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​Saturday, May 31: 10 am – 7 pm
Sunday, June 1: 10 am – 5 pm

Schwiebert Park, Rock Island, IL

presented by Quad City Arts

RSVP ON FACEBOOK ☆

CHALK ART FEST IS A FREE, TWO-DAY STREET ART FESTIVAL FEATURING LIVE OUTDOOR MUSIC, FOOD & DRINK VENDORS, CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES, AND MORe!

In its’ 9th year, Quad Cities Chalk Art Fest will take place May 31 - June 1, 2025 at Schwiebert Riverfront Park in downtown Rock Island, IL. The festival starts at 10 a.m. both days and goes till 7pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday. Awards will be presented on June 1, at 4:30 p.m.

This FREE, live outdoor arts festival brings together hundreds of artists that spend hours transforming the cement pavement at Schwiebert Park into a museum of chalk art, while competing for cash prizes. Visitors strolling by can see the wonderful works of art as they come to life, vote for their favorite and even do some chalk art of their own, by taking part in the community piece.

A full line-up of live music, food trucks, concessions, beer garden, face painting and a kid’s chalk zone area, are all part of the festivities. Over $2,000 in cash prizes will be awarded including a people’s choice and youth category award.
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The “paintings” are temporary, lasting only until the next rainfall, so you’ll want to catch a glimpse before they are gone. We invite you to join us for this lively and colorful weekend, celebrating artists coming together to showcase their talents to the community and encouraging creativity in people of all ages and abilities with a unique art form.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 

SatURDAY, May 31

9:00 am - Early check-in and start time for artists 
10 am -7 pm - Event Open to the Public

11 am -12:45 pm - DJ Mark Manuel/iHeart Radio 🎵
1:30 - 2:30 pm - Grupo Nuevo Estilo 🎵
3:15-4:45 pm - Frankie Joe & Kinfolk 🎵
5:15-7:00 pm Jenny Lynn Stacy Band  🎵
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SUNDAY, JUNE 1

9:00 am - Early check-in and start time for artists 
10 am -5 pm - Event Open to the Public
11:00-11:40 am - Voices by Share 🎵
12:00 - 1:45 pm - QC Rock Academy 🎵
2:15 - 4:00 pm -  The Textures 🎵​
4:30 pm - Awards Presented

FOOD TRUCKS, SWEET TREATS & LIBATIONS

  • Westmoreland Concessions
  • Arelys Food Truck
  • Bayside Bistro
  • Kona Ice of Eastern Iowa
  • Bent River Brewery
  • Wolfe It Down Pizza (Saturday Only)
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Kids Activities (both days)

  • Face Painting
  • Kid’s FREE Chalk Zone
  • Bouncehouse
  • Community Piece Design
  • ​Kaleidoscope Bus
  • "Have a Heart for Kidneys" community art project
  • Rock Island Public Library’s Library2Go will be on site from 10am-2pm

Location

Schwiebert Riverfront Park
101 17th St, Rock Island, IL 61201

We are thrilled to present this year’s event in the beautiful setting of Schwiebert Riverfront Park in downtown Rock Island, IL, directly across the street from Quad City Arts headquarters and gallery.

Prizes & AWARDS

Judging will take place at 3 pm. Awards will be at 4:30 pm on Sunday, June 1
(Works must be completed by 3pm on June 1 to be eligible for judging)
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Best in Show Awards
  • 1st Place: $500
  • 2nd Place: $300
  • 3rd Place: $250
  • 2 Honorable Mentions: $100 each
  • People’s Choice: $250 (adult and youth eligible)
  • NEW! Artist Choice: $100 (adult and youth eligible) – 1 voting slip per artist/team will be provided in artist welcome bag.

Category Awards
  • ​Best 3D: $50
  • Best Reproduction: $50​

Youth Awards
  • 1st Place: $150 to the artist/team, & $200 in art supplies to the artist’s school
  • 2nd Place: $100
  • 3rd Place: $50

*Youth category will have a smaller 6'x6' square and will be judged separately from the other awards.
*At least one team member must be 12 years of age or older by the time of the competition.
​*All team members must be 17 or younger to be eligible for the youth award.

Community Collaboration Piece

Join the Fun! Participants will have chalk available to help fill in a 2’ x 2’ portion of a larger collaborative image.
Once complete, the full artwork will come to life as a vibrant community masterpiece!
(Chalk will be provided for use on-site only.)

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Artist Registration

Registration is FREE for artists and includes a 48-ct box of professional pastel chalk per team and a festival t-shirt for each team member. If you are a new artist, we request that you upload two samples of your work. Quad City Arts will review submissions for artistic quality and select artists that we believe will provide a quality, family-friendly public art experience. Artists can expect to be notified within one week after submitting their registration.
 
ARTIST REGISTRATION
​Extended to May 19
RULES/REGULATIONS
For any questions, please contact Ben Gougeon at [email protected] or (309) 793-1213 ext. 100

 SPonsored By

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VOLUNTEER AT CHALK ART FEST!

This cool, creative and fun event has numerous volunteer opportunities that include setting up tents, cleaning lunch tables, greeting guests, distributing water to artists, supporting kid’s activities, breakdown and more.  All volunteers receive a FREE festival t-shirt! 
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SIGN UP Today

2024 WINNERS 

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1st Place: Austin Robertson #48
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2nd Place: Nithya Mohan #73
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3rd Place: Shawn Shadden #92
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Honorable Mention #1: Savannah Shadden #93
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Honorable Mention #2: Maia Glover #50
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People’s Choice (adult and youth eligible): Alex VandeWalle #9
Best Reproduction: Alex VandeWalle #9
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Best 3D: John Buggs #62
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1st Place: Emma Larson # Y14
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2nd Place: Sydney Scott # Y16
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3rd Place: Avery Conger # Y12

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​Rock Island Gallery
​& Store Hours

Mon–Fri: 10a–5p
Sat: 11a–5p
Closed Sundays

CONTACT

Phone: 309.793.1213
[email protected]
1715 2nd Ave, Rock Island, IL 61201

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ABOUT

Quad City Arts is dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the Quad City region through the arts. The organization’s dual role of presenting the arts and humanities, as well as serving as an arts resource, allows us to serve more than 350,000 people annually in the Arts Center in Rock Island and at over 200 rural and urban community sites.​

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  • About
  • Programs
    • Art Services
    • Visiting Artist Series
    • Public Sculpture Program
    • Metro Arts Youth Apprenticeship Program
    • Arts Dollars Grant Program
  • Events
    • All Events
    • Quad City Arts Presents
    • Chalk Art Fest
    • Riverssance Festival
    • 2025 High School Art Invitational
    • Celebration of the Arts & Lloyd Awards
    • Festival of Trees
  • Galleries
    • Rock Island Gallery
    • Airport Gallery
    • Second Avenue Window
  • Resources
    • Opportunities
  • Artist Index
  • Blog
  • Store
  • Donate