One Musicfest will no longer be held in Piedmont Park this year, according to a social media post from the festival Wednesday morning.
Instead, the two-day event (which takes place Oct. 26 and 27) is relocating to Central Park in Old Fourth Ward — a smaller space compared to Piedmont Park. The festival cited “challenging logistics and economics facing the festival industry” as reasons for the move.
“By moving to Central Park, we can continue to deliver the activations and experiences you love without compromising on quality,” the festival said in a statement. “We believe deeply in the power of culture and the significance of independently owned Black festivals. This pivot is not just about logistics; it’s about preserving the experiences that bring us together.”
Central Park hosted the festival in 2022, which featured headliners Lil Baby and Jazmine Sullivan. Last year, the festival moved to Piedmont Park for the first time — a decision that was touted as a symbol of the company’s growth.
“A lot of people supported us at Central Park,” J. Carter, founder of One Musicfest, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time. “We were sold out, but we knew that we would not be able to go back to Central Park just based on the size of the event and how fast it’s growing. We just needed a bigger footprint, and the timing couldn’t be more right.”
Formed in 2010, the annual festival for Black music and culture attracts more than 100,000 attendees each year. This year marks its 15th anniversary celebration. Cardi B, Gunna and Earth, Wind & Fire are among the headliners. Single-day tickets start at $99 and can be purchased via onemusicfest.com/tickets/.
It’s been a rough year for paid music festivals in metro Atlanta this year. The rock and pop-oriented Music Midtown, which usually uses Piedmont Park in September, canceled outright before even announcing a lineup. The EDM Imagine Festival at Kingston Downs in Rome decided to take 2024 off, citing inflation and other logistical issues. The Sweetwater 420 Music Festival, which had moved to Pullman Yards this year, switched to a free model just a couple of weeks before the April event when presales lagged, resulting in artists such as Black Pumas and Beck being dropped.
An NPR story last month noted that festivals worldwide are being scrapped as big acts focus on their own amphitheater, arena and stadium tours. It cited several examples of festivals not happening this year: Desert Daze, a psychedelic rock fest in Southern California; Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, a reggae fest in Northern California; Kickoff Jam, a country music festival in Florida; Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia; Sudden Little Thrills, a multigenre festival in Pittsburgh; and Float Fest in Austin, Texas.
The article noted a range of possible factors: escalating costs, a saturated festival market and reduced demand among Gen Zers for festival-type events.
The AJC reached out to One Musicfest for more information.
