Downtown Outdoors Continues with Photo Walks, Outdoor Concerts, Takeout Tuesday, Outdoor Yoga, and more

Last weekend, West Main Arts Festival was a huge success thanks to passionate leadership from Create Arlington, dedicated volunteers, fans and shoppers who braved the heat, and so many talented artists and musicians!

Create Arlington’s dedication to all kinds of cool programming has kicked up the activity level along W. Main St., as has the reopening of Theatre Arlington this Spring and blockbuster exhibits at the Arlington Museum of Art. A couple new entrepreneurs have also added to the area’s vitality by recently setting up shop along West Main.

What better day than TODAY to discover what’s new on W. Main Street by participating in our next Downtown Outdoors event, a Downtown Arlington Photo Walk!

Jason Schlichenmaier of Neiman Marcus is the leader of our Photo Walk, which takes place Thursday, May 19 at 6:30pm. He has decades of experience in fashion photography and is passionate about the power of light. Meet us at Create Arlington Studios for a brief talk, then we’ll head over to The Man's Shop and surrounding areas to shoot, network and model. Click here for more info and to register.

Let’s Go Outside and Play

Our local meteorologists are predicting cooler weather in a couple of days! Let Downtown Outdoor help you plan what to do when you go outside and play. Downtown Outdoors is Downtown Arlington’s platform for discovering and experiencing the great outdoors in the heart of the city:

Outdoor Concerts at the Levitt

The Levitt Pavilion presents more than 50 free outdoor concerts a year featuring a wide range of music, from world music to jazz and home-grown Texas country to hot Indie artists. Visit their website for their full concert and events schedule.

Coming up this weekend at the Levitt:

• Friday, May 20: Hard Night’s Day with opening act Paul Renna
• Saturday, May 21: Tanner Usrey with opening act AdamMarie
• Sunday, May 22: The Soul Rebels with opening act Nik Parr & The Selfless Lovers

Summer Reading Kick-Off at the Levitt

Enjoy live music and fun family time at the Levitt on Saturday, May 21 from 10am-12 noon when the Arlington Public Library hosts their Summer Kickoff Celebration. This outdoor event will feature some groovy musical performances, loads of ways to inspire summer reading, as well as activities for all ages.

Takeout Tuesday

Grab some delicious to-go fare from one or more Downtown restaurant(s), then join us for an informal picnic in a nearby park accompanied by some of our favorite local buskers. Be sure to bring your restaurant receipt so you can enter our prize drawing!

Our next Takeout Tuesday is coming up on Tuesday, June 21 at 6pm! Meet up at the benches by PNC bank, and get ready to kick back for some great live music from Mossy Trio.

Outdoor Yoga with Arlington Yoga Center

Give your sun salutation with nothing standing between you and the big, blue sky. Join Arlington Yoga Center instructors for yoga classes held in different outdoor spaces in Downtown. Free and open to all skill levels.

Our next yoga meet-up is Saturday, June 11 from 9-10am by the DREAM statue near the Levitt Pavilion.

Downtown Arlington Photo Walk

Photographers and models are invited to join Downtown Arlington and a guest photographer guide for a monthly Photo Walk! For each meet-up, we’ll start at a common location to hear a brief talk by our guest photographer. Then we’ll take off together (different directions each month) in search of inspiration. Bring your own camera, or borrow one of ours (while supplies last).

It’s free to participate in our Photo Walks, but we do ask that you register in advance. If you want to borrow one of our film cameras, you’ll pay a nominal $10 fee at the time you register.

• Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 at Create Arlington [Click here to register]
• Thursday, June 16 at 6:30 at Create Arlington [Click here to register]
• Thursday, July 14 at 6:30 at Create Arlington [Click here to register]

On the day after each walk, between 11am-1pm, you’ll have access to a recently refurbished dark room in the Arlington Museum of Art to see what develops. Just let us know during the Walk if you’re interested in booking a time in the dark room.

Patio Perfection

We officially declare that it’s patio season! With over twenty restaurants and pubs that offer outdoor seating, patio-hopping is one of our favorite Downtown Arlington activities. Click here to see a list of Downtown Arlington restaurants that offer outdoor seating. Nearly all are dog-friendly!

Printable Walking Tour Maps

Looking for creative ways to meet your step goals, take a stroll, walk your pup (BYO poop bags, please), or train for your next 5K? Downtown Arlington has several healthy and fun routes mapped out, just for you. Along the way, you can also discover what’s new on Abram St., take a selfie mural tour, and explore our public art installations. Visit our Downtown Outdoors page for details.

Downtown Arlington Coloring Books

We say, color OUTSIDE the lines! The Downtown Arlington Coloring Book includes over a dozen pages, illustrated by local artist Derek Thorne, featuring familiar cultural and heritage destinations throughout the district. Perfect for kids and adults! Get your free copy in the Downtown Library’s Children’s area while supplies last.

For More Information

Visit the Events Calendar on our website for details about all Downtown Outdoors events.

What other ideas do you have for enjoying the great outdoors in the heart of your city? We’d love to hear from you.

About Downtown Arlington

Designated by the State of Texas as the Arlington Cultural District, Downtown Arlington is where creativity, authenticity, and hometown pride thrive and drive what's next. Within its less than a two-mile radius, Downtown is home UT Arlington, a Tier-One university, plus prolific visual and performing arts, live entertainment, exciting NCAA and professional athletics, one-of-a-kind dining and retail, and a supportive business climate. #downtownarlington