Urban farm fun at the third annual Fall Festival in Downtown Spokane | Arts and entertainment

Looking for fun fall activities for friends? Well, look no further.

Downtown Spokane is hosting its third annual Fall Festival. For the first time, the festival was expanded to a two-day event. It takes place on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 10 S. Howard St.

Elisabeth Hooker, Program and Marketing Director of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, launched the Fall Festival 2018 to bring the feel of autumn to the urban downtown area with attractions that bring the Spokane community together.

“Fall is definitely a neighborhood feeling,” Hooker said. “And although we are an inner city for a medium-sized city, this is our chance to create an identity as a neighbor.”

This year’s Fall Festival encompasses all of downtown with four main areas of activity: River Park Square, Wall Street, Parkade Plaza, and Riverfront Park. Each part of the city center offers different attractions, ranging from an urban pumpkin patch to a petting zoo and a beer garden.

The wide range of activities during the festival makes it suitable for people of all ages.

The festival’s central location allows the Spokane community to further explore downtown shops, restaurants, and parks. According to Hooker, it’s also a great opportunity for the community to get involved in their city and experience new things.

“It’s really nice to see people downtown and discover and try new things that they didn’t know were here,” Hooker said.

A new feature added to the Fall Festival this year is the Art Fair presented by Spokane Arts, which will be held under the pavilion in Riverfront Park.

The art fair features a range of unique works by local artists and artisans. Everything from paintings, photographs, prints, ceramics, housewares, and jewelry is on sale in this part of the festival

“The Art Fair has a fantastic selection of artists including some more established artists as well as some great new artists who recently moved to the area and are looking forward to this event to connect with more people,” said Mika Maloney. Program Director for Spokane Arts and Art Fair Coordinator, via email.

Maloney also believes the show will provide artists in the Spokane area with the perfect platform to connect with fellow artists and the public.

While Downtown Spokane wants the festival to be enjoyable for its attendees, it is also dedicated to protecting the public. In order to reduce the risk of COVID-19, the organizers therefore ask all participants to observe public safety measures and to request masks for all indoor activities and overcrowded outdoor areas.

Both Hooker and Maloney believe that despite COVID-19 regulations, the festival will be a great atmosphere for families and all things will fall. In addition, they look forward to the public experiencing the sense of connectedness that the Fall Festival creates.

“That’s my favorite thing that came out of it – just people get to know each other, say hello, and maybe feel a little more connected,” Hooker said.

As of now, Downtown Spokane plans to hold the Fall Fest again next year, at around the same time. With regard to the artist fair, however, the plans are a little more uncertain.

“I would love to see this be an annual event, but we’re taking it all individually now,” said Maloney. “So no firm plans for next year yet, but we’ve had a really good response from artists who are looking forward to a place where they can share their work with more people.”

For information about the Fall Festival, visit Downtown Spokane’s website at https://d Bäumenspokane.org.

Amelia Troncone is a salaried writer.