CALL IT FESTIVAL FEVER.(Brief Article)

Austin loves a party -- just about any reason will spark a celebration

Stevie Ray Vaughn and Delbert McClinton aside, Austin's live music scene isn't the only game in town when it comes to culture, festivity and fun.

Texas and the fine arts

Home to more than 60 art galleries and museums, Austin also celebrates all seasons and most holidays -- even an unlikely birthday of a fictional character becomes reason to throw a community party. Austin's festivals highlight everything from the creative arts at the Texas Arts Festival in April to the movie industry's screenwriters at the Austin Film Festival in October.

The "elder statesman" of festivals in Austin could be the Texas Fine Arts Festival. Originally called the Fiesta Arts and Crafts Fair, it was held on the grounds of the Laguna Gloria Art Museum, sponsored by the Texas Fine Arts Association. The Austin Museum of Art Guild now produces the event as a benefit for the Austin Museum of Art. Its first year, the festival earned $225. Today, the event has made more than S2 million for the museum since its origin in 1951.

The event now takes place each April downtown at Fifth and Guadalupe streets, near Republic Square Park and surrounding the future site of the Austin Museum of Art.

"The festival is a genuine community event, …