As sure as the dogwoods bloom, the Braves hit the field and allergy remedy sales go up, metro Atlanta will be bursting with festivals. Music festivals, neighborhood bashes, artsy gatherings, foodie tastings and festivals to celebrate . . . well, just life!
“What I like about festivals like ours is that you can listen to a band that you may or may not heard of and may or may not like and then you can move on to one of the activations” such as the artist market, said Adam Rosenfelt, co-producer of SweetWater 420 Fest and co-owner of Pullman Yards where the event is taking place. “Then you can try out the food options. It’s a rolling adventure.”
Credit: Akili-Casundria Ramsess
Credit: Akili-Casundria Ramsess
There is certainly something for everyone. For those who are music fans, there is SweetWater 420, featuring acts such as Beck, Slightly Stoopid and Grace Potter; while the Shaky Knees Festival has an all-star lineup that includes the Foo Fighters, Billy Idol, Weezer and Noah Kahan. Atlanta Jazz Festival, one of the country’s largest free jazz fests, returns for its 47th year with an eclectic mix of national, international and local musicians including New Jazz Underground, OKAN and André 3000 on his New Blue Sun Live tour.
Credit: Fergal Kearns
Credit: Fergal Kearns
Spring is also the time for neighborhoods to dust off the winter blahs and celebrate with local bands, food trucks, artists, parades, home tours and kids zones. Popular ones intown include the eclectic Inman Park Festival with its wacky parade, and Little 5 Fest that is true to the neighborhood counterculture vibe.
The privately run Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces, sponsors intown and suburban fests, including the Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival, Sandy Springs Artsapalooza, Spring Festival on Ponce, Duluth Spring Arts Festival, Roswell Spring Arts Festival and Chastain Spring Arts & Crafts Festival.
“Festivals bring people into the neighborhood. It’s always been about that,” said Kelly Stocks, president of the Little 5 Points Business Association, a Little 5 Fest co-presenter with Market Hugs. “Of course, being Little 5, we have to do unique things like skateboarding and a hotdog-eating contest. A lot of our vendors and music are younger so that’s different.”
Credit: Luciana D. Carneiro
Credit: Luciana D. Carneiro
Food plays a large part in festivals and there are several devoted centered around the cooking of local restaurants and chefs, including the Georgia Food and Wine Festival, Taste of Marietta and, for those who can never eat enough wings, Atlanta Wing Fest.
“The thrill of a food festival is being able to taste food from all these amazing restaurants in one place,” said Dale Gordon DeSena, founder and CEO of Taste of Atlanta, which hosts four events this year.
“Our attendees are foodies, and we have 25 chefs cooking up all different flavors of wings,” she added of Atlanta Wing Fest. “There’s more than just buffalo and lemon pepper.”
While festivals are great entertainment, she also points out that they are an important source of income for the vendors, whether it be an artist, musician, business or chef. “We want you to come to our tastings and see that the food is so great that you’ll want to go to that restaurant for lunch or dinner,” DeSena said. “We want to turn tasters into diners. Our goal is to support the restaurants and chefs.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
So whether you want to enjoy Atlanta festival icons such as the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, St. Patrick’s Day Parade or the Big Shanty Festival or try something newer such as the Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival or the Hapeville Butterfly Lantern Parade, it’s time to get outside and enjoy what metro Atlanta’s festivals have to offer.
Credit: Billy Galligan/A Man With His Ca
Credit: Billy Galligan/A Man With His Ca
FESTIVAL FACTS
March
St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Noon-1:30 p.m. March 16. Free. Peachtree Street and 15th Street to 5th Street. 770-805-8015, atlantastpats.com
Georgia Food and Wine Festival. Various times, March 21-24. Prices depend on activity. Jim R. Miller Park, 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta. 770-423-1330, georgiafoodandwinefestival.com
Hapeville Butterfly Lantern Parade. 5-10 p.m. March 23. Free. Jess Lucas Y-Teen Park, 680 S. Central Ave., Hapeville. 404-334-7500, hapeville.org
Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 23-24. Free. Blackburn Park, 3501 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Brookhaven. 404-637-0542, brookhavenga.gov/festival
Sandy Springs Artsapalooza. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 30; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 31. Free. 6100 Lake Forrest Drive, Sandy Springs. 470-929-6095, sandyspringsartsapalooza.com
April
Spring Festival on Ponce. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 6; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. April 7. Free. Olmsted Linear Park, 1451 Ponce de Leon Ave. 470-929-6095, festivalonponce.com
Little 5 Fest. 1-8 p.m. April 6. Free. Seminole Avenue. 404-735-4924, l5pbiz.com
Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Noon-9 p.m. April 12; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. April 13; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. April 14. Artist Market closes at 7 p.m. April 12-13. Free. Piedmont Park. 404-827-8663, dogwood.org [Editor’s note: The dates in this listing were originally incorrect for the Atlanta Dogwood Festival.]
Atlanta Wing Fest. 6-10 p.m. April 18. General admission: $85; VIP, $95. Uptown Atlanta, 570 Main St. (near Lindberg MARTA Station). 404-875-4434, atlantawingfest.com
SweetWater 420 Fest. Noon-11 p.m. April 20-21. One-day general admission, $139; two-day general admission, $245. Other ticket options available. Pullman Yards, 225 Rogers St. 470-777-7471, sweetwater420fest.com
Big Shanty Festival. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. April 20; noon-5 p.m. April 21. Parade: 9:30 a.m. April 20. Free. Near the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw. 770-423-1330, kennesawbusiness.org/bsf
Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 20; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. April 21. Free. Historic Fourth Ward Park, 592 N. Angier Ave. 470-929-6095, oldfourthwardparkartsfestival.com
Inman Park Festival and Tour of Homes. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., April 27; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. April 28. Tour of Homes: Noon-4 p.m. April 26-28. Festival is free. Tour of Homes: $40. festival.inmanpark.org
Duluth Springs Arts Festival. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 27, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. April 28. Free. 3167 Main St., Duluth. 470-929-6095, duluthartsfestival.com
Taste of Marietta Festival. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. April 28. Free. 99 S. Park Square, Marietta. 770-429-1115, tasteofmarietta.com
May
Shaky Knees. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. May 3-4; 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. May 5. One-day general admission starts at $165; three-day general admission starts at $365. Civic Center, 395 Piedmont Ave. shakykneesfestival.com
Roswell Spring Arts Festival. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 4; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. May 5; Free. Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill St., Roswell, 470-929-6095, roswellartfestival.com
Chastain Spring Arts & Crafts Festival. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 11; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. May 12. Free. 4469 Stella Drive. 404-873-1222, chastainparkartsfestival.com
Atlanta Jazz Festival. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. May 25-27. Free. Piedmont Park. 404-546-6815, atljazzfest.com
Sweet Auburn Springfest. 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. May 11; 1-8 p.m. May 12. Free. 230 John Wesley Dobbs Ave. NE. 678-861-7263, sweetauburn.com
Atlanta Caribbean Carnival. May 24-26. Various locations and prices. Centerpiece event is the concert and more, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. May 25 at Westside Park, 1660 Johnson Road NW. 770-258-6022, atlantacarnival.org
