Show Review of the Month Alexandria Old Town Springtime Art Festival

April 2025, by Joe Hiltabidel

May 20-21, 2023; Alexandria Old Town Springtime Art Festival, Alexandria, VA. Contact: Howard Alan Events, Howard Alan, 270 Central Blvd., Suite 107B, Jupiter, FL 33458; Phone: 561-746-6615; Email: Info@ArtFestival.com; Website: artfestival.com/festivals/alexandria-king-street-art-festival; Application fee: $25; Space fee: $595; Space size: 10x10; 100% outdoors; Exhibitors: about 80; Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

This was my first time participating in a show by Howard Alan Events (HAE), and I came in with many preconceptions from other artists about what to expect. 

For example, I was warned HAE has strict rules and “they don’t suffer fools.” For sure, HAE sets its own standards, from using credit card authorization forms and a rolling jury to starting setup at 3:30 a.m. (or sooner “if you’re an early riser”). 

But I’m not suggesting they are wrong in the way they do things. In fact, maybe others should follow suit. 

Despite the name of the event, it does not actually take place in Old Town but instead just a few blocks away, in a beautiful green space called John Carlyle Square. The square has a wide, two-lane street that loops the entire way around the square, and it is on this street that tents are set up for the event. 

Surrounding the square are towering condos and several places to eat, shop, do your banking, or quickly exit using one of the side streets, which face every direction. 

I thought I would be deeply put off by starting setup at 3:30 a.m., but Shelly and I found it to be peaceful, quiet, and stress-free because we could take our time and were not expected to open until 9:30 a.m. 

I really appreciated the 3-feet-between-booths layout, which afforded us two outside walls on which we could hang additional artwork. After setting up for three hours, we had time to shower, change clothes, and then go have breakfast at one of the many local restaurants before heading back to the tent to open. 

This was a no-frills experience without awards, official booth sitters, a hospitality area, live music, or printed welcome packets. But not having those things did not take away from the professional HAE experience that was provided. 

The staff members were kind and helpful. All of them are artists, so they understand the business and logistics. They also do not ask anything of the exhibitors that they do not also ask of themselves. 

Load-in and load-out were as smooth as possible. Artists were able to unload directly at their booth space, and the wide berth of the loop road prevented close calls with vehicles and elevated stress levels. The artists I encountered were friendly and cooperative, with everyone working in unison to ensure an easy entrance and exit. 

HAE offered all-weekend parking for oversized vehicles at a cost of $50 per space, and parking in the local garages was only $5 per day if you were not towing a trailer or driving an oversized vehicle. 

Saturday’s forecast of rain never materialized during the event. Unfortunately, large crowds of buyers also did not materialize. A total of 252 people set foot inside our tent during festival hours, and our Saturday sales were only $425. 

Sunday was better for us. While only 205 people entered our tent, sales totaled $695 for a weekend total of $1,120. 

Of the few participants I talked with, one sold a few original paintings, one did not make the booth fee, and one sold nothing. Our price points ranged from $45 to $1,300. Of the 24 items we sold over the weekend, 22 of them were $45 items. 

This was a very dog-friendly event, with HAE supportive of dogs for both attendees and artists. The kettle corn, popsicles, and children (one artist was even carrying a baby) added to the family-oriented vibe of the event. 

Our expenses outweighed the sales, so sadly this was a loss for us. Still, I know the event was advertised and this was only its third year, so it is something we might consider trying again in the future. We also heard a competing event took place at the same time, which may have contributed to our low sales. 

Event communication was excellent, thorough, and detailed. We received the bulk of necessary information well in advance. 

Given the positive experience we had with HAE and the very good comments we have heard from others about their long-term HAE experience, we are already looking at their event calendar for future events.