Family Fun at the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival This Weekend (Win Free Tickets!)

Old Mill Park is the setting for the 56th annual Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, a weekend-long event that for generations has served as the town's farewell to summer. The Festival began in 1956 with local artists exhibiting their works in downtown shop windows. The concept moved to Old Mill Park in 1962 and nowadays attracts some 8,000 art lovers. The juried works include a wide array of prints, paintings, woodwork, photography and sculpture, and the Festival is rated one of the top 10 fine arts and crafts shows in the Northwest.

This year's Festival takes place among the towering redwoods of Old Mill Park on Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16, from 10 am to 5 pm. The Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival includes a Children’s Grove that hosts entertainment and interactive activities for youngsters all day. Kids' programs include:

Saturday: MC Naomi Caspe

• 10:30 am–noon: Hands-On Craft Time with the Girl Scouts
• 12:30 pm: Fratello Marionettes
• 1:05 pm: Brian Scott Magic
• 1:45 pm: Stories with Georgia
• 2:20 pm: Nick Barone's Puppets
• 3 pm: Blake Maxam's Enchantments
• 3:40 pm: Kids from Marin: Performing Arts Academy

Sunday: MC The Blue Fairy

• 10:30 am–noon: Hands-On Craft Time with the Girl Scouts
• 12:30 pm: Fratello Marionettes
• 1:05 pm: Dan Chan Magic
• 1:45 pm: Sing with Dave Fromer
• 2:20 pm: Tinker's Coin Productions Puppetry
• 3 pm: The Gnome Puppet Show
• 3:40 pm: Kids from Marin: Singers Marin

The Festival also features great music by local artists including Sofi Rox, Caroline and Austin de Lone, and Matt Jaffe. Food and drink is provided by and benefits local non-profits. Best of all is the setting itself: a fragrant redwood forest at the close of summer, shaded by its mountain.

This year, you can ride to the Festival in style, with free shuttle bus service by MV Transportation to and from the festival site. Check the route and stops at the festival website.

Admission to the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival is $10 general, $5 seniors and students, and free for kids under 12. Old Mill Park is located at 320 Throckmorton Avenue in Mill Valley. For more information, visit www.mvfaf.org or call (415) 381-8090.

Win Tickets to the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival!

We're giving away two sets of two tickets to the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival! To enter to win, send an email to contests@marinmommies.com with "Fall Arts" in the subject line by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, September 11. We'll choose two winners at random. See our contest and giveaway rules here.