The spring festival season is underway in Birmingham, with events shining a light on themes from music to food and art.

The Magic City Art Connection and the companion Corks & Chefs festivals have been going on this weekend at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.

Alex Kunzman, coordinator and marketing director of the Magic City Art Connection, said that festival was born at Linn Park downtown.

“It was there for the first 38 years, maybe 39 years,” Kunzman said, adding that the festival moved to Sloss Furnances in 2021 in response to the pandemic. “We had to cancel the festival in 2020 so we came here for the ease of some of our protocols that we had to deal with at that time.

Sloss allowed the arts festival to have a “more linear path,” he said. “We were spacing booths further apart and that kind of stuff to help protect the public. It was just really well received and we’ve been at Sloss ever since.”

Tickets for Sunday are $60 and include entry to both festivals, tastes at each table and wine and beer samplings. They are available here. Those patrons wanting to access the art festival only can do so for $15 and tickets are available at the gate.

Across town, the 27th St. Elias Lebanese Food & Cultural Festival wrapped up Saturday. That festival commemorated the Lebanese culture.

“It’s been fun to see how we’ve been able to adapt and change but also maintain,” Mark Bolus said. “Our theme this year is Rooted in Tradition. We really want to maintain the quality of our food, the traditions of the true Lebanese heritage. We just want people to leave here with a full stomach and a full heart. That’s what we aim to do.”

Anthony Bolus said food is the costar of the festival.

“The true heart and soul of our festival is our faith, showcasing our faith and who we are as a parish in our community here,” he said. “We have ancient traditions that we’ve maintained over the course of centuries. It’s been great to be able to share that and experience it here.”

Festivals coming up this spring include:

Crawfest, May 1: A cajun buffet, music, raffle and silent auction will be featured in the event to benefit the Coastal Conservation Association. At the Birmingham Zoo, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Magic City Mimosa Festival, May 3: Noon to 4 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark. Features music, activities and art.

The 14th Annual Salsa Showdown, May 3: The Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema hosts the Cinco de Mayo fundraising competition to determine who offers the best salsa, guacamole, queso and specialty dip. Begins at 2 p.m. at Cahaba Brewing Company.

Color Our World, May 10: Birmingham Public Library kicks off its summer reading program from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Avondale Park. There will be crafts, face painting, a book walk, snow cones and prizes.

Rosè All Day Wine & Music Festival 2025, May 10: A day of rosè wine, pink specialty drinks and live music from Saucy Santanta, Q Parker of 112 and Sherri Brown. 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Lit on 8^th.

Do Dah Day, May 17: This festival with brews, music and furry friends will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Cahaba Brewing Company.

The Taste of Music in Communities – Avondale, May 18: The jazz-themed festival series moves among communities this summer. Each event will be 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The next one is the Taste of Avondale festival at Avondale Park on May 18. Following events are Taste of Civil Rights District at Kelly Ingram Park, June 29; Taste of Pratt City at Pratt City Park, July 18; and Taste of West End at Arlington Historic House and Gardens, Aug. 17.

Birmingham Taco Fest, May 18: Bare Hands Inc. sponsors this annual event, which includes taco vendors and food trucks, music, arts activities, a farm stand and art market. It will be 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.

Jewish Food and Culture Fest, May 18: This annual day of Jewish cooking and culture will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Levite Jewish Community Center.

Birmingham Folk Fest, May 17: A free day of music and arts, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Avondale Park.

Steel City Smooth Jazz Fest, June 5-8: The four-day event kicks off with line dancing at Legion Park on Thursday night, moves to Linn Park for live music on Friday and Saturday, and wraps up Sunday with a gospel extravaganza.

Festa Italiana, June 7: The Italian American Heritage Society is returning for the second year with its festival dedicated to all things Italian from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces.

ShinDigital, June 27: Sloss Tech is adding a music festival to cap its three-day conference. The event begins at Workplay at 5:30 p.m.

R&B Mimosa Festival, June 28: Smooth R&B and mimosas will be featured in this event at Haven from noon to 4 p.m.