Atlanta Dogwood Festival needs $250,000 for 2026 event

Atlanta’s most historic festival could soon be history.

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival, a ritual of spring since the Great Depression, is pleading with the community to help cover a $250,000 shortfall so the nonprofit can put on the 2026 festival.

The festival, which would turn 90 in 2026, needs to raise the money by Nov. 1 so it will be able to blossom in Piedmont Park alongside Atlanta’s dogwoods next spring.

Brian Hill, who is in his last year as executive director, said the festival has done and is doing everything it can to stay in business. 

But Hill is sounding the alarm, saying it needs support from either local governments, companies, foundations or civic partners — or all of the above — to keep the festival alive.

“We lost money in 2025, and we’ve lost money every year since COVID,” Hill said in a phone interview on Monday. “At one time, we had a reserve of $500,000, and we owned our own building. We had to sell our building to stay viable. We have done what we could.”

Hill, however, received word from the office of Mayor Andre Dickens on Tuesday morning, saying the city is open to exploring ways to continue to make the festival.

“I’m encouraged to be working with the mayor’s office to try to find ways to keep the festival viable,” Hill said.

Since the COVID pandemic of 2020, the festival, free to the public, has experienced the combination of reduced sponsorship revenue and increased costs.

Production costs have risen by 25 percent to 30 percent over the past few years, primarily in the areas of security, equipment rental and required support services, according to Hill. Sponsorship of live events has also changed, with many companies prioritizing other marketing initiatives rather than sponsorships. 

The all-volunteer board of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival has made repeated requests to receive financial support and financial relief from the City of Atlanta, saying that the city supports other cultural events — from the Atlanta Jazz Festival to the Caribbean Festival. But the festival also realizes the city is facing its own budget challenges.

Hill said it costs nearly $1 million to put on a “safe, secure and quality” festival. It is exploring every avenue to come up with the necessary $250,000 by Nov. 1. If successful in raising that amount, the 2026 Atlanta Dogwood Festival would take place from April 10 to April 12.

“Part of my reason for stepping down as executive director was to reduce the festival’s overhead,” Hill acknowledged. Festival leaders also plan to launch a GoFundMe campaign so people who value the festival can help save it,” Hill said.

The Dogwood Festival is steeped in Atlanta history. It was founded in 1936 by Walter Rich, founder of Rich’s department store, to bring cheer to residents during the Depression and celebrate the blossoming of the city’s dogwood trees.

It is the city’s largest and longest-running fine arts festival, welcoming more than 250 fine artists from across the country. It supports youth art with the Atlanta High School Art Exhibition. It also features creative activities for children. The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year.

The festival offers a platform for local and nationally recognized bands on its main stage. It also hosts the International stage, with hundreds of performers representing Atlanta’s global communities.

It has introduced several fundraising efforts, such as the Mimosa 5K Run, a VIP-ticketed area, midway rides, merchandise and dogwood saplings sales. It has also been collecting donations at its entrance gates.

“The Dogwood Festival has been around longer than ‘Gone with the Wind’ — both the movie and the book,” Hill said. “It is extremely historic. That’s why we are going to do everything we can to make sure it lives on.”