Lynchburg Art Festival

Lynchburg’s Art Festival is a long‑standing annual celebration of fine visual art, held each September on the spacious grounds of E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia. Since its inception over five decades ago, it has grown into a premier event in the region. The 52nd edition is set for September 20,  2025, with a rain date on September 21.

This inviting outdoor festival features more than 100 to 140 artists from across Virginia and neighboring states displaying and selling original works in a wide range of mediums including watercolor, oil, pastels, acrylic, encaustic, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and drawing.

This year’s Art Festival Judge will be Twyla Kitts, a retired artist and educator who spent a majority of her career with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and continues to volunteer there regularly.

Festival highlights:

Open to adult artists (18+), plus a student exhibition showcasing high school (grades 9–12) artists

Generous cash prizes, including Best in Show awards and scholarships for young local talent. In recent years, over $6,000–$7,000 in awards have been awarded, with proceeds supporting the Shirley D. Hobbs Scholarship Fund, awarding a local senior high school student with a $4000 scholarship toward a Fine Arts Degree.

Free public admission, with festival hours typically 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.