Every December, the Floyd Center for the Arts hosts Winterfest – an annual winter festival celebrating the artistry of the surrounding area. Around twenty-five vendors travel to the two-day festival to set up booths for selling their handmade art wares to an eager audience looking for holiday shopping. Winterfest is the Center’s most traditional event, being one of the first events that was offered when it was just a dairy barn with dreams of becoming an art center. The first Winterfest, twenty-eight years ago, was designed as a year-end showcase of local artisanship and creativity. It has always been scheduled in time for local residents to begin their holiday shopping, as many folks in Floyd have a policy of buying locally made, handcrafted gifts for friends and family.
The first Winterfest was held under tents in the parking lot of the barn, with eager shoppers bearing the cold temperatures to get their hands on handmade art. As Winterfest approaches its twenty-eighth year, it remains the best opportunity for shoppers to find a wide variety of handmade, local, unique gifts all offered in one place. The event also allows shoppers to connect with makers and crafters, learning the stories behind the gifts.
In addition to artist vendors, Winterfest also features the famed Festival of Trees and Wreaths. The Center has partnered with treasured Floyd businesses and organizations to celebrate the holiday season and encourage shoppers to visit local outlets for gifts, decorations, and food for the season. Typically, the Festival of Trees and Wreaths has over fifty participating businesses, each decorating their own tree or wreath with products, gift cards, and more. Each pre-decorated, tabletop holiday tree or wreath is then placed on display at Winterfest, to be bid upon in a silent auction at the end of the event. Walking into the gallery space with all the trees and wreaths on display is a breathtaking experience, sure to brighten anyone’s holiday spirit. Winners then take the trees and wreaths home for the holidays.
Along with being the best opportunity for holiday shopping, Winterfest has also long been known as a community gathering event for the vendors, the artisans, and their supporters within Floyd County. Festivalgoers often bring their friends and family, having included Winterfest into their own holiday traditions. Many vendors return year after year, becoming familiar faces that are staples for the event.
Visitors can find handmade pottery, jewelry, baked goods, soaps, baskets, photography, wood-turned bowls, and more! The Winterfest Cafe, now a ten-year old addition, is another favorite attraction for the weekend, featuring delicious baked goods, soups, and sandwiches.
Located in the town of Floyd, Virginia, a few miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Floyd Center for the Arts is a seven-acre campus on the site of a former dairy farm. The Center is now home to an arts and cultural facility for the traditional and contemporary arts. Year-round, the Center is alive with art exhibits, social events, and educational programs for artists and non-artists of all ages and abilities. Some of the events that can be experienced through the Center include opening receptions for art exhibitions in the three gallery spaces, as well as classes such as pottery, blacksmithing, drawing, bookmaking, stained glass, flameworking, photography, and more. The Center also regularly provides fun and engaging youth programs, such as Kids Art Camp and youth classes.
Holiday events, such as Mayfaire and Halloween Kids Fest, are also on the calendar every year, providing outreach and art fun for the community. There are also larger events hosted by the Center, such as Artisan Trail, which partners with over thirty artists who open their studios to the public for the weekend. For those seeking a classical music experience, concerts can also be attended in the Center’s Community Hall, featuring performances from a variety of musicians and time periods. The Floyd Center for the arts strives to offer artistic experiences for everyone. The Center also supports the artistic endeavors and creativity of their fellow artists and art lovers.

The Floyd Center for the Arts • 220 Parkway Lane South
Open 10am – 5pm, Monday – Saturday • Closed on Sunday
www.floydartcenter.org • 540-745-2784