Although the pandemic created a hiccup, Art This Way’s annual Art Crawl: Alley Bash has been picking up steam since its 2017 inception.

“In 2019, we were at 2,500 (attendees) or so, and in 2021, we kind of had to work our way back to that point,” Art This Way Manager Alex Hall said. 

After having the event scattered around downtown to show off the arts scene, the Art Crawl was moved exclusively outdoors in 2023, in the alleyways enclosed between Berry and West Washington streets and Harrison and Calhoun streets.

Without food being served, ticket prices were dropped and a record crowd of about 5,000 people came out.

“It went well, so we’re doing it again this year,” Hall said.

Along with the same format as last year, this year’s Art Crawl will also see East Wayne Street being closed off to traffic.

“It adds another area that we can program to the footprint,” Hall said. “Last year, we had about 5,000 attend, and we found we probably needed a little more space.” 

This year’s event with artists doing work in real time and live bands will be from 6-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20. Tickets are $20, and Hall encourages you to go to their website, arthiswayfw.com/art-crawl, to purchase your ticket in advance. 

“It is so much more convenient if people buy tickets beforehand,” she said. “In part because we only have a few ticket kiosks. Because we’re trying to move in 5,000 people, it makes sense for people to be able to show that they have made their purchase on their phones. Then they can get a wristband and easily enter, as opposed to stopping and filling out their credit card information and going through the transaction process.”

Live performances

Once you have your wristband, you’ll be privy to all the festivities.

Among the eye candy will be artists creating works in real time, including Phresh Laundry, Tulip Tree Healing Arts Collective, Joseph Palka, Kind Goods, Diane Young, Matilda’s Way Art, Art of Maeve, Floormallow Media, John C Kelty Watercolors, Sol Eye Glass, Emily Mercedes Art, and newcomer Lucía Inman Valero.

“To my knowledge, she has not exhibited in the city of Fort Wayne,” Hall said of Valero, who hails from Spain and does photorealistic charcoal paintings and 3-D paintings, as well as acrylic and oil paintings. “She is an immigrant and an artist who is trying to break onto the scene. She is very well-established, but just has not really shown in Fort Wayne. It will be neat to show off what she does.”

While you cruising the artwork, you will also be hearing from a number of bands, including James & The Drifters, Farmland Jazz Band, Vox Deco, DJ Polaris, Intrepid Cat, The Mad Scatter, The Ragtag Bunch, and Los Electro.

Among the newcomers are Los Electro, who draw a crowd wherever they go with their Latin rock.

“They have really good energy, and what we’re always looking for is someone that is just really a performer and really gets the crowd going,” Hall said.

Speaking of “going,” a couple of the bands will be on the move.

“Vox Deco and Ragtag Bunch will both be doing a cappella,” Hall said. “So that’s different than years prior, and they will be both be kind of roaming. With the nature of what they do, they can move about a bit. So you can catch them at various locations throughout the footprint.”

Experiences

Along with the live music, the silent disco returns with DJ Trend supplying the music. 

The silent disco will have plenty of dancing, but you won’t hear the music. That is unless you have a pair of the supplied headphones. And if you want those, you better arrive early.

“People are aware of what it is now,” Hall said of the silent disco, which will be making its third appearance the Art Crawl. “They are quick to get their name into the queue and get their headphones and dance for a while. 

“It does get really busy toward the end of the night. Last year, we had a bit of a wait for the headphones to cycle. I would say, if it’s something people want to do, earlier in the evening is better. As you get later into the night, the atmosphere changes a bit. It gets darker and maybe people feel more comfortable dancing.”

Along with the silent disco, there will be other attractions to experience, which Hall says is the entire point of the Art Crawl.

“This is supposed to be an experiential event,” she said. “So, you’re not just supposed to be there to catch the roaming Farmland Jazz Band, but also experience some of the different opportunities.

“So, we have the 360-degree photo booth, which is pretty popular. Silent disco is also coming back. And each year we have a scavenger hunt, and this year we’ve partnered with Amani Family Services as part of their Welcoming Week. 

“We will have a mural hunt that is specifically designed for people to go to the zones where someone has a second language or they are an immigrant who came from a country with a predominant spoken language that is not English. We have a lot of sculptures and murals that are representative of people that have various backgrounds. For example, in front of the On Wings of Hope sculpture, the Ukrainian immigrant, Lena Balger, who designed it, will have a welcome sign written in Ukrainian. 

“It’s really about going to those different sites and learning about the artist that made those and highlighting the great diversity of talent in our downtown.”

Go-To event

And while your experiencing all there is to take in at the Art Crawl, you will be able to have a drink in your hand without worrying if it’s allowed or not.

“All of the bars that are participating will be serving DORA cups,” Hall said of the cups allowed in the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, which the event is very much inside of. “So, we have Pint & Slice, Dash-In, Dana’s, and JK O’Donnell’s all operating bars within the footprint.”

You were able to have drinks at the Art Crawl last year, but this year, the bars are making it even easier by having stands set up outside their establishments.

With a few tweaks to last year’s successful plan, it looks as though this year will be even bigger and better, so don’t wait to get those tickets.

“The hope is we have another big year,” Hall said. “We’ve expanded the footprint and there’s a lot for people to do in the space.”

And with even more to do, it will most likely become a favorite for even more people.

“It’s becoming a norm for people,” Hall said. “Sometimes you have people that really latch onto an event that they like. It’s nice to be in people’s calendars all year long.”