As a Midtown resident who has lived within two blocks of Piedmont Park for more than 50 years, I’ve seen it all.
That includes the beloved legacy Atlanta Arts Festival (now defunct), Music Midtown (now Shaky Knees), the Peachtree Road Race, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival and countless other events large and small.
I’m old enough to remember Freaknik, an out-of-control event that held Midtown and surrounding neighborhoods in lockdown as hordes of young people on Spring Break took over Piedmont Park and surrounding streets during the 1990s. Freaknik was so disruptive that Mayor Bill Campbell had to shut it down in 1999.
Many longtime residents said this year’s 404 Festival in Piedmont Park reminded them of Freaknik. Tragically, two young women were shot (one died) in Piedmont Park on the tail end of the 404 Festival when tens of thousands of people were drawn to the park to celebrate Atlanta’s day on Saturday, April 4, an event that caused a community outcry.
“I was shocked at the congestion and the standstill of cars and how far it went,” said City Councilman Alex Wan, who represents Piedmont Park and lives in Morningside, many streets away from the park. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
At the Atlanta City Council meeting on April 20, Wan planned to introduce a resolution to create a special commission to develop better guidelines and improve enforcement for events in Piedmont Park.
The 19-member Special Event Technical Advisory Group will include city leaders, neighborhood representatives, Piedmont Park stakeholders and special event promoters.
In an interview over the weekend, Wan recalled trying in a previous term to establish similar guidelines to protect Piedmont Park. Now he is inspired to try once again.
“Piedmont Park needs resting periods between major events,” said Wan, who is concerned about the park’s “green infrastructure” and the normal wear and tear of too many people in the park week after week.
The 404-day festival has been held in Piedmont Park in other years, but this was the first one on a Saturday,which coincided with Easter weekend and Spring break. The event was widely promoted on social media, and it was supported by the City of Atlanta.
Unfortunately, it had been approved as a Class E event, with an expected maximum attendance of 1,999 and at the lowest fee ($50) to apply for the permit. The size of a festival determines what’s expected in terms of security, traffic management and clean-up.
For example, a Class A event estimates attendees of 50,000 or more, and it is charged $15,000. Clearly, the 404-day was closer to being a Class A event than a Class E event. But there was no official entity, the Atlanta Fire Department, monitoring the number of people in the park. That meant there was no way to hold event producers accountable after the fact.
Wan said he would like for the city to have a “game day response and enforcement” with verifications so the city can be better prepared to respond when events deviate from expectations.
The issues today are even more complex.
The Atlanta Dogwood Festival, which legitimately receives and pays for a Class A permit, was held exactly one week later. The Dogwood Festival has been teetering for the last several years as sponsorship revenue never fully recovered from the COVID pandemic and as costs have increased.
The Dogwood Festival was celebrating its 90th anniversary, making it the longest-running festival in Atlanta. Brian Hill, the outgoing executive director of the Dogwood Festival, asked the city for permission to charge a small entrance fee this year to be able to go forward with the 2026 festival. It was led to believe it had received city approval for its set up. But on Saturday, the city made the Dogwood Festival go to a donation-only model.
“The only thing that made us go forward was when we got a call from the city saying we would be able to charge for entry,” said Hill, who added that attendance was down at least 25 percent this year, even though the weather was ideal. “The shootings in Piedmont Park greatly impacted our event.”
Mayor Andre Dickens, during a program on Monday at the Rotary Club of Atlanta, said that in true Atlanta fashion, Piedmont Park bounced back after the 404 Fest, holding the Dogwood Festival the following weekend and an Atlanta Symphony concert on April 19.
“Just last night at the symphony, people showed up big time to the symphony in Piedmont Park,” Dickens said. “We will not let a criminal or anyone that wants to do harm to someone else scare us out of our public places.”
The mayor made a point of saying that on that morning there had only been 16 homicides all year, a sharp decrease from 48 homicides four years ago. “So that night, we had had our 17th homicide, which was Tianah Robinson,” Dickens said.
As an Atlanta native and a lifetime patron of Piedmont Park, I have several thoughts.
For me, 404-day is a day of reflection. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. I was only 12 years old, and that day will forever be branded in my soul because I had the privilege of knowing King through my friendship with Yolanda King, his oldest child.
