WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A Wichita Falls tradition, the After Hours Artwalk, is returning to downtown for the first week of April.

The first artwalk will be Thursday, April 6, downtown in the area of Indiana and Ohio from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

The After Hours Artwalk is a monthly event where local artists and businesses showcase their talents and products for the community.

The Artwalk takes place the first Thursday of each month from April to October, and the 2023 season is starting soon.

Artwalk Chair Luke Draper stopped by our studio Wednesday morning to talk about the upcoming event.

Carney Porter: Well, a Wichita Falls tradition is returning this week – it’s the After Hours Artwalk and you have a long time. It’s also kicking off the whole season-long event, so you won’t want to miss it. And here to tell us all about what we can expect is Luke Draper, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

Luke Draper: Thank you for having me. Well, the Artwalk is, of course, starting tomorrow. And it is the first Thursday of every single month through October. And our main artist hub, where a lot of our artists are going to be, is at the farmer’s market at Eighth and Ohio.

And it just brings a huge portion of our community downtown. All the downtown businesses stay open in hopes that people go in and shop and all of that. And of course, a bunch of artists set up downtown and performers set up downtown and either perform, sing or sell their art to the community. And it’s a super heartwarming event for downtown and Wichita Falls as a whole, for sure.

Carney Porter: It’s a great way for everyone to come together, too, and maybe get to know each other, meeting a new friend or something like that and get a good fill of art. Now, arts, not just your typical painting on a canvas, you know, what kind of art can people expect to see?

Luke Draper: So there’s a lot of different musicians also that will either set up on a street corner or in front of a business. And then of course the local theaters do some performances down there as well. And then of course people who paint and create will sell. And then there’s art from one end of the spectrum to the other end of the spectrum as well. So it’s super entertaining for sure.

Carney Porter: It’s great exposure for those artists and those performers to get there, to get all their stuff out there. And you don’t want to miss that. And you said it’s happening tomorrow. What hours are those going to be running?

Luke Draper: So it’s from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Carney Porter: Gotcha. Perfect. And it’s free to attend, unless you go buy something at your local store. But everything else for the most part, is just free to walk around and enjoy the day. Hopefully, it’ll be beautiful weather and hopefully beautiful weather for the first Thursday of every month to come.

Luke Draper: Absolutely.

Carney Porter: Yes. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. We appreciate it.

Luke Draper: Thank you for having me.