By Sophie Durham and Matt Wood
When the cold weather finally fades away and the sun starts shining, you know it’s festival season in Georgia. Just like spring flowers, festivals seem to pop up everywhere around the city. Starting in April, there are festivals around the Atlanta area almost every weekend. They are packed with artists, musicians, chefs and lots of great family-fun activities.
The Dogwood Festival (April 10-12)
This year marked the 79th annual Dogwood Festival, held in Piedmont Park. Artists came from across the country to set up their tents around Lake Clara Meer, in the heart of the park. Alongside these artists were a variety of food trucks, offering traditional festival fare like corndogs and funnel cakes. In the meadow across from Grady, there was a stage for musicians, lots of amusement rides and a disc-catching competition for dogs.
Inman Park Festival (April 24-26)
The Inman Park Festival is one of Atlanta’s most spirited and community-based events. The festival included a tour of homes in Inman Park, a street parade, an arts market, live music, food trucks and a kids zone. Several different ensembles participated in the parade, including the Marching Abominables, part of the Inman Middle School band and numerous local churches.
Pick’n in Grant Park (May 8-9)
This year was the first annual Pick’n in Grant Park, a barbeque and musical festival held in the fourth largest park in the city. Hosted by the park’s conservancy, this festival had both an amaetur and a professional barbeque contest, as well as a street market with more than 60 vendors and live music from 11 different artists.
Shaky Knees Music Festival (May 8-10)
This year was the third annual Shaky Knees Music Festival. Started in 2012 by Tim Sweetwood, the festival has expanded from a two-day festival in Old Fourth Ward Park to a three-day extravaganza in Central Park. This year there were 76 musical artists on multiple stages, with headliners including The Strokes, The Avett Brothers, Wilco Pixies and Social Distortion. Local food and craft beer was a staple at the event. Shaky Knees was a big hit, drawing huge crowds and will return May 13-15, 2016.
Just because school gets out on May 22 doesn’t mean that the festivals end. Here is a brief look into upcoming festivals:
Atlanta Jazz Festival (May 22-24)
The Atlanta Jazz Festival is one of the country’s largest free jazz festivals. During the month of May, jazz artists will perform throughout Atlanta. These artists will come together to perform Memorial Day weekend at Piedmont Park.
Decatur Arts Festival (May 23-24)
The Decatur Arts Festival is a free festival with a variety of activities, including an artist’s market, live music, stand-up and improv comedy, a parade, literary events and dance performances.
Candler Park Music and Food Festival (May 29-30)
The Candler Park Music and Food festival has the largest gathering of local food trucks in the Atlanta area, live music, a market of handmade crafts and a Saturday 5K. Tickets for this festival are free, but there is limited space so make sure to get them soon!
