Overview The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is a free, three-day outdoor show of juried artists on the streets of Denver's Cherry Creek North over the Independence Day weekend, and in 2025 it won its seventh Gold Grand Pinnacle from the International Festivals and Events Association, the second year running. Artists come from around the world and sell their own work from booths along the street. It is produced by CherryArts, a Denver nonprofit that runs arts-education programs in Colorado schools all year and funds them partly from the festival. On site The festival fills 2nd Avenue from Clayton to Adams Street and the blocks between 2nd and 3rd Avenues from Detroit to Adams. The 2026 jury picked 250 artists, among them 20 award winners returning from 2025 and five emerging artists. Fillmore Street carries the food, 18 vendors in 2026, and the Canvas Credit Union Main Stage and Beer Garden with free live music all weekend. Creation Station runs hands-on art for families, with sand art, tie-dye Denver skylines and a makerspace, alongside groups such as the Colorado Symphony and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. A ticketed Opening Night previews the show the evening before, and the booths are cashless. Audience People come to buy as well as look. Exhibiting artists reported $4.5 million in sales at the 2024 festival, an average of $17,470 each. Admission is free, and Friday opens with an accessibility hour from 9 to 10 a.m. before the general crowd. Track record Earlier Gold Grand Pinnacle wins include 2013 and 2024. In 2025 CherryArts also took an IFEA gold for its magazine display advertising. Five emerging artists received $5,000 grants in 2025, and in the Student Art Buying Program, 66 students from 22 schools bought 55 works. CherryArts puts its reach at 663 Colorado schools. Brand presence Waymo was presenting sponsor in 2026. Below it sit associate, media, supporting and contributing sponsors, and some partners hold named places on the grounds: the main stage and beer garden carry Canvas Credit Union's name. Brand footprints are sold as exhibitor spaces by the square foot, and CherryArts also runs a ticketed Opening Night and a VIP program.