The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival welcomes an average of 20,000 attendees every year.

Ranked among the top arts festivals in the nation, the event offers a delightful family experience along The Woodlands Waterway®, by the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Attendees can enjoy live music, local food, craft beer, fine wines, and children's art activities while exploring the artwork of 200 juried fine artists.

- #1 Voted Best Event in The Woodlands, 14 years in a row, by Woodlands Online

- #4 Voted Best Art Festival in the Nation, by USA Today's Readers' Choice

- #6 in Art Sales, by Art Fair Sourcebook

Artist Application Opens August 1st.

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival 2025

Video credit: @reveandco.studios

2026 - Call for Artists Important Dates

August 1, 2025: Call to Artists - application available on www.zapplication.org

October 19, 2025: Application deadline at midnight (CST)

November 8, 2025: Artist Image Jury- LIVE

November 23, 2025: Artist Notification of jury results via email in ZAPPlication profile

December 14, 2025: Invited Artist Payment deadline -Contracts and booth fees due

February 1, 2026: Refund deadline at midnight CST. The marketing campaign kicks off.

Featured Artist & Best of Show Winners

Each year, on the festival's opening day, a team of judges representing The Woodlands Arts Council reviews art from all participating artists to select a Featured Artist and Best of Show Winners. The judges are local gallery owners, art teachers, artists, and business professionals. Artists are scored on artistic merit and booth presentation. Prize winners are jury-exempt for two years and receive booth awards and other benefits.

2026 Featured Artist - Taman VanScoy

Born March 26, 1979 in Santa Barbara California, and raised in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California, the imagery surrounding Taman as a child consisted primarily of cityscapes with the occasional glimpse of a sun-drenched desert climate. Annual trips to the Midwest visiting the family farm and also being instinctively drawn to nature yet lacking the visual stimulation of wide-open colorful landscapes, he began to idealize landscape compositions and color combinations in his mind. In essence he would create an imaginary and almost dreamlike scene that to this day continues to be the first step when creating his paintings. By utilizing the subtle qualities of the medium, Taman creates minimal landscape scenes that capture the mysterious qualities of nature.

Artist Statement:

My paintings serve as a form of self-expression communicating ideas of desired peaceful contemplative serenity to the viewer. While my imagined scenes are typically quiet and serene, there is also a hint of mystery and wonderment. My technical approach is to alter and enhance the traditional subtle qualities of the watercolor medium by using an opaque white gouache and a dry-brush technique to create texture and contrast all the while juxtaposing with an overall soft and dreamlike feeling.

2025 Best of Show Artists

Michael Behr

Photography
Minneapolis, MN

Peter Karner

Ceramics
Denver, CO

James Offeman

Pastels
Missouri City, TX

George Perdomo & Jorge Villa

Sculpture & Metal Works
Spring, TX

Randi Solin

Glass
Brattleboro, VT

Lou Ann Townsend

Painting
Albuquerque, NM

Art Dash Party 2025

Video credit: @reveandco.studios

The Art Dash Party, presented by The Woodlands Compounding Pharmacy, marks the beginning of The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival. As The Woodlands' best-kept secret, it brings together artists and art lovers to support The Woodlands Arts Council's mission, serving as the main fundraiser for its Student Art Scholarships Program.

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