When resident Milly Burrows was visiting family in Florida last February, she saw hundreds of artists turn the streets of downtown Lake Worth into their own personal art canvases.

Inspired by that event, which is the largest street painting festival in the country, Burrows made it her mission to bring a community art event like it back home.

“I kept thinking about Onset because it's such an artists' village,” she said.

Sparked by what Burrows saw in Florida, Saturday's “Chalk-Full-o-Fun” Street Painting Festival will be the first event of its kind in Onset.

Starting at 10 a.m., artists who have pre-registered will be given a box of chalk and free rein to create on the walkways up Union Avenue to Waban Avenue and the walkways across Prospect Park, which surrounds the Onset Band Shell.

Attendees will also be given the opportunity to draw on a portion of Union Avenue, with a to-be-determined section to be blocked off during the festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“We want it to be community-focused and have people leave their mark of inspiration on the street,” Burrows said.

In addition to the chalk painting, the festival will feature art displays, a one-man blues show by Mark T. Small, and an arts and crafts fair. Onset's Finest will provide hair chalking, which involves putting colored streaks in people's hair using chalk and water. Michael's craft store will be face-painting, and there will be numerous other children's activities, including an energy bike provided by South Coast Energy Challenge that kids can pedal to power a string of lights.

As the sun goes down, even more lights will come out as the end of the street painting festival coincides with the annual Illumination Night in Onset.

“We're hoping that people would come out and make a day of it,” Burrows said. The festival is scheduled on the same day as Illumination Night, where flares light up along the beaches of Onset Bay and a marching band parades through Onset Village.

Burrows said that the decision was made in part by the Onset Bay Association, which helped turn the festival from an idea into a reality. She contacted Eleanor Martin, the head of the OBA, last year, and put a Street Painting Festival Committee together.

Between grants, a donation from First Citizens Federal Credit Union and artist and vendor registrations, Burrows said the costs of the festival will be covered and she hopes there will be some money to set aside for next year's festival.

One of those costs is paying the event's featured artist, Stephanie Dolph, whom Burrows met the at the Providence Street Painting Festival last September.

“It's very satisfying and exciting and nerve-racking,” Burrows said of the event that has been 18 months in the making. “I just want all the pieces to fall in together.”

Artists can reserve a spot and a box of soft pastel chalk for $5 by emailing onsetstreetpaintfest@yahoo.com. For more information, go to the Onset Street Painting Festival Facebook page.