, long, long were the bier and food lines. Change…read moreof plan, strolled and shopped around. Stopped at all three music stages, clapping, dancing, and, learning polka the night away. Fun time. As we were leaving to grab a bite outside the festival, serenaded we were of "Sweet Caroline" with a polka beat. :)))))) CHEERS!

Always a great experience going here. Fun vibe and everyone is mostly pretty nice and giddy. Thurs…read moreand Sundays are usually free entry and fri and sat is ticketed. There's a good amount of food vendors and they take card. There's a couple of main areas with different shows, dancing, music, etc. Fun to come with friends or family and chill, eat good food, and drink beer. Something to look forward to every year and do on a weekend.

February 8, 2025, Richardson's Lunar Festival was much better laid out this year. It was still very…read morecrowded with long lines at all of the food trucks and vendor booths, but it seemed like you could walk through the area with better ease, identify the ends of lines, and even see the performances on the elevated stage. The children's area was well closed off with a white picket fence making it safe for the kids to engage in activities without worry of wandering off. It appeared they had art like origami, and games. The city had a firetruck parked in the fence area so that kids could actively climb inside. The library also had its Rover Book Van in the fenced area. There were at least three rows of vendors for the adults. The most unique one I saw was a rowing station. You could try to row for the fastest time and win a t-shirt. It appeared to be recruitment for local dragon boat races. Some people came dressed up in cosplay and anime outfits. Others wore traditional attire or sported fans and parasols. It was 80 degrees, hot, and sunny. Very unusual for this time of year. The established restaurants in the area all had long waits for a table. We chose the Korean Tofu Factory for lunch this year. It was delicious, but we have to remember to come earlier next year so that we can actually see all of the vendors.

Great start for this inaugural event! My family had a blast and all for charity! They had jumped…read moreand rad hatter for the kids, swag bags for the kidgits VIP program, and great representation of food in the area. Avocado California Roll & Sushi, Cristina"s, Edible Arrangements, Fuzzy's Taco Shop, Hyatt Place Garland, I Heart Yogurt, Nothing Bundt Cakes, OPA! Greek Taverna, Pete's, and The Flying Fish were some of our favorites! They also had a band playing hits from yesterday which even my kids were dancing to! Great job Simon Mall for a great food festival! Can't wait until next year! #amyrocks

Same as the previous poster they have refused to refund my registration fees even though they have…read morecontinually changed the event dates. Apparently because I registered before their "refund window". Horrible customer service. I will not be supporting their run in the future and would advise you to reconsider. ---- From: info CFF [mailto:info@colorfunfest.com] Subject: Re: Refund Request: FW: Event Information | Good and Bad News Hi Laura, Since you registered on March 7th, outside that given date range, we're unable to process your refund. We'll still waive your transfer fees if you would like to transfer your ticket to someone else. If there is anything else we can assist you wtih, please let us know. We'll be happy to help. :) We appreciate your support. Stay colorful!! -The Color Fun Fest Team ------------------------------------ On Fri, Oct 2, 2015 at 1:19 PM, wrote: Per the email I received below, I am due a refund. Please process my refund. " We are offering refunds to participants who are unable to make the new date who bought tickets between the dates of May 8th 2015 until August 18th 2015."

Horrible company SCAM!!!…read moreWe purchased tickets for April 2015 and they cancelled it due to possible bad weather that never arrived. They rescheduled it for October 10, 2015 and cancelled it because of a venue conflict. They rescheduled for October 24, 2015 and cancelled because of rain. They refuse to give me a refund.