Downtown San Mateo’s biggest event is coming this Sunday, which also happens to be the one local event that only features county-based artists.
Based on previous years’ figures, the Arts and Culture Festival is expected to bring in more than 5,000 attendees, who will be able to watch cultural performances, peruse artist booths and listen to poetry.
The festival, held between 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, will host about 26 artists’ booths, 30 performances — ranging from Hungarian folk dance to jazz trios — and about 20 poets, including the county’s poet laureate Antonio Lopez.
The new addition this year will be a live mural competition, where nine artists will compete for the chance to paint a permanent mural on a downtown San Mateo building. Aimee Shapiro, executive director of the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture, said the county intentionally selected up-and-coming mural artists, rather than established professionals. After they complete their mural designs, the public will vote on their favorite. The competition follows a similar trend that has also been held in other nearby cities, including San Francisco and Menlo Park.
The competition symbolized a way to involve the community, including nonartists, she added.
“If you’re not personally inclined to explore art you might think of it as a painting on a wall. You don’t necessarily see artists making their work and to do so is a real privilege, and it humanizes art as a profession and as a skill,” Shapiro said. “If you don’t see something, you don’t know you can do it.”
Prior to 2024, the festival had previously been held as two separate events, often on the same weekend, one hosted by the county’s Office of Arts and Culture and the other by the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We have other events where it’s not just local artists, and it’s often Bay Area artists, but I think this is great because not only can up-and-coming artists that don’t get to exhibit at other art fairs participate, but also their friends and family can come,” Mackenzie Jakoubek, executive director of the Downtown San Mateo Association, said.
Shapiro added the event is not only a much-needed reprieve for many individuals but also showcases the importance of continuing to fund the arts.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to celebrate diversity … at a time that is challenging to live in,” Shapiro said. “I think it’s really important to appreciate and support the arts. I see art as a reflection of our time, and I think it’s a good reminder that the arts really are integral to our lives.”
