A Guide to Art Fairs and Markets Along the Front Range

If you make original art and you're not selling at any fairs yet, you're leaving money and exposure on the table. Art fairs put your work in front of buyers who are already in a spending mindset, let you test new pieces in real time, and build the kind of local following that online sales alone rarely create. The Front Range has a strong lineup of juried shows and markets, but most of them require applying months ahead, so knowing the calendar matters as much as knowing the work.

What to Know Before You Apply

Most established fairs use a jury process. You submit a handful of images of your work, sometimes along with a booth shot, and a panel decides who gets in. A few things to keep in mind:

Applications open far ahead of the event. Many major fairs open applications 6 to 9 months before the show itself. Missing a window usually means waiting a full year.

There's usually a jury fee and a booth fee. The jury fee (often $35 to $55) covers the application review and isn't refundable. The booth fee, which can range from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand for the larger shows, is what you pay if you're accepted.

Image quality matters as much as the work itself. Jurors are looking at photos, not your actual pieces. Clean, well-lit, color-accurate images of your work can be the difference between getting in and getting passed over.

Some fairs use a rolling jury, others review all at once. A rolling jury reviews applications every couple of weeks until the show fills, so applying early gives you a real advantage. A single-deadline jury reviews everyone together after the deadline closes, so timing within the window matters less.

Major Art Fairs and Markets Along the Front Range

Cherry Creek Arts Festival (Denver)This is the big one. Held each July in Denver's Cherry Creek North neighborhood, it's one of the most well-regarded art shows in the country, with over 260 juried artists and an audience of art-savvy collectors. The 2026 show ran July 3-5, and the festival typically lands on the first weekend of July. The 2027 application window opens October 1 and closes December 1, 2026, so if you want to apply, mark that window now. This is a competitive show, but it's also one of the highest-earning fairs artists in this region can access.

Pearl Street Arts Fest (Boulder)Held on Pearl Street Mall and the Boulder County Courthouse Lawn each July, this one draws huge foot traffic thanks to Boulder's tourist season. The 2026 show ran July 17-19 (its 49th year), typically the third weekend of July. It's been named among the top fine art and design shows in the country and pulls in tens of thousands of attendees over the weekend. The 2026 call closed in February, so watch for the next application window to open around late 2026 or early 2027.

Fort Collins Art Festival (Old Town, Linden Street)This is Northern Colorado's own premier art and craft show, set right in Old Town Fort Collins. The show has run the first weekend of August in recent years (August 2-3 in 2025, August 5-6 in 2023). It uses a rolling jury, reviewing applications every couple of weeks until the show is full, so earlier applications have better odds. Applications run through ZAPPlication, and details on the current call are posted through Visit Fort Collins. For artists based here, this is a natural first fair to target since you already know the crowd and the setting.

Art in the Park (Loveland)Part of Loveland's "Weekend of Art" each August, held alongside the internationally known Sculpture in the Park. The 2026 show ran August 8-9 (its 59th year), always the second weekend of August. Art in the Park includes a juried gallery of fine artisans and a broader market of fine arts and crafts, making it a good fit for painters, printmakers, and 2D artists, not just sculptors.

Sculpture in the Park (Loveland)Worth knowing about even if your work isn't sculpture, since it's the largest outdoor juried sculpture show and sale in the country and draws massive crowds to Loveland the same August weekend as Art in the Park. The 2026 show ran August 7-9 (its 42nd year), the same second weekend of August. If you're exhibiting nearby, this is part of why that weekend is worth targeting.

How to Prepare Your Booth and Prints

Once you're in, the work shifts from applying to preparing. A few things to have ready well before the show:

Prints in multiple sizes and price points. Not every buyer wants to spend gallery-original prices. Having smaller giclée prints available alongside your originals gives browsers an easy way to buy something and take a piece of your work home.

Canvas for outdoor durability. If you're showing outdoors, canvas prints hold up better to sun and handling than paper. Paper prints work well displayed under glass or in protective sleeves.

Clear, consistent signage. Buyers move through fairs quickly. Simple pricing and a clear artist name and statement help people decide fast.

A weatherproof display plan. Wind, sun, and sudden rain are part of outdoor fair life on the Front Range. Weighted tent walls, print sleeves, and a backup plan for sudden weather will save a show.

Pricing Your Work for a Fair Audience

Fair pricing works differently than gallery or online pricing. You're often selling to people making an impulse decision in the moment, not researching your work ahead of time. Having a range, from affordable prints to larger originals, means you're not relying on a single high-ticket sale to make the weekend worth it. It also helps to have a few pieces priced low enough for an easy yes, since those sales build your following and often lead to bigger purchases down the road.

A Quick Prep Checklist

• Business cards or a simple way to collect contact info

• A payment system that works without reliable wifi (many fairgrounds have weak signal)

• Clear pricing signage for every piece

• Weather protection for your booth and your prints

• An inventory list so you know what sold and what to restock

W

hatever fairs you choose, having your prints ready ahead of time matters. Reach out to Fine Ink Printing if you need archival giclée prints in multiple sizes, canvas or paper, ready well before your application deadlines and show dates.