Most opportunities to support the arts in Bakersfield are on a smaller scale — an exhibition opening, art walk or festival. But when you're gathering more than 400 artists to create work at the same time, you can only be talking about Via Arte.

Organized by the Bakersfield Museum of Art, the Italian street painting festival is in its 19th year and planning to take over a swath of the parking lot at The Marketplace this weekend. This year's festival will feature the most artists ever gathered for the event, according to museum curator Rachel Magnus, with 429 professional and student artists participating.