ART CRUSH 2026 Takes Over Downtown Streets Tonight with Trade and 6th Street Closures

At 6 p.m. Friday, July 17, a downtown route for cars became a place for people on foot. Trade Street and 6th Street closed to traffic until 10:30 p.m. for ART CRUSH 2026, the Arts District's quarterly celebration of local art, music and culture. The event ran from 7 to 10 p.m. at the intersection of Trade Street and 6th Street in Winston-Salem's Downtown Arts District.

The Winston-Salem Downtown Arts District is centered on Trade Street between Fifth and Seventh streets and was created to transform a run-down tobacco market area into a thriving creative economy. In the late 1970s, artists began opening shops and galleries on Trade and Liberty streets, a movement that accelerated in the 1980s to officially form the Arts District. Arts District Winston-Salem, the 501(c)(6) nonprofit that organizes ART CRUSH events, operates with a mission to connect with and amplify diverse voices and visions, bringing them together at the heart of the city, grounded in the belief that art is a universal language and a source of connection without boundaries.

The July 17 event, themed Winston-Salem Weekend, featured 35 curated artist spots and five scholarship-funded spaces for emerging artists. All 2026 ART CRUSH events are free and feature live music, artist makers, gallery strolls and hands-on activities.

Music was curated by Katei Cranford, music coordinator at North Carolina Museum of Art Winston-Salem. Saturn is Changing performed at 8 p.m. at the corner of Trade and Sixth Streets, followed by New Ex at 9 p.m. NCMA Winston-Salem, a partner organization, also hosted a Field Trip event starting at 6 p.m., with participants meeting at Visual Index at 600 Trade St. NW before joining the main ART CRUSH activities.

Parking was available in the 6th & Cherry Street parking deck at 519 N. Cherry Street and on Liberty Street.

ART CRUSH operates on a quarterly schedule with four events annually: May 15, July 17, September 18 and November 20. The next ART CRUSH will occur on Sept. 18, 2026, with a Hispanic Heritage Rumba theme, followed by an Arts District Celebration on Nov. 20, 2026. Arts District Winston-Salem aims to reinforce Winston-Salem as The City of Arts and Innovation through arts-centric events and partnerships.