Booker Creek Arts Festival: Art, Community & the EDGE District with Leslie Curran

Host Karen Carmichael talks with Leslie Curran, longtime St. Petersburg resident, business leader, artist advocate, former City Council member, and one of the organizers behind the inaugural Booker Creek Arts Festival, coming to St. Petersburg’s EDGE District November 12–15, 2026.

Curran shares the inspiration behind the new four-day festival, including the transformative impact she witnessed from ArtFields in Lake City, South Carolina. Rather than a traditional festival built around rows of tents, Booker Creek Arts Festival will turn the EDGE District into a walkable living gallery, with juried artwork displayed inside participating local businesses and venues. The festival will feature work from Florida artists alongside live mural painting, glass blowing, dance, music, family activities, and other creative experiences.

The conversation explores how the festival is designed to connect artists, collectors, residents, visitors, and local businesses. Attendees can walk from venue to venue, discover new businesses, purchase original artwork, and participate in public voting for the People's Choice Award. The festival website notes that artists will compete for up to $50,000 in jury-awarded prizes, while the event also aims to generate economic activity for restaurants, hotels, galleries, and independent businesses throughout the EDGE District and surrounding community.

Curran also discusses some of the additional creative experiences planned for the festival, including a mural paint-off, the Go with the Flow art show, the Nomad Art Bus, interactive activities for children and adults, and a postcard project.

The festival takes its name from Booker Creek, an important part of St. Petersburg's early history. The creek was connected to the area's earliest settlements and the development of the Orange Belt railway, helping shape the community that eventually became St. Petersburg. Today, Booker Creek remains part of ongoing plans for preservation, beautification, green space, and multimodal connections through the EDGE District.

Whether you're an artist, collector, business owner, volunteer, or simply someone who loves the arts, Booker Creek Arts Festival offers a new way to experience St. Pete while supporting the city's creative economy.

Booker Creek Arts Festival
📅 November 12–15, 2026
📍 EDGE District, St. Petersburg
🌐 bookercreekarts.com

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