What the Woodland Art Fair Actually Costs (and Where to Park)

The Woodland Art Fair landed on one of those dog-days-of-summer Saturdays like it always does, sometimes you get lucky with some cloud cover but not often. It also landed on UK move-in weekend, so Lexington was full in every direction I looked. There was no parking to be had anywhere as far as I could see. We got there around noon anyway, along with what felt like a good crowd of people.

First tip, learned the hard way: hydrate at home before you come. I had planned to just buy water and drinks at the fair, and you can, but you pay for them and they add up on a hot day because it's important to stay hydrated. Hydrating at home is free, but ain't no way I'm passing out, take my money!

The fair itself is exactly what the name promises: handmade art from the people who made it. Hand-painted magnets, glass art, sculpture, and yes, cat butthole art, you read that right, somebody makes it, and it was getting people's attention. The tent was crowded! It may actually be possible to finally sit on your butt and make money. Turns out, we all might have been sitting on a gold mine this entire time! That's the kind of range there is here. You can just walk and sightsee, or you can have a shopping trip.

The food scene is not a joke. 38 food and beverage vendors this year. I walked past Kentucky Q, caught one whiff of wood smoke, and knew my decision had been made for me. Pulled pork plate, bourbon BBQ sauce, potato salad, baked beans. I have family in Owensboro, so I know BBQ, and this is good BBQ. Just a bottle of water with it, see tip one, LOL. The beans spilled into the BBQ a little bit, but that's ok, more flavor to savor.

There is a big cluster of picnic tables around the food vendors, and seats are hard to come by. If you see a group getting up, move fast, somebody else probably has their eye on that table too. Honestly, just plan on eating standing up. A lot of people do.

After lunch I wanted something fancier and found it at Jasmine Rice: a Thai tea that might have been the most refreshing thing at the fair. Highly recommend. My wife splurged at the Castle & Key trailer on the Watermelon Smash, Castle & Key bourbon, tart watermelon, lemon, and bitters. On a ninety-something-degree day, that drink was extremely refreshing. There were plenty of alcohol options, and this felt like one of the fancier and more enjoyable ones. They've been there every year I've gone, so look for them again next August.

One thing you notice at Woodland that you don't at every festival: the dogs. People bring them, and you will meet some of the friendliest, cutest, best-dressed dogs. I've seen some being pushed around in baby strollers.

What it actually cost: admission is free, so all you have to worry about is food and drinks and that handmade craft that caught your eye. Here's our breakdown: $40 at Kentucky Q (I ordered an extra portion of pulled pork, no regrets), $5 for the Thai tea, $12 for the Watermelon Smash, and $24 for three hand-painted glass refrigerator magnets at $8 apiece. Call it about $73 for two people to eat well, drink well, and take some art home. You could do the whole fair for the cost of a water bottle, or you could do real damage at the sculpture booths, the fair meets whatever budget walks in. In all honesty it's just fun to go and look and not buy anything. We've done that in years past. The amount of creativity and talent there is nothing short of amazing!

The parking story, since parking is kind of my niche: we arrived around noon, and by then every side street around the park was spoken for. We ended up parking near Euclid Avenue and walking up, which worked fine. The find of the day, though, was on Clay Avenue: Hope Presbyterian Church was running $10 paid parking in their lot, with proceeds going to Beauty Table, a Lexington organization that supports local artists. A guaranteed spot a short walk from the park, and the money goes to artists, at an art fair. If the side streets are full, that's the move. Full details, garages, and the free-meter trick are in the Woodland Art Fair parking guide.

The fair runs the same weekend every August, and Sunday can be just as crowded, unfortunately. This wasn't our first Woodland haul, either. A few years back we bought a larger glass piece from a booth that has been at the fair year after year, and it still has a place in our house. We've been going for years and we'll be back next August. Most of the artists will be too.