Old Florida Celebration of the Arts Festival

Established in 1964 and formerly known as the Cedar Key Sidewalk Arts Festival, the Old Florida Celebration of the Arts returned to a juried fine art fair format in 2006. Over the past 15 years, the festival’s reputation has grown and it is now recognized as one of the top Small-Town Art Fairs in the nation. Welcoming only 100 high-quality artists and about 15-18,000 visitors annually, the event radiates a relaxed and friendly atmosphere often missing in larger venues. The island community of Cedar Key is surrounded by the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge on Florida’s Gulf Coast. This free event benefits the Cedar Key Arts Center, the coordinating sponsor, in addition to local non-profit and Cedar Key School groups who serve delicious food, beverages and goodies during the festival.

Nancy Connors from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, has been named the winner of the 2024 Old Florida Celebration of the Arts Design Contest.  Over two dozen entries in a variety of mediums were submitted in response to this year’s theme, Feathered Friends. Although the decision was not easy, the Old Florida Celebration of the Arts Working Committee chose Nancy’s piece, Blue Heron, because they felt it best represented the theme and the small island community of Cedar Key, in addition to being the perfect choice for promoting the festival