Annual arts festival returns to Downtown Summerlin

The Summerlin Festival of Arts, a fall tradition, celebrates its 21st year as it returns to Downtown Summerlin on Oct. 8 and 9.

Headlining the festival are more than 100 fine artists and craftspeople from throughout the country, who were selected through a juried process to showcase and sell their original creations.

A full schedule of entertainment is led by a performance from Steve Wynn’s “ShowStoppers,” tap-dancing twins Sean &John from Caesars Palace’s “Absinthe,” along with many other musical acts and performing groups.

“On the heels of a newly reimagined festival last year that drew more than 30,000 people, we are continuing to add new and exciting artists and entertainers to our lineup,” said Danielle Bisterfeldt, vice president of marketing-Summerlin.

“Our 2016 roster includes many popular and returning artists who create in a variety of mediums, including photography, oil, watercolors, sculpture, metal, pottery and jewelry.

“We have continued our focus on entertainment, children’s art activities and, of course, delicious offerings from Downtown Summerlin restaurants. With so many talented singers, dancers and musicians joining the painters, sculptors and photographers, this year’s festival is truly a celebration of the arts.”

Nevada Ballet Theatre will give pop-up performances on unique 4-by-8-foot mini-dance floors multiple times during the weekend. Popular singers and bands include Avalon Landing, Broken Spectacles and Chadwick Johnson.

Local schools will be well-represented with performances from Del Sol High’s Mariachi Band, Palo Verde High’s Jazz Band, The Meadows Elite Strings and Faith Lutheran High’s Women’s Ensemble.

A new dance troupe headed by former Cirque performer Tyrell Rolle also will perform, along with jazz singer Toscha Comeaux and a quartet from Nevada School of the Arts.

Interactive art activities at the Children’s Pavilion, hosted by Discovery Children’s Museum, include fall-themed art projects, such as designing marbled leaves, scented apples and tissue paper trees.

Children and parents also can enjoy balloon-art creations, face-painting and a mascot meet-and-greet. Chef Chan Boupha from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Las Vegas returns with live pumpkin- and vegetable-carving demonstrations.

Other unique activities include the Art of Performance Driving Experience in a Jaguar or Land Rover with racecar driver Davy Jones; a children’s putt-putt challenge hosted by Shriners Hospitals for Children Open; demonstrations of robots built by Faith Lutheran High’s engineering students; children’s science activities hosted by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Engineering Department and Nevada Society of Professional Engineers; an opportunity to meet the team and see the design of UNLV’s Solar Decathlon team; and an opportunity to support HomeAid Southern Nevada’s “Bag Hunger” Donation Drive.

The Summerlin Festival of Arts will be held on The Lawn in Downtown Summerlin from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to the public.

Sponsors include the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jaguar Land Rover Las Vegas, Cox Communications and KSNE-FM Sunny 106.5.

For more information, visit summerlin.com. Follow live updates and join the social media conversation with #SummerlinArts and @SummerlinLV on Twitter; Summerlin on Facebook; and @Summerlin on Instagram.