In my mind, we can only celebrate 404 Day if we pay a solemn tribute to our native son, arguably the greatest Atlantan who has ever lived.
I also don’t believe Piedmont Park can handle a major 404-day festival and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival back-to-back, and the timing of both events can’t be moved, given the date on the calendar and when the dogwoods are in bloom.
Given its historical significance and compliance with the city’s festival guidelines, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival should have precedence for being in Piedmont Park. The city should offer other possible locations to 404 Day Festival out of consideration for the wear and tear on Piedmont Park. It has been especially hard this year because we’re in the middle of a draught and the park’s grounds are in a fragile state.
When Shirley Franklin was mayor during another drought, the Dogwood Festival had to move out of Piedmont Park for a year, much to my dismay. Holding the festival in the Lenox Mall parking lot was not the same, and fortunately, the Dogwood Festival returned to its true home.
As a journalist, it’s difficult for me to cover the financial fragility of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, truly one of the premier events in the city. I applaud Councilmember Wan’s desire to develop a special event permitting process that establishes fair and equal guidelines for everyone.
“There needs to be a good balance between the park, the attendees and the surrounding community rather than it be subject to who is in leadership or the event producer or even who are the neighborhood leaders at the time,” said Wan, who added how much he enjoys the Dogwood Festival and has bought several pieces of art at the event over the years. “I hope the Dogwood Festival does not go out of business.”
On that note, it would be wonderful to convene stakeholders of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival – the city, Piedmont Park, its neighbors, festival organizers, sponsors and philanthropic leaders – to work on a sustainable solution so we can enjoy the festival for decades to come.
I remember decades ago, when the Piedmont Park Conservancy was in its infancy, it appealed to the community by saying “we are loving Piedmont Park to death.” That slogan helped it raise money to help maintain and improve the park.
Coincidentally, the Piedmont Park Conservancy will hold its annual Landmark Lunch fundraising event on April 23.
Once again, it’s time for Atlanta to love Piedmont Park to life.
A copy of Atlanta Councilmember’s Alex Wan’s resolution:
A RESOLUTION BY COUNCILMEMBER ALEX WAN TO ESTABLISH THE CITY OF ATLANTA SPECIAL EVENT TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP (SETAG) FOR THE PURPOSE OF REVIEWING AND RECOMMENDING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SPECIAL EVENT PERMITTING PROCESS , INCLUDING THE LANGUAGE AND ENFORCEMENT OF APPLICABLE LAWS; TO EVALUATE EVENT-RELATED IMPACTS ON PUBLIC SAFETY, PARK OPERATIONS, AND SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS, SPECIFIC TO PIEDMONT PARK; TO IDENTIFY STRATEGIES FOR IMPACT MITIGATION THROUGH ENHANCED PLANNING, COORDINATION, AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION; AND TO PROVIDE ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WITHIN SIX (6) MONTHS OF ITS FIRST MEETING; WITH SETAG TO RECONVENE ON A BI-MONTHLY BASIS FOR TWELVE (12) MONTHS FOLLOWING DELIVERY OF ITS RECOMMENDATIONS TO MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
WHEREAS, the residents of the City of Atlanta have a fundamental right to access, use, and enjoy public city owned property, including parks and open spaces, which are held in trust by the City for the benefit of all members of the public; and
WHEREAS, the location, accessibility, public transportation infrastructure, commercial density, and prominence of Piedmont Park make it an attractive venue for a broad spectrum of events, from small community gatherings to large-scale and gated and ticketed activations; and
WHEREAS, arts and cultural events are essential to the health, vibrancy, and identity of the City of Atlanta, fostering community connection, economic vitality, and shared civic pride; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City of Atlanta to balance the economic, cultural, and community benefits of special events with the preservation of public space availability for general use and the long-term health of public greenspace; and
WHEREAS, the City of Atlanta has an established special events permitting process that outlines requirements for outdoor events held on public property to regulate time, place, and manner of use, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, prioritization of public safety, and responsible stewardship of public resources; and
WHEREAS, as the City of Atlanta has experienced substantial growth in population, tourism, and the scale and frequency of public events, the special event permitting process has not been comprehensively updated to align with these changing conditions; and
WHEREAS, Piedmont Park and the surrounding public roadways consistently host the largest number and variety of outdoor permitted special events including parades and road races in the City of Atlanta, making it the most utilized City of Atlanta public space for permitted outdoor event activity; and
