ANN ARBOR – Ann Arbor’s biggest summer event begins later this week, but townies and visitors alike took advantage of the accompanying street closures for a laid-back summer block party Tuesday evening.
Ann Arborites gathered on downtown streets Tuesday for a pre-Art-Fair Paint the Town festival that included the Dart for Art mile run, live music, chalk art demonstration from artist David Zinn and other fun activities.
The annual event, which took over after the Townie Street Party ended in 2024, kicked off at 5 p.m. with live art, food trucks and family-friendly activities like face painting and pickleball.
Dart for Art featured a short-distance dash for kids, a mile-long elite race and a community category. Runners sprinted through the University of Michigan campus between North University and South University Avenues before celebrating at food trucks and an Arbor Brewing beer tent.
Other activities included a spray park where guests could douse their friends with water hoses hooked up to an Ann Arbor Fire Department engine and an instrument petting zoo hosted by the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.
The Ann Arbor Art Fair begins in earnest on Thursday, when nearly 1,000 artists and artisans from across the country will line 30 downtown city blocks. Three separate fairs will combine to welcome about 500,000 visitors to Ann Arbor over the three-day fair.
To learn more about Art Fair and see a map of vendors, check out the website.
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