Skye Canyon is marking a decade of turning sidewalk concrete into public art. The community has announced its 10th annual Chalk & Cheers juried chalk art competition, set for Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Skye Canyon Park, with this year's contest carrying the theme “Skye Full of Dreams!”
Registration is free and capped at 50 artists, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which reports the contest is open to artists of all skill levels who will transform the park sidewalk into colorful works of art. Organizers, per Skye Canyon, note that artists must bring their own supplies and can register in one of three divisions. Sign-ups remain open through Oct. 1, and the community says all artists will be notified of their acceptance by Oct. 5.
Three Divisions, One Sidewalk Full of Color
The competition splits entrants into student, amateur and professional divisions, with the student category open to artists ages 12 to 18 and the amateur division open to anyone 18 and older, according to Vegas24Seven. Each division awards $300 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third, the outlet reports. On top of those prizes, $100 specialty awards go to Best 3D Piece and Best Use of Color, and festivalgoers themselves will pick the winner of a $100 People's Choice Award.
Artist check-in on contest day begins at 8 a.m., and finished pieces are due by 3:30 p.m., with judging scheduled for a tight window between 3 and 3:15 p.m., per the Review-Journal. Guests wandering the park that day can watch the chalk creations come to life in real time as the sidewalk fills in piece by piece.
A Fall Festival Built Around the Art
Chalk & Cheers serves as the centerpiece of Skye Canyon's broader fall festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 at Skye Canyon Park, located at 10111 W. Skye Canyon Park Drive. Beyond the chalk contest, the festival includes an art fair, a pumpkin patch, inflatable games, freestyle chalk art, face painting and what organizers describe as spooky slime, according to the Review-Journal. Food vendors on site are expected to include World's Best Corndogs, Mr. Funnel Cake, Empanada Factory and Flip N Grill.
More than 30 local artisans will fill the event's Vendor Village, showcasing and selling original creations, the paper reports. Skye Canyon is offering up to 32 vendor booths measuring 10 by 10 feet, with each booth priced at $150, according to the community's call to artists.
Where the Vendor Fees Go Is Unclear
Sources differ on where that vendor money ends up this year. Skye Canyon's own call to artists page states the $150 booth cost will be directly donated to Skye Serves, while a separate account from a blog tracking the festival's history states that 2026 booth proceeds are going to CORE. The Review-Journal, for its part, reports that Chalk & Cheers benefits CORE, describing the organization as a Las Vegas education nonprofit that provides career exploration, financial literacy, experiential learning, character development and long-term success resources. CORE uses what the paper calls a two-generation model of support to help historically underserved students and their families achieve economic mobility and lead choice-filled lives.
A Decade of Growth Since 2017
The event's roots trace back further than most Skye Canyon newcomers might guess. A local real estate blog reports that the Chalk & Cheers tradition started in 2017, and by 2020 the event was already being promoted as its fourth annual juried chalk competition, according to Nevada Business Magazine. That 2020 edition, held Sept. 26 and running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., featured high school student, amateur and professional categories with smaller payouts of $250, $100 and $50, plus $100 Amazon gift cards for Best 3D Piece and Best Use of Color, and a $300 gift card for the electronically voted People's Choice winner.
The prize structure and beneficiary have both shifted over the years, according to the same blog examining the festival's fine print. It reports that by 2025 the cash prizes had grown to $300 for division winners while the People's Choice award had settled at $100, and that the designated beneficiary changed from Skye Serves in 2021 to CORE by 2025, with vendor participation evolving from donated raffle items into the current flat $150 booth fee. Whether that fee ultimately lands with Skye Serves or CORE for this year's festival remains unresolved between the competing accounts.
