Residents of Austin, Texas are no strangers to festivals, especially since the city is branded the ‘Live Music Capital of the World.’ Along with ACL and SXSW, there is a bi annual festival that occurs which has been epitomizing Austin culture for going on 37 years! The Pecan Street Festival was created in 1980 by the Pecan Street Association with the goal of highlighting and beautifying the historical heritage of the district that has had tremendous impact in transforming the city into what it is today.

A complete non-profit, the Pecan Street Festival is one of the only completely free to attend art and music festivals in the country, and all proceedings are donated to other nonprofit organizations. President of the Pecan Street Association Lynn Raridon shared her thoughts on how the festival reflects the various cultures and backgrounds that make up the city and its diverse residents.

“The Pecan Street Festival has always been about promoting the melting pot of cultures in our city through the arts- be it visual, musical, edible or handicrafts. Through the years, we have had themes to our choices of musical artists, focusing on everything from Latino and World Beat, to  Urban, Soul and Female artists. We also take pride in curating a diverse array of vendors, artists and artisans, and food trucks, that also represent the multi cultural/ethnic makeup of our community,” Raridon said.

Taking place on 6th Street (originally named Pecan Street), the festival is in the heart of the city and along with displaying the diverse customs of Austinites it has had a definite part in shaping the community it has represented for going on four decades. Raridon explained the significance of the Pecan Street Festival and the attendance it has gained throughout the years.

“We like to think that our event was helping to Make Austin Weird, long before it was a trendy catch phrase/bumper sticker! We believe our event has had a very strong, positive influence on the community, and has been an influencing factor in the creation and rise of other festivals in Austin. Our event traditionally draws over 100K visitors over the course of 2 days, which we believe has shown other producers that, if done right, Austin is very responsive to festivals.” Raridon said.

In addition to the countless vendors and tents, three stages are set up on Trinity, Red River, and Neches Street to display 50 of Austin’s top musical acts to further show the cultural diversity and styles of the city. The Pecan Street Festival has a lot to offer someone ranging from a local eager to learn more about their home, to a visitor looking to frequent one of the city’s many historic events. Raridon added that it is believed the event contributes to the tourism and attraction of Austin to outsiders, and increases business to the area surrounding the live entertainment district.

“We also believe that our event  draws visitors to the city , promotes the downtown district/6th Street and draws locals and out of towners alike to downtown., thus increasing exposure and potential future revenue for businesses in the area. We also know that our festival has been cited as one of the events that defines the Austin culture and thus is a contributing factor to more people moving here. We are proud to be a truly Austintatious event!” Raridon said.

Whether you go for the music, food, art, culture, or tradition, the Pecan Street Festival is a perfect example of what the city of Austin is all about. The next event is on May 5th and 6th, so take this opportunity to learn more about the community and the different things it has to offer!