The Kingston Women’s Art Festival was started in the late 70’s by a group of women interested in promoting the work of women artists. The event has grown from its small roots to become a well-recognized and highly anticipated Kingston event. It now features over 200 artists, a full day of women’s music, dance and singer-songwriter performances, a silent auction, a children’s activity area, great food from local vendors, and over 4,000 visitors. The crowd is always representative of the whole community and many local residents make it an annual outing for the whole family. It has also become a favourite with the tourist crowd.

The original concept for the festival has, for the most part, remained unchanged. This unique, one-day rain or shine art festival has four facets:

• Celebrating women’s creativity through the arts
• Providing a forum for artists to display their work and meet other artists
• Encouraging women to meet, exchange ideas and connect with organizations
• Fundraising for local women’s organizations

This non-juried festival features original art designed and created by women and includes painting, printmaking, sculpture and pottery, jewelry, drawing, photography and fabric art to name a few. The number of artists who exhibit has grown from about 50 in the beginning to almost 200 in present day. About 1/3 of the exhibitors each year are new to the festival. Several artists have inspired their daughters and granddaughters to participate, resulting in multiple generations exhibiting together!

Each year, our festival takes place in Kingston’s beautiful City Park. For directions to the park, click here.