This year’s event will honor last year’s prize winner, Alex Milat, as the festival’s muralist. Sponsored by the First Friday Artists Program, Milat will create a chalk art piece.
For one day, Downtown Las Vegas streets will transform into an open-air canvas as the 18b Arts District Association and Market in the Alley present the third-annual Chalk It Down! Festival on Saturday, April 18. From real-time chalk art by local artists to hands-on activities designed for all ages, Chalk It Down! invites the community to step into, play with and be part of the thriving neighborhood.
This year’s theme, “The heARTS District,” leans into something beyond visuals. It’s about the people who have and continue to shape the neighborhood – artists, businesses and supporters – and how 18b holds that identity as the area continues to grow. And Chalk It Down! has grown, as well.
This year’s Chalk It Down! stretches beyond its original footprint, running from Able Baker Brewing to The Arts Factory, extending onto Commerce Street and closing streets including Imperial and Colorado. Sixty artists, each sponsored by a local businesses in the area, will chalk the sidewalks with their interpretation of the theme. Visitors can vote for their favorites in the People’s Choice Awards.
This year’s event will honor last year’s prize winner, Alex Milat, as the festival’s muralist. Sponsored by the First Friday Artists Program, Milat will create a chalk art piece curated for the 2026 event. Chalk It Down! also includes a Kids Zone, chalk areas for attendees, story time, puppet-making, STEM workshops, painting, dance activations, food, drinks and local vendors.
Through the partnership with Market in the Alley (pictured in the main photo), the festival will feature more than 50 local vendors selling curated goods, from handmade pieces and vintage finds to plants, jewelry and specialty treats. New this year, Boulder Plaza at The Arts Factory becomes an added gathering point for fine art demonstrations, community groups and extra space for attendees to connect more directly.
More than anything, Chalk It Down! aims to show what makes The Arts District in Downtown Las Vegas feel like an actual neighborhood – creative, surprising and defined by the people who show up and keep it moving each and every day.
Chalk It Down!’s hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 18. Admission is free and open to the public, pets included. More: 18barts.org and marketinthealley.com. Instagram @artsdistrictlv and @marketinthealley
