On one weekend for the past 51 years, the streets of Inman Park are filled to the brim with people, stands, and floats parading around. 

The Inman Park Festival has been a staple in Atlanta ever since it began due to its colorful nature and fun atmosphere.

“I have been going to the Inman Park Festival my whole life probably and my dad has been going since 1998.” Sophomore Falyn Handley said. “We always set up chairs at the same place every year with my dad’s friends.”

Sophomore Harper Lawrence has been going to the festival every year since she was a little kid.

“l think the Inman Park Festival is such a cool environment to be in,” Lawrence said. “It’s usually really nice outside and I don’t think we have ever had to leave early because of bad weather. Normally, my family will spend a good six to eight hours at the park just enjoying the nice weather and cool drinks.”

Handley also loves going to the festival every year. 

“Last year I went with a group of friends and we had a blast, we got to shop at a bunch of cool places and have delicious fair food,” Handley said. “It was amazing, and is so fun when you go with your friends.”

Lawrence loves the many different pieces of art that are sold there. 

“My favorite part about the festival are the different art stands and shops that display their work,” Lawrence said. “It’s very interesting to see how different people’s art styles are, and especially how they gain inspiration for their pieces.”

Art vendor, Brittany Shwartzwald, who owns ‘B Hart Art’, loves to sell at the Inman Park Festival, and has been for close to five years now. 

“I love selling my art and ceramics there,” Schwartzwald said. “My two favorites are Inman Park and Candler Park. I’m a neighbor, I live in Candler Park, so I get to see all my friends and I get to stay in one place. I get to see everyone I know who comes to the festival at least once. I have what I call a “home base” so if people want to meet up, they’ll meet up at my spot, and that’s fun too.”

While Schwartzwald doesn’t get to leave her stand much, she still has her favorite floats that the festival has to offer. 

“I love seeing ‘Baton Bob’ come by, and John Lewis used to always come,” Schwartzwald said. “I always wanted to see him because I interned for him one summer. I’ve always loved seeing the political people, like Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. I love everything, the gnomes that come through are super cool as well. I was in the parade when I was a kid and some of my friends who were in the parade are still in it today. It’s all just very fun.”

Lawrence has many things she loves to do at the festival with her parents and believes there are things you can’t get anywhere other than the festival.

“My mom and dad have an ongoing quest to find giraffes whether or not it is a painting or a metal model, this is all because they went to the festival one time and saw this really neat statue of a giraffe and didn’t buy it,” Lawrence said. “They’ve regretted it all this time because they can’t seem to find anything like it anywhere else.”

Handley thinks the festival is something everyone in Atlanta should attend at some point.

“I would recommend that everyone goes to the festival at least once,” Handley said. “It’s an Atlanta tradition and anyone and everyone in the city should attend, even if they don’t love to go to festivals.”