To celebrate its 10th year, the Druid City Arts Festival is expanding to a two-day event.

This free festival, which has grown in popularity each year, will take place at Government Plaza from 5-10 p.m. April 5 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 6.

“For our 10th anniversary, we really wanted to create something special for Tuscaloosa," said Don Staley, president and CEO of Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports, which oversees and organizes the event.

Created in 2010 as a project by arts advocacy group Creative Campus, the festival joined with Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports in 2013. TTS now runs the Druid City Arts Festival with the goal of introducing and strengthening the arts within the Tuscaloosa community.

The festival has experienced tremendous growth in the last few years despite taking place for just one day. A few years ago, the festival drew about 7,500 visitors. For 2017, TTS estimated double that, with more than 15,000 visitors throughout the day.

Even more are expected for the 2019 edition.

“This will be our biggest and best (Druid City Arts Festival),” Staley said. “We will have more art, more music, more food vendors, and more kid-friendly activities than ever."

“The quality of the art is higher than it’s ever been, and we are adding plenty of interactive experiences for kids and adults alike.”

Though the official festival layout, artist list, band list and food vendors have yet to be announced, TTS said the arts festival will offer two days of activities featuring more than 90 artists, and live music from eight bands.

In addition to the usual family-friendly activities, this year will feature a tie-dye station for kids’ T-shirts and an opportunity to adopt dogs through the West Alabama Humane Society and the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter.

And while thousands of local residents are expected to attend, the festival also draws scores of out-of-town visitors from the multiple, art-centric metropolitan areas located within a four-hour drive from Tuscaloosa.

“It will be an unprecedented visitor experience,” Staley said.

For more information, or to stay updated on the festival’s latest developments, visit the Druid City Arts Festival on Facebook and Twitter or visit the event’s website at DruidCityArtsFestival.com.

Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.