Over one million visitors from throughout the world have attended the Sausalito Art Festival since its inaugural Event in 1952.  Sausalito has been the focal point for artists for close to 200 years.  Weekend painters first arrived by sailboat from San Francisco in the early 1800's to capture scenes of tall ships and nature against the majestic backdrop of the bay.

After the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937, Sausalito swelled with the artistic and the eccentric.  A large number of retired paddlewheel ferries began to anchor along the Sausalito waterfront, creating the foundation for the now famous Sausalito houseboat community.

Sausalito was a major shipbuilding site during World War II.  Workers came by the thousands to build the famed Liberty Ships on Sausalito's northern waterfront.  At the end of the war, the idle waterfront became a magnet for poets, writers, artists, and film makers from throughout the world.

The rustic waterfront and growing houseboat colony all helped create a popular haven for a bustling Artists' Community.  The growing camaraderie among native born and newcomer artists created the foundation for the Festival. Sausalito artists staged their first festival on Shell Beach, September 6, 1952, in conjunction with a salmon festival and regatta.  Shell Beach is now the site of the world famous Spinnaker Restaurant.

A reminder of the early period in Sausalito's artistic development stands erect on today's Festival grounds as a tribute to one of Sausalito's more colorful artists, Jean Varda.  The 43,000 pound, 16 x 20 foot mosaic tile mural can be seen in the southwest corner of the Festival lawn in the Artist Gallery area.  The massive mural was raised in 1988 through the efforts of Friends of the Festival, the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, and the Sausalito Rotary Club.

The Sausalito Art Festival is one of the first juried fine art festivals in the nation.  In the 1970's, a cash awards purse was instituted.  Today, the jury includes museum curators, professional collectors, gallery owners, and art professors.

In 1978, a unique event was created to support appreciation of the arts.  The black tie Gala Premiere preview party held Friday night before the annual Festival includes gourmet dining for 1,000 guests under the stars on the Festival Site, as well as top name entertainment, and dancing until early morning.

1982 marked the arrival of big name entertainment at the Festival.  Crowds of Festival goers flowed out onto the street; continuing growth forced the Festival to seek out a new larger site.

Its current location at Marinship Park, next to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Bay Model Visitor Center, was built and paid for by the community with donated money and labor in 1988 as a permanent home for the Festival.  The new site allowed for direct ferry service, a shuttle system, more Artists, entertainers, and higher attendance.

Over its long history the Festival has had several producers including: the Sausalito Woman's Club, the Sausalito Artists and Merchants Association (S.A.M.), the Sausalito Art Association, the City of Sausalito, and from 1982-1999, the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce.  The Sausalito Chamber of Commerce then established The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation to manage the popular Event.

Its six different site locations have included: Shell Beach, the downtown Sausalito parking lot, a school lot, City Hall, the waterfront site next to Dunphy Park, and currently Marinship Park including all the grounds, pier, and facilities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Bay Model Visitor Center.

The Festival is acknowledged as "The Granddaddy" of Outdoor Fine Art Festivals.  Under the Chamber's stewardship, the Festival has seen its greatest growth, gained national recognition as the #1 Outdoor Fine Art Festival in America, and has earned an international standing for excellence in the arts.  It is now considered one of the "best" and "most prestigious" fine art festivals in the United States by both Artists and Collectors worldwide.

The Festival is a nonprofit fund raising Event that has benefited every civic and nonprofit organization in Sausalito with over 1,000 volunteers and over 270 of the nation's top juried Artists.  It is produced by a dedicated group of artists and community volunteers.

Today, the Festival draws over 50,000 art enthusiasts, museum curators and private collectors from throughout the world.  The Sausalito Art Festival Arts Education Scholarship Fund was established in 1995 to provide educational opportunities in the arts.

Held over Labor Day weekend on Sausalito's waterfront, the Festival celebrates the virtuoso talents of the finest local, national, and international Artists.  The Festival presents over 20,000 original works of fine art.

The Sausalito Art Festival continues its long-standing mission of supporting the arts and community nonprofit organizations through grant programs, artist awards, scholarships, and the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce Community Service Programs.  Through this support, the Festival makes a significant investment in the future of its community, totaling over $500,000 in recent years.

The Sausalito Art Festival has always been known as a showcase of local, established, and emerging talent, as well as the place to meet old friends and make new ones.  2007 marks our 55th Anniversary.