Park Play

Austinites of all ages and abilities gather for 30th Art in the Park

Kids can make a craft and bring it home at Art in the Park.

Austinites are getting outside to make art together for the 30th year on April 9 at Art in the Park, a free community arts festival at the Fiesta Gardens Pavilion. Disability nonprofit Art Spark Texas and the McBeth Recreation Center are inviting people of all ages and abilities to attend, try a new skill, watch performances, and more.

Art is for everyone, and this event goes a step further by emphasizing the way art can connect people. It might even show up in the art that's made; a press release hopes attendees will "discover what's possible when creativity and inclusion share the same space."

"It is so heartening to see the community come together year after year to celebrate the joy of creativity and the power of inclusion through the arts," said Art Spark Texas executive director Celia Hughes in the release. "Art in the Park is a reminder — one we've now shared for 30 years — that art has the unique ability to connect us all, regardless of age or ability."

Attendees will get to visit booths by local art organizations and other volunteers to make crafts they can bring home or learn about what those organizers are working on in the community. Other activities include:

A serpent puppet performance by Glass Half Full Theatre
Live wheelchair painting with Tread Lightly Art
A sensory retreat by Unboredroom
Screen printed Art in the Park Tees ($10) by Raw Paw
Guest interviews by KOOP Radio

A musical lineup includes several local artists for a mini-festival: TC Superstar, Strawbitty Yops, Circle of Fifths, Eddie Ray Band, Devin Gutierrez, Viktor Scot, and dance performances by Wings.

New this year, the festival has added an ecology area and a few food trucks: Acero Hearts, Dulce Frida, and Lulu's Treats Dessert Bar.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for organizations and artists to connect with the community, share their creativity, and be part of a celebration that makes art accessible to everyone," said Hughes. "We hope this anniversary year brings out new faces alongside the friends who've been with us from the beginning."

Art in the Park runs from 9 am to 2 pm. The Fiesta Gardens Pavilion is located at 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St.

visual art dance painting kids families disability

Dragon Day

YouTube artist ZHC to paint 40-foot dragon boat for Austin festival

Photo courtesy of The Lunar Foundation

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Austin-based YouTuber Zachary Hsieh will turn a 40-foot dragon boat into a live canvas during the 26th annual Austin Dragon Boat Festival. He'll finish the piece in front of crowds at Festival Beach on April 25, before the boat heads to auction later that week.

Hsieh, originally from the Bay Area and known online as ZHC, is recognized for large-scale, brightly colored illustrations. He has more than 29.3 million YouTube subscribers and has built a massive following by turning custom artwork into spectacle. His projects include surprising influencers with illustrated iPhones, spending 100 hours painting a hospital while donating $200,000 toward medical bills, and gifting Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, a teal, hand-painted Tesla.

ZHC donates most of his artwork, and the dragon boat project will follow a similar path. He'll paint a full-size decommissioned dragon boat and donate it to the Lunar Foundation, the producer of the event, for auction. Bidding on the boat will continue through April 30. The opening bid on the boat will be $25,000.

The Austin Dragon Boat Festival, sponsored by The Lunar Foundation and Austin Asian American Cultural Center, is one of the city’s longest-running cultural celebrations. It is also supported in part by Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME) through an Elevate Grant. The free, all-ages event at Festival Beach (1621 Nash Hernandez Sr. Rd.) begins at 10 am, with dragon boat races scheduled throughout the day alongside performances and food.

Eye Painting Ceremony Participants paint the dragon’s eye during a traditional “eye-dotting” ceremony, a ritual believed to awaken the dragon and bring it to life ahead of the races.Courtesy of The Lunar Foundation

The festival traces its roots back more than 2,000 years to the legend of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and government official. According to the story, villagers raced out in boats to save him, beating drums to ward off fish and throwing rice into the water, a practice that evolved into modern dragon boat racing and the tradition of eating zongzi, rice dumplings wrapped in leaves.

About 20 rowing teams are expected to participate throughout the day. The festival's program includes an opening ceremony and traditional eye-dotting ritual, cultural performances, and a midday flower ceremony honoring breast cancer survivors.

This year's festival will feature performances from:

Food vendors will include Happy Lemon at The Linc, Junbi Matcha, Kessho, Red Dragon Bao, Si Baby-Q, and TLF Zongzi & Beverages. Zongzi is the Chinese rice dumpling traditionally tied to the Dragon Boat Festival.

Founded in 1999 by Amy Wong Mok, the Austin Dragon Boat Festival celebrates the traditional Chinese dragon boat holiday while highlighting Austin’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Teams can register to compete through April 10.

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