The I Madonnari Street Painting Festival returned to the Old Mission Santa Barbara on Saturday for the 40th year.

The three-day festival — a fundraiser for the Children’s Creative Project — is traditionally held during Memorial Day weekend. It is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Monday.

The festival helps “provide arts education to every single student in Santa Barbara County,” Children’s Creative Project Program Organizer Yoseline Gonzalez told Noozhawk.

Gonzalez said that roughly 150 artists are participating in this year’s festival. Some are legacy artists, while others are making their chalk art debuts.

Some artists are painting as individuals. Others are sponsored by local organizations and businesses, according to Gonzalez.

The area in front of the Old Mission building was sectioned off into squares and rectangles, including this year’s “Super Square”: a 36-by-40-foot painting that blended together textile designer William Morris’ artworks.

Jennifer LeMay, who has participated in the festival since 1988, was one of this year’s Super Square artists. She said the Super Square is only created every 10 years.

“We made it so no matter the side you’re on, the painting is not upside down. You can view it from any part,” LeMay said.

Super Square artists started the outline on Wednesday. They expect to finish the entire piece by the last day of the festival. 

“We do this every year because it’s fun and it’s for a good cause,” LeMay added.

Hundreds of artists and attendees flooded the festival when it opened Saturday, including street photographer Norman Spieler.

Spieler said he came to document the chalk artists’ work. It was his first time coming to the event.

“My goal is to capture the moment that’s not gonna happen exactly the same way again,” Spieler said, referencing a photo he took of a mother and son working on a painting.

Spieler enjoyed witnessing the artists’ creativity, being able to photograph it, and “to see the community involved, it’s a lot of fun.”

Local vendors and live performers set up on the Mission Lawn nearby, such as Dave’s Dogs and Elubia’s Kitchen.

The Children’s Creative Project also set up booths, offering face painting and selling donated ceramics and raffle tickets. Proceeds will go back to the Project.

“It started really as just chalk in front of the Mission, and now it’s evolved into this really large tradition and community festival for Santa Barbara,” Gonzalez said. 

See the full schedule for the festival here.