Top 7 tips for the Ann Arbor Art Fair

1. Get your bearings.

The fair is great fun but it's huge. About 500,000 people visit in total. Best to get situated. The following things will help you figure out where you are, where you want to go, and what you want to see.

• Grab yourself an Art Fair Guide, which has tons of info about the art, artists and activities.
• Download just the Art Fair Map, which is included in the above. 
• And here's the general Ann Arbor Visitor's Guide.

2. Bring umbrellas and don't skip the ice packs this year.

Art Fair Week is usually the hottest of the year—and this year is no exception! Sudden rain bursts and extreme heat are a challenge. Please use caution. The upside? Maybe the fairs will be less crowded!

These predictions (which of course may change because: Michigan) are courtesy of Wunderground, a great weather site that started in and is based in Ann Arbor.

3. Take a bus or shuttle into the fair.

Hey, it's Ann Arbor. There's always an "alt." Instead of your car, take the bus or a shuttle into the fair. They're better for you, the city, the traffic, and the environment. They're cheaper, too. Here's a rundown of many alternatives to driving your car into town. But if you decide to do it anyway, here's an interactive parking map.

The absolute best way for out-of-towners to do Art Fair is to befriend Ann Arborites who live within walking distance of the fair and beg them—or pay them—to let you park at their house.

To get around the fair itself—literally around the perimeter—take an air-conditioned ride on the Art Go Round shuttle. It's free and shows up every 15 minutes.

4. The best day and time to visit the Art Fair is...

If you're a gung-ho art-buyer, the best day is traditionally opening day, Thursday. That's when the serious collectors / buyers hit the booths.

For crowd-avoiders, our advice is just a guess. The traditionally slower "second evening" of the fair is now a Friday, not a day known for its quiet. So we're predicting that Sunday noon, the time the fair opens that day, may be the best option.

For the record, here are the fair's times:

• Thursday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Sunday: Noon – 6 p.m.

5. Preview each of the four fairs.

The AAAF is really four separate fairs, each with its own personality (and website): 

Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original

• Meet the artists and see their booth numbers.
• Visit its Art Activity Zone. Six art projects for kids and grownups at Ingalls Mall.
• See an Art Demo. Several every day.
• Pick your fave musical group performing at Ingalls Mall.
• Watch this year's street artist
• Enjoy the street performers.
• Here's its street map

Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair

• This fair's 375 artists are listed individually on the homepage and by type of art here.
• Get the list of performers for the AASAF Stage .
• Demos and activities also are listed on the homepage.
• Ann Arbor's own David Zinn will put on two demos of his street art from 1-3 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday, at Liberty and Fifth. 

State Street Art Fair

• Artists' links on the site are sneak peeks their work.

South University Art Fair

• Meet the artists and get a taste of their styles.

Here's a rundown of important pointers from MLive:

 And another published in The Ann from Pulp:

6. Start your fun by reviewing some of the old fairs. Really old. 1970s old.

7. Remember the real estate angle.

Of course we have real estate in mind, too. For home sellers, the Art Fair is the perfect place to buy art. From the story below is this suggestion: 

We will see you on the streets!