Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The annual TroyFest Art Festival will be returning to Troy this April, after last year’s cancelation. Last April, organizers were forced to cancel the festival for safety measures against COVID-19.

“After receiving many inquiries from artists trying to plan their 2021 festival dates, we opened artist registration for a 2021 festival,” said Rob Drinkard, TroyFest Art & Craft Festival Chairman. “We had to make a very difficult decision to cancel the festival in 2020; however, we know now that it was the best and healthiest decision for our community and vendors.”

Drinkard explained as they look forward to the 2021 festival, there are still many things to consider, but they know they can’t have the art festival without the artists.

“We opened the artist application through Zapplication to begin our jury process,” he said. “These are the very beginning phases of our festival.”

Morgan Drinkard, the TroyFest Art & Craft Festival Publicity Chair, is hopeful the festival will continue as planned this year, but also understands there are many considerations to make about the health and safety of the community and the artists.

“TroyFest is always a wonderful time for our community. We have an incredible committee of volunteers and a strong working relationship with the City of Troy who will work together to see what options we have for a festival in late April. The health and safety of our community and our artists will guide those decisions,” she said.

This festival was first created in honor of Jean Lake and is now the premier fine art and craft festival for the Central Alabama region. Artists, vendors, locals, and visitors all come to enjoy a good time and celebrate the arts.

Drinkard’s heart goes out to community members who are experiencing grief and hurt from the effects of Covid. She and her husband are not only making plans for the health and safety of those who attend the festival, but also hope to bring joy to the community through art and all the festival has to offer.

“It is a very difficult time for so many who are grieving the effects of COVID-19, and we know there is much uncertainty ahead. We pray that our community will be in a place to play host to this festival in late April,” she said.

This year TroyFest will take place on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25 on the square in downtown Troy.