Bayou City Art Festival — Local services in Houston

We have been going to the Festival every couple of years for about 15 years now, both Downtown and at Memorial Park. We have never volunteered, so I can't speak to the reviewers here that have and feel they have been mistreated. Strictly from a patron's point of view, we have had a great time. Though cheaper than Downtown, we have found the free parking/walking to the front gate to be worse at the Memorial Park shows, especially on beautiful Spring days. Whether we like a particular artist's style or motif or not, we can always appreciate the skill level, as the level of craftsmanship is always high, and you can spend anywhere from $10 on small items up to $10,000+. We have even special-ordered customized pieces from artists when we wanted a variation on a piece they hadn't made. We have furnished much of our house with artwork from these shows, and like the fact that most all of these works are unique, and can't be bought in home decor stores. Plus, we get to meet and talk to the artists/artisans from all over the USA that created the work and hear their stories. Every other year we run into friends that we haven't seen for a while, too. The shows are like a window into...

I have attended the festival in the past with little problems in buying tickets, parking, and communication with organizers. However, this year has already proven to be a HUGE headache. First, when I emailed with a question about shuttles (which no longer run from downtown) and Metro all I recieved was a reply with the link from the festival's home page. The info on the page was very vague thus my inquiry in the first place. Second, when I went online to buy the discounted "early bird" tickets the day before I planned to go, they were not available! WTH?!?! I was able to find a phone number and contacted the main office. The person on the line was not helpful at all and treated me as if I should have already known that the early bird price expired BEFORE the first day of the festival. Why was this not in the information on their site?!?!? I have lost faith in this organization and do not plan on ever attending another Bayou City Art...

I've sent several emails and made at least a couple of phone calls requesting information about how to be a participating artist in the spring and fall event. My inquiries have taken place over several months. I have yet to receive the requested information. It appears that new artists are not welcomed as vendors...at least my experience has lead me to that conclusion. And after reading other reviews posted, it seems that I am expecting more from this event, or at least the coordinators of this event, than what they are able to deliver. I would love to be proven wrong, and will extend a public appology if I...