(Columbia, SC) – The 8th Annual Cottontown Art Crawl, presented by Prisma Health, returns THIS Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 10am–4pm in the Cottontown/Bellevue Historic District in downtown Columbia. This FREE, family- and pet-friendly event hosts approximately 215 artists along with 20+ food vendors, live music and more.
The festival transforms the Cottontown/Bellevue neighborhood into a bustling, open-air gallery of creativity and culture with live music, food vendors and approximately 215 local and regional artists lining the streets with unique art that utilizes many different mediums such as paintings, ceramics, sculpture, photography, jewelry, fiber/textile arts and more.
The Cottontown Art Crawl is dedicated to promoting local artists, fostering community and showcasing the historic Cottontown neighborhood and its merchants. The crawl is organized by a passionate committee that believes in the power of art to unify a community.
The entire Cottontown community is very proud of the Art Crawl. We started in 2019 with around 20 artists, and since then—due to a lot of hard work by a lot of people—our Art Crawl has grown to over 200 artists and has become a major event for the City of Columbia and Richland County. We are excited to have a full stage of musicians this year, along with about 20 food trucks. We are looking forward to providing a great event for all attendees while promoting our local and regional artist community at the same time.
Perry Rainey, Cottontown/Bellevue Historic District Neighborhood Association President.
The Cottontown Art Crawl welcomes approximately 7,000 visitors from around the region that range in age from children to senior citizens. In 2025, 38% of attendees traveled more than 50 miles to Columbia for the festival and attracts visitors statewide and from the southeast. More than 82% of attendees visit local restaurants and shops in the vicinity of the Cottontown neighborhood during the event.
The crawl is a significant event, not only for the Cottontown/Bellevue neighborhood’s residents and merchants, but also for the artists that participate.