WHEREAS, recent and ongoing investments surrounding Piedmont Park—including the Piedmont Park Conservancy’s updated Comprehensive Development Plan, the active expansion of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, and the completion of the Atlanta BeltLine Northeast Trail—are expected to increase visitation and demand on the park, necessitating a thoughtful balance between permitted special events and organic public use; and
WHEREAS, the cumulative agronomic impacts of intensive event use on public greenspaces require deliberate consideration, as the City of Atlanta holds a responsibility to safeguard the health, usability, and accessibility of these spaces for the general public beyond permitted special events; and
WHEREAS, the study of technology-driven tools applicable to the special event permitting can identify opportunities to streamline the interdepartmental event permitting review, increase transparency, improve compliance and enforcement, and provide measurable insights into event impacts, patterns, and outcomes to future plan with strategic intention; and
WHEREAS, while permitted events contribute to the City of Atlanta’s fiscal health by generating direct revenue through permit fees and indirect revenue through increased sales tax collections tied to tourism and local spending, such city permit fees require periodic review to remain commensurate with the costs associated with event permit application, issuance, and management; and
WHEREAS, a range of stakeholders—including city departments, public safety agencies, parks and recreation representatives, community organizations, event producers, and neighborhood representatives—possess valuable expertise and experience necessary to inform a modernized approach to planning and permitting in Piedmont Park and should be engaged in the study and development of SETAG recommendations; and
WHEREAS, because this study will examine all event types within a public park surrounded by a dense residential and commercial environment, its recommendations may serve as best practices for other neighborhoods and inform potential citywide policy changes for special event planning; and
WHEREAS, it is recommended that SETAG be established to undertake this task.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, that
Section 1: The Special Event Technical Advisory Group (SETAG) is hereby established.
Section 2: SETAG shall consist of 19 members to be appointed as follows:
1. One member appointed by the Mayor
2. Council Member District 2
3. Council Member District 6
4. One member appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit E
5. One member appointed by Neighborhood Planning Unit F
6. One member appointed by the Atlanta Botanical Gardens
7. One member appointed by the Piedmont Park Conservancy
8. One member appointed by the Atlanta Beltline, Inc.
9. One member appointed by full council representing a Class A gated and ticketed event production hosted within Piedmont Park within the last three years
10. One member appointed by full council representing Class B or C event production hosted within Piedmont Park within the last three years
11. One member appointed by full council representing Class D or E event production hosted within Piedmont Park within the last three years
12. One member appointed by full council representing Piedmont Park event security coordination experience
13. One member appointed by the Atlanta Track Club
14. One member appointed by Atlanta Pride
15. One member appointed by Midtown Neighbors’ Association
16. One member appointed by Ansley Park Civic Association
17. One member appointed by Morningside-Lenox Park Association
18. One member appointed by Virginia Highland Civic Association
19. One member appointed by Piedmont Heights Neighborhood Association
The Office of the Municipal Clerk is hereby directed to notify the above individuals and organizations and to request that the names of their nominees be submitted to the Office of the Municipal Clerk.
Section 3: With the exception of members specifically appointed by City Council, City Council confirmation is not required for SETAG members
Section 4: All members shall be residents of the City of Atlanta.
Section 5: All meetings of SETAG shall be subject to the Georgia Open Meetings Act.
Section 6: SETAG shall hold at least six (6) public meetings. One (1) of which shall include public input during its initial deliberations and one (1) meeting to present its recommendations and to receive comment and reaction to said recommendations. Virtual meetings will be permitted pursuant to the City of Atlanta’s policies and procedures for conducting virtual meetings.
Section 7: The first meeting of SETAG may be convened when a majority (50% +1) of the appointments have been noticed or confirmed by the appointing body. A quorum is defined as 7 members.
Section 8: SETAG shall complete its review and recommendations within six (6) months of its first meeting.
Section 9: SETAG shall continue to hold bi-monthly meetings to discuss the progress of recommendations for a period of twelve (12) months following the delivery of SETAG recommendations.
Section 10: Staff support to SETAG shall be provided by council staff, the Law Department, the Atlanta Police Department, Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Atlanta Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works.Section 11: All resolutions and parts of resolutions in conflict herewith are hereby rescinded.
