DENTON ARTS & JAZZ FESTIVAL: double the fun
Learn the ropes at Denton's premier music and art festival.
he Denton Arts & Jazz Festival is a unique event for North Texas, giving you two festivals in one. Produced by the Denton Festival Foundation Inc., this annual event combines great music—more than 2,200 performers on six stages—with art from 160 artists from Texas and beyond.
This year’s festival (April 25-27 in Quakertown Park) stars headliners Delbert McClinton and Denton’s own Brave Combo. Factor in treats from more than 50 food vendors and free admission, and it’s easy to see why this event draws 200,000 people every year.
“What makes the festival unique is the combination of art and music,” Children’s Art Tent Chairwoman Jane Ruestmann says. “The art is wonderful, and we have some pretty big names in music that come to perform.”
>>The Artist’s Perspective
The Arts & Jazz Festival is the result of a merger of two events: Spring Fling, which began in 1980 as an arts fundraiser, and the music-centric JazzFest. The fusion resulted in a vibrant event with participating artists such as glass jewelry makers Paul and Denise Kollaritsch savoring the music as a meaningful fringe benefit.
“When the booths close down, it gives us a chance to hear the bands perform,” Paul says. Among the 160 artists’ booths inside and around the Civic Center are displays of pottery, sculpture, watercolors, jewelry, and stained glass. It’s a juried show with art subjected to an appraisal before acceptance. Festival founder and director Carol Short loves seeing artists mature through their work.
“When the artist is developing and growing and being challenged by their art, you notice new works, new media they’re working in, and that gives us great pride to see that development through the years,” she says.
Kids get an opportunity to be creative at the Children’s Art Tent, where they can draw, paint, and make prints under the supervision of a volunteer staff of art teachers from Denton’s school system and students from Texas Woman’s University.
The festival also features other junior-set amusements: face painting, inflatable games, rock-climbing, and a Ferris wheel.
>>Getting on Stage
If jazz is what you came to hear, Friday night (April 25) is the best time to enjoy it with this year’s headlining act, The Neville Brothers. Saturday (April 26) climaxes with bluesrocker Delbert McClinton. On Sunday (April 27) the weekend culminates with a closing celebration starring Denton’s favorite polka band, Brave Combo.
Of the six stages, three feature professional performers: heavy-hitters on the Wells Fargo and Budweiser Jazz Stage, eclectic beats on the Budweiser Courtyard Stage, and a variety of performances on the KNTU-FM 88.1 Roving River Stage.
The other three—Wells Fargo Celebration Stage, Denton-Record Chronicle’s Festival Stage, and the Target Center Stage—are community stages where students and up- and-comers can learn the ropes of performing professionally.
“We treat those kids and college musicians as if they are pros,” Short says. “They’re just as important for the overall look and feel of the festival as our paid professionals. And you never know what little dancer is going to be on that bigger stage someday. We feel that we’re not only developing audiences but also future artists.”
Short knows of many high school bands that make the festival a field trip; it becomes an inadvertent recruiting tool for the University of North Texas.
>>People Make It Happen
Along with the many sponsors, volunteers help make the Arts & Jazz Festival a success every year. From big corporations to independent businesses, Denton community support drives the success of the event. More than 400 Top Hands, or festival volunteers, man booths and run errands, making sure the experience is top notch.
Top Hands work four-hour shifts, though some prefer to come for a whole day. For $15, members get perks such as a parking pass, free food and drink coupons, and the opportunity to listen to some fantastic music. To volunteer, call the festival office at (940) 565-0931.
“And it couldn’t be done without the cooperation of the city,” says Festival Foundation president Kathleen Duffy. “The city of Denton is a major sponsor in terms of providing us with a park to use and parks and recreation employees. It’s a wonderful partnership which we have because it’s a free event,” she says.
There is one notable change this year for the usually inclusive festival, Short says. The festival organizers are discouraging visitors from bringing their dogs (except for service dogs), due to dense crowds and safety concerns.