Film festivals, art exhibits, plays and community concerts do more than provide rich cultural opportunities for Arlington's residents to enjoy - they also help attract visitors from across the state, country and even the world to spend their time and money here.
Nearly 14 million visitors spent $1.4 billion in Arlington in 2015, with more than half of those visitors staying overnight. To help keep Arlington's economy strong, the City wants to see its number of out-of-town visitors continue to grow. That's one of the reasons the Arlington City Council is committed to supporting arts and cultural programming, which provide yet another draw for the City's tourism, hotel and convention industry.
"A thriving cultural arts scene enhances the quality of life here in The American Dream City. From interactive public art sculptures to international folk art exhibits, Arlington is proud of its growing reputation in North Texas as an arts destination," Marketing Communication Manager Jay Warren said.
This budget year, the Arlington City Council increased recurring funding for the Arlington Cultural Tourism Committee by $50,000, making $250,000 total in competitive arts grant funding available next year.
The Arlington Cultural Tourism Grant is for events in Arlington with the potential of attracting overnight visitors who are interested in history, arts, music, life/heritage and other cultural offerings. Recent recipients include last month'sFrame4Frame Film Festival, the Arlington Museum of Art's current Salvador Dali exhibit, and the inaugural Santa Fe International Folk Art Market that was held at the University of Texas at Arlington in June.
The application deadline for the Arlington Cultural Tourism Grant is November 26, 2017.
For more information on the Arlington Cultural Tourism Council or to submit an application, visitwww.ArlingtonCulturalTourism.org.
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