The ACANSA Arts Festival of the South is returning to Central Arkansas for its decennial celebration. For three consecutive weekends from Thursday, September 4th to Saturday, September 20th, the visual and performing arts festival will expose the community to compelling and cultural art and encourage conversations around the enriching impact of artistic access within the region. 

Showcases will feature world-class music, dance and theater performances from across the country at beloved venues in Little Rock and North Little Rock, including Acansa Gallery, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s Morgan Hall, Argenta Contemporary Theatre, Birdies, CALS Ron Robinson Theater, The Hall, UA-PTC CHARTS Theater and the Venue at the Westwind.

Among the festival’s ticketed events are several free occasions in the Argenta Arts District such as the Family Arts Day on September 13th and the Hispanic Heritage Festival on September 20th. Additionally, the 2nd Friday Art Night in Little Rock on September 12th and the Argenta Arts District 3rd Friday Art Walk on September 19th will coincide with the festival. Both visual arts events are free to the public. The Acansa Gallery, in partnership with Potluck and Poison, will also feature a solo exhibition of original art by former UALR faculty member Delita Martin, who founded Black Box Press Studio in Houston, Texas. The free gallery will remain open until October 11th.

In addition to a stellar lineup of performances and events, each ACANSA Festival commissions a visual artist to create the festival’s signature art. This year’s commissioned artist is narrative artist Robert Bean of RB Fine Arts who will be auctioning his original work throughout the festival. Bean, currently a fellow and facilitator of the Mid-America Arts Alliance Artist INC program, is a former fine arts faculty member at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a former department chair of painting and drawing at the Windgate Art School of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.

Individual tickets range from $10 to $50. Festival Gold Passes, which include exclusive perks and provide access to all ticketed events, are priced at $250. Students aged 18 and under receive free entry to the festival’s ticketed events.

The festival, whose inaugural celebration commenced in 2014, is hosted by ACANSA of North Little Rock, an organization committed to sponsoring and hosting events, galleries and shows to support the arts in Central Arkansas. The organization’s moniker is derived from the Quapaw term for “southern place,” according to the organization’s website. The nonprofit was founded by Little Rock-based art enthusiast Charlotte Gadberry after visiting an art festival in South Carolina, which inspired her to start the ACANSA Arts Festival of the South. 

Check out the 2025 ACANSA Arts Festival of the South’s schedule and programming and purchase tickets online at ACANSA.org.

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