Volvo Mayfaire by-the-Lake is This Weekend!

Whoo Hoo! It’s Volvo Mayfaire by-the-Lake time again! We’re working like crazy over here at Polk Museum of Art to make sure it’s a great event (as usual), and we have a weekend full of activities planned for the whole family.

For those who may not know, Volvo Mayfaire is one of the oldest and largest outdoor art festivals in Central Florida. It’s celebrating its 37th year this year, and 185 artists in all styles and media will be showcasing their work around the shores of Lake Morton in Downtown Lakeland. Click here to check out the list of artists and get a preview of what to expect!

Start your weekend with the Mayfaire Kick-Off Party on Friday night, 6-8pm. $35 gives you access to a VIP area located on the Lakeland Public Library Lawn, an open bar, and great food by Texas Cattle Company. Plus, some of the artists will have their tents open for early shopping. After that, mosey down to Lake Mirror for the City of Lakeland’s Pics on the Promenade. They’ll be showing West Side Story at dusk.

Volvo Mayfaire itself opens Saturday morning at 10am. Besides the great art, there’s also entertainment on the shady Library Lawn, food vendors, and a Children’s Art Tent with fun art activities for children of all abilities. The festival ends at 5pm, but don’t leave yet! Instead…

… Head on over to the Lake Mirror Promenade for Mayfaire Saturday Night/Festival of Arts and Athletes. Bring your blanket and chairs and enjoy music by the Rogues. Food and drink vendors will be on site, or you can pack your picnic. At 7pm, Lakeland Runner’s Club will start its annual Mayfaire Classic 5k Foot Race, and awards will be presented shortly after the last runner/walker crosses the finish line. But the best part is the FIREWORKS at 9pm.

Sunday morning at 10am, the artists will be back on Lake Morton for the last day of Volvo Mayfaire by-the-Lake. Yeah, we know it’s Mother’s Day. That’s the whole idea! Bring Mom down to the festival and let her pick out a great piece of artwork for her Mother’s Day gift. (Hint: Moms tend to like jewelry, and we’ve got MANY great jewelers in the show.)

PARKING is always a big question we get, and our best advice is to park at Florida Southern College! It’s free and we’ll have a shuttle running from the lot to the lake all day, both days. Not only that, but we’ll have FREE MayFerries running around Lake Morton during the festival, so if you get tired walking that half-mile stretch, you can catch a ride to the next MayFerry Stop!

Finally, I have to say one thing: Rocky Bridges from Tarpon Springs is this year’s poster and t-shirt artist. I hope you’ve seen the posters around (yellow background, red folding chair) and you can purchase a large one at Volvo Mayfaire — a few of which are signed by Rocky. The t-shirt looks the same as the poster, and you can choose from a red or black shirt (black only for XL – XXXL).

Whew! That’s a lot! But it’s a huge event and there’s so much going on! I hope you can make it out to the lake to be a part of it. And if you see me, stop and say hi! I’ll be wearing a red Mayfaire shirt, a big hat, and LOTS of spf 50 over my pale skin and freckles…