Written by FiFi Carbajal Jaianne Gilkey

From Friday, April 10th through Sunday, April 12th, 2026, The Bakery Atlanta stepped into something bigger than a typical music festival. Big: Culture and Arts Festival (Big CAF) in downtown Gainesville, Florida, is a multidimensional experience of creativity, resistance, and radical joy. The moment we arrived, we could feel the energy and care put into downtown Gainesville’s grassroots art ecosystem. Entire city blocks transformed into an immersive playground where every corner held something unexpected, and every outfit had its own distinct identity. Wandering through the cobblestone roads felt like drifting through a wonderland of ingenious creativity, each turn revealing new installations, sounds, and interactions.

Some notable interactive elements included a shed positioned to block off Southwest First Ave. This empty shed transformed into The Rhythm Room, a boiler-room-inspired stage where DJs like DAY/DEMand Donnie Luv played tracks into the late night. There was no distinguishing between a stranger and a friend, our bodies all pressed together in this small space, swaying rhythmically to the beats laid down before us.

From left to right: The U-haul truck that was turned into a gallery space, the moving gallery art install, a graffiti car that evolved as the weekend progressed, and artwork by julio f pereira @jfpold

The Human Training Program, an art collective based in Gainesville, Florida, installed a moving gallery that drifted to a different section of the sidewalk each day. This pop-up gallery, titled Visual Stimuli, focused on nostalgic tech, prompting attendees to think critically about the media we consume and the past we often view through a rose-colored lens.

There was a U-Haul truck turned into a pop-up art gallery organized by Studio Unplesnt. Additionally, there were live murals and graffiti, an old junk car filled to the brim with native Florida plants and string lights, and countless live artists creating works on stage. There was also a pop-up movie theatre nestled in the corner of the festival, showcasing work from Subtropic Film Festival, a South Florida film collective.

The Visual Stimuli exhibit by The Human Training Program

A bittersweet element of the festival was the pink double-decker bus that served as a retreat for patrons to sit in and escape the sun; the owners, Birdie-Box, are a local Gainesville chicken sandwich shop that permanently closed its doors in 2024. Although we did not personally enjoy any of the food from Birdie-Box, it was sweet to hear locals reminisce about the iconic bus and its time at Birdie-Box.

Big CAF describes itself as an organization that “combines street culture with a modern interpretation of circus — offering a healing rejuvenation for the scars of the past and a portal into the present soul.” This motto was palpable throughout the festival and its attendees.

We had an outstanding time seeing all the different interpretations of street style that festival-goers wore. Street style at Big CAF blended conservative elements like boots, camouflage clothing, and truck hats with elements found in punk and alternative spaces, such as layered pieces of checkered pleated skirts and lace. This blend of typically conservative clothing elements with alternative styles really drove home the point that you can love where you come from and appreciate the roots of your upbringing while pioneering change and inclusivity in spaces that often hold onto outdated ideals.

*Us and our friends dressed up as clowns!*

The DIY spirit was evident in almost every outfit we came across, such as unique braids tied with silver hoops, full crochet outfits, and patchwork. Saturday at the festival was the BIG circus day, filled with modern clown performances, fire-spinning, aerial silks, and hula-hooping under the aerial rig near the How Bazar stage. People wore their frilliest clothes, and we joined in on the fun! Our entire group dressed up as clowns. Saturday at Big Caf focused on cultural roots, a fashion show led by Crochizzydesigns, where models adorned hand-made crochet pieces that represented their respective cultures and identities.

Modern clown performances, fire spinning, aerial silks, and hula hooping under the aerial rig near the How Bazar stage.

The pride in the city’s art scene was unmistakable, but what made it even more powerful was the convergence of people from Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Atlanta, and beyond. Different pockets of community in the Southeast came together, not just to showcase their work but to uplift a shared subculture rooted in experimentation and expression.

chanpan performing on the BIG Stage

As if by design, on our last day at Big CAF, we came across an installation by local Atlanta creatives M.E.A.T. (Music Experiments in Emerging Arts and Technology)! Their audio-tech installation featured musical notes strung on trees that, when touched, produced a variety of unique sounds. Some musical notes played native Floridian bird calls, others played synth and electronic music elements. We gathered around the tree and played these melodies with child-like wonder before realizing that the team behind it was from Atlanta! Once we realized, we all embraced and celebrated finding a piece of home out in Gainesville, Florida.

Beneath the whimsical, almost surreal atmosphere—complete with clown marionettes playing tiny drums alongside live sets—there was a strong political undercurrent and a collective effort among staff. At one pop-up stage, people literally held up spotlights to keep performances by They Are Gutting a Body of Water (TAGABOW) visible, and at 00JORDIE’s set on the Big Stage, tinsel-clad figures danced on stilts through the crowd. At the same time, audience members carried handmade protest signs onto the stage.

TAGABOW pop-up stage in the middle of the festival and someone holding up a stage light for them

The performance that stood out the most to us was JER at the Big Stage on Saturday. JER (Jeremy Hunter) is a Gainesville-based, genre-defying artist blending ska, punk, indie, and hip-hop. His band has strong political and social justice elements. During his performance, he took time to highlight the current political climate in our country and how our history and violence against marginalized communities are directly linked to the violence happening overseas.

JER on The Big Stage

Downtown Gainesville, Florida, has a long-standing history of supporting black and marginalized musicians. This city was part of the Chitlin Circuit, a network of southern venues that gave black artists and people of color a safe place to perform during the Jim Crow era. The Cotton Club was a venue where Bo Diddley, BB King, and James Brown played, and it is now a museum open to the public. The Dunbar Hotel was the only hotel in Gainesville that served and hosted black travelers until the 1950s. It was an honor to see JER’s performance and experience the presence of the past converge with the present in such a tangible way.

For The Bakery Atlanta, whose mission is to broaden awareness of, and build community around, progressive ideas in the arts, Big Culture and Arts Festival reminded us that when people come together with intention, creativity can transform entire cities, even if only for a weekend.