2026 Quad Cities Chalk Art Fest at Schwiebert Riverfront Park -- May 30 and 21. (pictured: Sydney Scott;'s 1st place winner 2025)
Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31
Schwiebert Riverfront Park, 101 17th Street, Rock Island IL
With the eagerly anticipated weekend event hosted by Rock Island's Quad City Arts and taking place for the 10th time, glorious colors and imaginative designs will be gracing the pavement of Rock Island's Schwiebert Riverfront Park in the Quad Cities Chalk Art Fest, a May 30 and 31 pre-summertime fixture boasting free admission, beautiful artistic creations, live music, children's activities, food and drink vendors, and more than $2,000 in cash prizes.
Inspiring and engaging for art fans of all ages, this free, two-day street-painting festival brings together hundreds of local and regional artists – professionals and amateurs alike – who spend hours transforming the blank cement pavement into magnificent works of art, using only the medium of chalk. Visitors strolling by can see the wonderful works of art as they come to life and vote for their favorites, with adults and youths eligible for the People's Choice prize of $250. Additional cash awards include $500 for first place, $300 for second place, $250 for third place, $100 each for two honorable mentions, and the $100 Artist's Choice prize with both adults and youths eligible, and one voting slip per artist/team provided in the participating artists' welcome bag. For the Youth Awards, first place earns $150 for the artist plus $200 in art supplies for their school, with second place receiving $100 and third place receiving $50 – the latter the same amount given to recipients of two specific Category Awards: "Best 3D," and "Best Reproduction."
The chalk-art competition will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 31, with the awards themselves distributed on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. To celebrate 10 years of Quad Cities Chalk Art Fest, San Diego Chalk Artist Katie Bush will be in residence for the weekend and create a unique and interactive 3D chalk work. On May 29, Bush will host a workshop for artists to learn tips and tricks for 3D chalk-art creations.
Throughout the weekend, this year's Quad Cities Chalk Art Fest will also feature six sets with popular musicians plus, from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, DJ Shane Brown taking the stage. Also on May 30, Frankie Joe & Kinfolk will perform from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m., followed by Jerm Theory from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. and the Jenny Lynn Stacy Band from 5:15 to 7 p.m. On Sunday, the live music begins with Voices by Share from 11 to 11:40 a.m., with students from the QC Rock Academy taking the stage from noon to 1:45 p.m., and the performances concluding with The Textures from 2:15 to 4 p.m.
The festival's children's activities include face painting, a bounce house, a kid's chalk zone, and Henna Art by RangEHenna. Food vendors for the event include Fizz and Freeze, Arelys Food Truck, Bayside Bistro, Kona Ice, and Bent River Brewery. And as Quad City Arts reminds the weekend's guests, "the 'paintings' are temporary, lasting only until the next rainfall, so you’ll want to catch a glimpse before they're gone."
For more information on the 2026 Quad Cities Chalk Art Fest taking place on May 30 and 31, call (309)793-1213 and visit QuadCityArts.com/chalk-art-fest.
