With summer underway, the neighborhood kids aren’t the only ones drawing on the sidewalk.

This weekend marks the 24th annual Chalk Art Festival in downtown Denver. The festival has previously been held at Larimer Square, but for the past few years it has been held in the Golden Triangle Creative District, near the Denver Art Museum and downtown library.

Two-hundred and thirty seven artists in total participated in the festival, according to festival director Renee Ortiz. That includes five “featured artists,” which includes winners from previous festivals, as well as amateur artists and youth artists who were able to showcase their work.

Live performances from local acts provided the background music as thousands wandered around the few blocks, grabbing bites to eat and drinks to keep cool.

Attendees for the festival, which are expected to number around 25,000 for the weekend, were able to watch as artists put together their chalk drawings, kneeled down in the street. Pieces included portraits of animals such as house cats, lions and birds, to recreations of museum pieces and even photorealistic paintings.

Ortiz said several of the festivals featured artists have connections to Denver and the festival. Olivia McLeod, whose showcased piece was a portrait of actress Mia Goth from the 2025 film “Frankenstein,” is a Denver native who started at the Chalk Art Festival when she was 13, much younger than typical competitors. She won best of show last year, leading to her featured status this year.

Tom Isaacson said he has been doing chalk art since he retired in 2012, and it has served as a creative outlet for him. He has done the Chalk Art Festival several times in the past and enjoys it as it allows him to get out in the sun and work on his craft.

Why chalk art over painting or sketching? Well, Isaacson said it’s beginner friendly, friendly overall, and easy to fix mistakes. When working on his picture of a cardinal, he messed up the wing and was able to easily fix it by spraying water on it and scrubbing.

“Chalk is so friendly,” Isaacson said. “Chalk wants you to look good. You can totally screw it up and fix it, like I did.”

The chalk art community, like many other things in Denver, is niche and draws a repeat crowd, Isaacson said. He said he tends to see the same people at events and festivals.

Artists will work on their chalk pieces through Sunday, the final day of the festival, after which attendees and judges will vote on the best art in several categories, including best of show, most whimsical, best reproduction of a museum piece and best use of color.