Nearly 200 artists will exhibit along Bethesda Row on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Sunday, Sept. 13, for the annual Bethesda Row Arts Festival. The free juried competition draws more than 30,000 visitors over two days, according to the festival's website.

The festival runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days in Bethesda Row's Arts and Entertainment District in downtown Bethesda. Admission is free.

Festival Director Jon Gann oversees the event, which the publication Art Fair Sourcebook has ranked among the top 30 fine art shows in the country. Artists accepted through the jury process compete across 16 categories: ceramics, digital art, drawing and pastels, decorative fiber, wearable fiber, glass, graphics and printmaking, jewelry, metalwork, mixed media, oil and acrylic, photography, sculpture, watercolor and wood.

Each artist may only show and sell work in the category they were juried into. The lineup includes local exhibitors such as Jack Hornady of Chevy Chase, competing in oil and acrylic, and Iris Grundler of Gaithersburg, showing ceramics. Bernie Houston of Laurel creates driftwood sculptures in the wood category, and Henry Hyde of Cockeysville hand-forges kitchen cutlery in metalwork.

Montgomery Magazine described the festival as a well-known regional competition drawing experienced artists across multiple mediums. The event is open to all ages, and families are welcome.

The festival site sits a few blocks from the Bethesda Metro station and along the Capital Crescent Trail, reachable by subway, bus, car or bike. Shops, galleries and restaurants with outdoor seating surround the festival footprint along Bethesda Row.