An
arts festival is a
festival that features the arts in a wide sense of the word, not just
visual arts. Arts festivals typically feature a mixed programme that might include music, literature, comedy, children's entertainment, science, street theatre etc. and are presented most usually in venues over a period of time ranging from perhaps a weekend to a month. Each event within the program will usually be separately ticketed. They are largely curated by an Artistic Director, though this genre also includes
fringe festivals which are generally open access. Arts festivals are therefore distinctive from greenfield festivals (typically weekend camping festivals such as
Glastonbury) and Visual Arts Festivals, or "art festivals" (which concentrate on just the visual arts).