Overview The Wells Street Art Festival shuts Wells Street in Old Town, from North Avenue down to Division, for a June weekend of 130 juried artists, three music stages and food from the street's own bars and restaurants, and the 2026 festival was its 51st. The Old Town Merchants and Residents Association, the neighborhood's chamber of commerce, organizes it and keeps the proceeds for its work in Old Town. Special Events Management produces it; the company says its art and street festivals draw about 1.5 million visitors a year across Chicagoland. On site The festival's address is 1400 North Wells. Artist booths line the street in painting, photography, jewelry, ceramics, functional art and mixed media, and the bars and restaurants along Wells take their own space on the route, some pouring and some not, next to local merchants and nonprofits. The Main Stage stands at North Avenue, the Community Stage at Scott Street, and a smaller platform stage runs in the Cobbler Square food court. A family area holds hands-on art workshops; in 2026 one was a group spray-paint session. The 2026 hours ran from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Talent and Influencers The stages book local and regional bands, tribute acts and performers. In 2026 the Jesse White Tumblers performed on the Main Stage both days, on a bill with a School of Rock showcase, live-band karaoke, the electric cellos of RAVIV, 16 Candles, Alfredo and The Made Men and The Strangers playing the music of The Cure. The Community Stage ran local acts such as Fiddle Rock, Black Oil Brothers and 3 Martini Jeannie. Brand presence The 2026 festival page carried a dozen sponsors, and Southwest Airlines presented the Community Stage at Scott Street. The top sponsor level adds naming rights to parts of the festival and a 400-square-foot activation space on the street; the lighter levels come down to 10-by-20-foot spaces, banners the sponsor supplies, and announcer mentions from the stages. Sponsors also appear in the producer's e-blasts, print ads and social posts.