On Saturday, an estimated 3,000 people streamed into Arts in the Sunset for the Hoodoo Mural Festival’s first year at its new venue. The atmosphere was electric yet welcoming — the kind of day where music, color, and community spirit combined to turn a creative idea into a living, breathing experience.
Now in its sixth year, Hoodoo has quickly become one of Amarillo’s most anticipated cultural events. By blending large-scale murals, live music, food trucks, and hands-on activities, the festival offers something for everyone. Families with kids, young creatives, longtime art supporters, and music lovers alike found ways to immerse themselves in a day designed to celebrate creativity in all its forms.
This year’s move from downtown Amarillo to Arts in the Sunset raised some questions ahead of the event. Would people come out in the same numbers? Would the festival lose its signature urban energy? Based on the turnout — and the overwhelmingly positive feedback — the answer is clear: Hoodoo didn’t just adapt to its new home, it flourished there.
A New Chapter at Arts in the Sunset
Arts in the Sunset, formerly Sunset Art Gallery, has long been a hub for Amarillo’s creative community. Its mix of indoor gallery space, resident artist studios, and sprawling outdoor plazas made it an ideal match for Hoodoo’s mix of murals and music.
Rachel Flores, Executive Director of Arts in the Sunset, said she saw the festival as an opportunity to showcase the center’s versatility.
“The combination of indoor galleries and outdoor plazas allowed visitors to explore every corner of the center,” Flores explained. “More than 50 resident artists opened their studios while guests tried live screen printing, joined a drum circle and added their own touches to a community ‘mini mural city.’”
The campus layout encouraged a kind of wandering — moving from a stage to a mural wall, stopping at a food truck, then ducking inside to see what the resident painters, potters, and sculptors had on display. This created a layered experience, part street festival and part gallery walk, where art wasn’t something you just looked at from a distance but something you engaged with at every turn.
Interaction at the Heart of the Festival
One of the most talked-about aspects of this year’s Hoodoo was the emphasis on interactivity. Beyond simply watching muralists at work, attendees were invited to contribute directly to the creative process. Families painted panels in the “mini mural city,” amateur drummers jumped into circles, and visitors tried their hand at live screen printing.
It worked. Instead of breezing through for an hour, many people stayed for the better part of the day, circling back to see the progress on murals, catching different music acts, and bringing their kids back for another round of hands-on art.
This kind of participatory element isn’t just fun — it fosters a sense of ownership. When you’ve contributed a brushstroke to a community mural or made your own print to take home, the festival becomes more than a spectacle; it becomes personal. That sense of connection is part of what makes Hoodoo unique.
Murals as Lasting Landmarks
Of course, murals remain the heart of Hoodoo. Watching a blank wall come alive with color and form is a thrill that never gets old, and this year featured an impressive lineup of both traveling muralists and local creators.
Nationally known artists like Birdcap, David Swartz, and Floyd Mendoza brought their bold styles to Amarillo, while hometown talents RaeLa Ornelas, Emma Webb, and Niara Torres proved that local voices could hold their own on the big stage. The works they unveiled are more than temporary festival decorations — they’re permanent additions to the Arts in the Sunset campus, destined to become landmarks that visitors will enjoy for years.
Smaller panels, painted by Panhandle artists, added another layer. Some were sold during the event, while others will be installed around the community, extending Hoodoo’s reach far beyond the festival grounds.
Music That Moved the Crowd
Art was everywhere you looked, but music was everywhere you listened. Two stages kept the festival pulsing from afternoon until night, featuring a lineup as diverse as the murals themselves.
National acts included Nashville alt-country songwriter Rayland Baxter, indie rock stalwarts Midlake from Denton, Fort Worth rockers Quaker City Night Hawks, and Phoenix-based reggae-Latino fusion artist Gabo Fayuca. Local talent rounded out the bill, with bands like Bardown and Plemons Bridge alongside Amarillo DJ collectives who kept energy high between sets.
The dual focus on visual art and live performance is part of what gives Hoodoo its unique energy. The rhythm of the music carried festivalgoers from mural to mural, and in turn, the art created the perfect backdrop for an evening of dancing, mingling, and celebrating Amarillo’s creative heartbeat.
A Win for Local Artists
One of the biggest successes of this year’s Hoodoo was the spotlight placed on Amarillo’s own talent. Blank Spaces, a nonprofit that has been instrumental in bringing murals to walls across the Panhandle, helped curate the lineup to ensure local creators were front and center.
This balance between bringing in nationally recognized names and elevating hometown voices matters. It exposes Amarillo audiences to new styles and ideas while also affirming the incredible talent that exists right here in the community. For young artists or kids watching muralists at work, the message is clear: creativity doesn’t just live in New York or Los Angeles — it thrives in Amarillo too.
A Community That Shows Up
By the end of the evening, one thing was certain: Amarillo shows up for the arts. Attendance matched or even slightly exceeded last year’s festival downtown, despite the move to a new venue.
That support doesn’t end when the festival does. Some of the installations — like a spray-can sculpture — will remain on site, and Arts in the Sunset plans to dedicate part of its gift shop to Hoodoo merchandise, keeping the connection alive year-round.
Looking Ahead
After six years, Hoodoo has grown from a niche event into a true cultural anchor for Amarillo. Each year builds on the last, and this year’s successful transition to Arts in the Sunset shows that the festival is still evolving in exciting ways.
The formula — art plus music plus community — isn’t new, but the execution is what sets Hoodoo apart. It’s not about standing behind ropes or staying quiet in a gallery. It’s about touching, listening, painting, dancing, and becoming part of something bigger than yourself.
For Amarillo, Hoodoo is more than just a weekend of fun. It’s a statement: that creativity belongs in the Panhandle, that artists here deserve a stage, and that when you create the right environment, people will show up in the thousands to celebrate.
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