The Pecan Street Festival is an arts celebration featuring over a hundred local and national artists, and is typically held in May and September annually on Sixth Street in Austin.
The overview
The relocation was decided upon unanimously by the festival’s board members after space constraints were imposed by new safety bollards and fences the city of Austin placed along Sixth Street, festival producer Luis Zapata said.
“In order to continue with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Pecan Street Spring Festival, we had no choice but to move outside of the city of Austin,” Zapata said. “The current configuration of Sixth Street would have made the festival financially unsound as we would have lost a third of space sales revenue.”
The city of Austin worked to find several other locations for the festival, none of which were ultimately available, Zapata said. Organizers then chose to relocate to Bee Cave, where Zapata’s company and managers of Pecan Street Festival, Special Events Live, has hosted its Independence Day Festival for over a decade.
“Crises are opportunities,” Zapata said. “We expect a great turnout due to the safety and cleanness of Hill Country Galleria. This shall be a much better experience for our vendors and loyal attendees. Especially because of the free parking and welcoming spirit of the Galleria.”
The details
The festival will take place on May 3 from 11 a.m-10 p.m, and May 4 from 11 a.m-8 p.m. Festivities on May 3 will overlap with election day, and Bee Cave residents voting in the area will be advised by the city to plan accordingly, Bee Cave Director of Communications Crystal Cotti said. Over 400,000 attendees visit the festival each year, according to the festival’s website.
The festival also includes 30 food vendors, kid-friendly activities like petting zoos and face painting, and a range of performances by Austin musicians, according to its website.
Potential relocation of the festival’s September event will be evaluated following the Bee Cave event in May, Zapata said.
What else?
The Pecan Street Association donates festival proceeds to several Austin-area nonprofits, according to its website. These include Austin Pets Alive, the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, Habitat for Humanity and Austin Parks and Recreation, among others.
