Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – A Jonesboro-based nonprofit is hosting a festival geared entirely toward children in May at Craighead Forest Park.
Anaya’s Way, a nonprofit providing humanitarian aid and immigration legal services, is partnering with Jonesboro Parks and Recreation to host Dia de los Niños, Children’s Day Festival, which encourages children and their families to spend time in their community and with each other. The festival will feature vendors, door prizes, a talent show, a petting zoo, and more. It will be free to attend.
Jessica Rosales, intake manager and caseworker with Anaya’s Way, said the organization hosted a similar festival in 2025, but themed around Cinco de Mayo. She said this was a way to give back to the community, while also raising money for the nonprofit.
“We decided to go out and go ahead and extend it because April 30 is National Children’s Day in several Latin American countries,” Rosales said. “We decided to go ahead and promote with that since a lot of our clients that we help are from the Hispanic side. We want to do something to help celebrate their heritage.”
The money raised from vendor fees will go to support Anaya’s Way. Currently, 37 vendors are signed up, with room for 100. Rosales said vendors, who will be selling everything from snacks to toys, will continue to be accepted until the 100-vendor limit is reached. To sign up to be a vendor, call 870-206-8990 or click here.
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A D.J. will host the event’s talent show. Children, adults, and teens can enter and perform a song, juggle, or whatever they want to do, Rosales said. She added that acts must be kid-friendly.
The festival will include an adoption event from the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. In addition, there are plans for a Touch-A-Truck event, featuring vehicles from the Jonesboro fire and police departments, construction vehicles, and more for children to get up close to and learn more about.
In addition, the nonprofit will offer several opportunities for high school students who need to complete their community service hours required for graduation. Volunteers will help vendors set up, assist with the talent show, and read stories during a dedicated read-aloud time with the festival’s younger children. Those interested in volunteering can click here.
“It is a Children’s Day Festival, there will be something that pretty much everybody can enjoy either there at the event or Craighead Forest [Park] itself,” Rosales said. “We just want it to be a big turnout so that it’s something that we can do and continue to do each year.”
The festival is set for May 2 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will take up the entire area of Access 6 in Craighead Forest Park, located at 4910 S. Culberhouse Road. Overflow parking will be in Access 7.
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