Get ready to groove on Cypress Street, sip and savor on a restaurant culinary tour, paint the sidewalks in bright hues, and so much more during Walnut Creek’s first-ever Arts Around August—a month-long citywide celebration of the performing, culinary, and visual arts.  

After a year without events, fun happenings are back: Summer Concerts at Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek First Wednesday Street Fests, Movies on the Roof, Downtown Stages, Family Chalk Art Days, Moveable Feasts, Public Art Walking Tours, History Tours & Scavenger Hunts, Fantasy Forum & Festival Opera performances, Painted Pianos, and more.

Arts Around August kicks-off August 4 with a Moveable Feast: gourmet bites with beverage pairings and chef presentations at Va de Vi Bistro, Torsap Thai Kitchen, and Benvenuti Ristorante. This curated culinary event continues every Wednesday in August at Rooftop, Sasa, Main Street Kitchen and other top downtown restaurants. Purchase tickets online.

Walnut Creek Downtown's popular First Wednesday’s returns on August 4 with beer, wine, food trucks, artisan vendors and the soulful sounds of Vybe Society followed by country tunes with Diablo Fugitives on September 1. Park for free in public garages after 5pm.

The Concerts at Broadway Plaza are back, so put on your dancing shoes and prepare for some high energy moves to the sounds of Foreverland, Big Bang Beat, Briefcase Blues Brothers, and Tainted Love August 5-26, at 7:00pm on Broadway Plaza Street. Free.

Showcase your artistic talents on downtown sidewalks during Family Chalk Art Days. On three Saturday mornings in August, create fanciful expressions at Waterlight Plaza, City Hall, and Olympia Place. Artists will be on hand to help inspire you August 14, 21, & 28 from 10:00-11:30am. Free.

Festival Opera brings its exhilarating operatic favorites to a free concert in Civic Park on August 1. Then performs the world premiere of Jake Heggie Triptych in the Lesher Center’s Hofman Theatre on August 13 & 15. Purchase tickets online.

For the young and young at heart, Fantasy Forum performs Cinderella at free outdoor matinees in the Lesher Center’s new Rudney Plaza. Free shows, details online.

For more information on these and other citywide events, go to walnutcreekdowntown.com.