The Atlanta Dogwood Festival will return to Piedmont Park from April 14 to 16. The city’s longest-running festival and the country’s third oldest fine arts festival rings in Spring every year with an artist market, local food, cold beverages, and live music, easily making it the favorite child amongst Atlanta locals.
In an article by Maria Saporta from 2022, Brian Hill, executive director of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, confided that there was “a real chance the festival wouldn’t make it.” Hill expressed that the current financial climate has hindered the cost of services and products. Although the challenges Hill mentioned last year still exist, the post-covid financial strain has proven itself too weak to fight against the donors and volunteers who have kept the festival alive for nearly nine decades.
“We move in a small village, which is part of the fun”, Hill stated as he described his 15-years-loyal support system of friends, family and volunteers who have helped him set up the festival every Spring season. He included that festival-goers don’t always realize that the Atlanta Dogwood Festival is a non-profit organization, so if the support doesn’t happen, the festival doesn’t exist.
The unique appeal of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival lies within its expansive list of things to see and do. “There is such a wide variety of people who make up Atlanta, so it’s an opportunity for people to see something they normally wouldn’t”, Hill expressed. In fact, the festival kicks off with a burlesque show on Friday evening. Other performances throughout the weekend will include local bands, dance groups, international performers, children’s choirs and more. Hill described the festival as a showcase of diverse people and cultures who, in the end, find themselves not all that different from each other.
The festival will consist of 160 artists from across the country. This is a signature festival that every artist eagerly awaits to shake off the winter and showcase their stockpile of work. Every artist gets a police escort upon their arrival, which speaks to how special Hill makes every participant feel year after year. There will also be a high school art competition in which $40k of prizes and scholarships will be rewarded. “We tried to listen to the people and the cultures”, Hill stated.
The entry charge to enjoy the festival is a suggested donation of $5. The festival invites local non-profit organizations to volunteer to work the entrance gates, which will get a percentage of the funds they bring in. If you’d like a more posh festival experience, Atlanta Dogwood Festival also offers VIP Experience, Party in the Park. Taking place within a spacious VIP area, Party in the Park offers ticket holders the chance to upgrade their festival attendance with seating, private bathrooms, a beer and wine tasting, a private bar, lunch from the Loaded Burger/Loaded Taco food truck and more, all while enjoying a perfect view of the Coca-Cola Main Stage.
For more information on transportation, regulations, and more please visit https://dogwood.org/
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