Celebrating in the tradition of art, fun, food and festivities, Bellevue will once again welcome a trio of arts festivals this coming weekend.

The Bellevue Arts Museum will once again host the BAM artsfair, a prominent Pacific Northwest juried arts festival. The BAM artsfair will be held at the Bellevue Arts Museum and at the Bellevue Collection, on Bellevue Way Northeast between Northeast Eighth Street and Northeast Fourth Street. A community event for the past 60 years, the free arts fair will feature work by local, regional and national artists.

Over the past 25 years, the Bellevue Festival of the Arts has grown to become a true Northwest tradition, held in tandem with the annual Bellevue Arts Museum artsfair and the Sixth Street Fair. This year, the arts will come to life the weekend of July 24-26.

Catering to the little ones, the BAM artsfair will also feature a Kidsfair sponsored by Overlake Hospital Medical Center featuring over 8,000 square feet of fun, hands-on art activities for children, Billions of Bubbles, Sock Puppets, Museum Passport, Preschool Play, Painting Studio, Tie-Dye Art and all-time favorites Bubbles the Clown and Zany Worms. A free outdoor chalk activity, Chalk It Up!, will take place in front of the Museum on 6th Street.

A new addition to the BAM artsfair includes an International Origami Exhibit at Lincoln Square and Bellevue Square from July 13 – 26, featuring creations by origami artists from around the world. Now in its 63rd year, the BAM artsfair is the biggest showcase of original art made by leading national and regional artists attracting over 350,000 visitors every year.

The Bellevue Festival of the Arts is one of the Eastside’s most popular annual juried arts and crafts fairs, and features nearly 200 artists in the region. Formerly called the “Rest of the Best Fest,” it was founded in 1984 by Steve King and other craftspeople as an alternative to the Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts fair.

These days, the Festival is produced by the Craft Cooperative of the Northwest (CCNW), and features a variety of crafted items including jewelry, fine art, photography, textiles, glass, woodworking, sculpture, ceramics and pottery. The outdoor event will be held at the Cost Plus World Market Lot at 10300 Northeast Street, across from Bellevue Square. Proceeds from the Festival benefits a number of Eastside charities and attendance to the event is free.

During the same weekend you also can venture down the road for the Sixth Street Fair, which features more than 140 artists, live performances, and food, all in an open-air setting. Jazz, blues and rock musicians will entertain from a live stage and there will be hands-on activities for kids of all ages. The arts fair will include a variety of artwork including sculptures, jewelry, home decor, paintings, glass work, fabrics and more.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.

For information on the Bellevue Arts Museum ArtsFair: www.bellevuearts.org/fair/index.htm, 425-519-0742.

For information on the 6th Street Fair: www.bellevuedowntown.org/events/sixth_street/index.htm, 425-453-1223.

For information on the Bellevue Festival of the Arts: www.bellevuefest.org, 206-363-2048.