90th Dogwood Festival returns to Piedmont Park with entrance free
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The 90th Atlanta Dogwood Festival will be held April 10-12 at Piedmont Park. Photo: Courtesy of Atlanta Dogwood Festival
The popular Atlanta Dogwood Festival returns to Piedmont Park this weekend, and for the first time will charge visitors a small fee to attend.
Why it matters: The three-day festival was in "grave risk" of not returning due to budget constraints fueled by the pandemic, rising costs and falling sponsorships.
- Executive director Brian Hill told Axios they established a fundraising campaign and collected enough donations to move forward with the 90th festival.
- "We made the choice to do a nominal entrance fee to be able to keep the festival alive and keep the tradition going for hopefully another 90 years," he said.
The latest: The festival runs April 10-12, and tickets can be purchased online or at the park's 12th Street, 14th Street, Charles Allen Drive and Park Drive entrances.
- Prices are $5 for adults and children 13 and older on Friday and $10 on Saturday and Sunday (children 12 and younger get free admission).
- If you buy a ticket in advance, you'll be able to use the Express Lane when arriving at the entrances.
Zoom in: Visitors can expect live music, food and drink options, an artists market and two new competitions: Great Chair Hack of 2026 and Art Throwdown.
- Organizers did away with the separate International Stage, so all performances will take place on the Main Stage.
- A returning favorite includes the Atlanta High School Art Exhibition near the park's 12th Street entrance, which will feature work from more than 100 students.
- You can log your miles or cheer on others in the Mimosa 5K.
- If you want to elevate your visit, you can also purchase the Party in the Park VIP Experience.
What's new: For the Great Chair Hack, teams will have three hours to take IKEA chair kits and create something that is not a chair.
- During the Art Throwdown competition, artists will sit across from each other and will be given a minute to draw the person opposite from them.
- A judge will determine the winners, and they will advance to the final round where two people will compete.
- "We've actually added elements of it that really inspire the students to want to participate," Hill said.
Flashback: Rich's department store founder Walter Rich started the festival in 1936 to lift the spirits of Atlantans living through the Great Depression and to celebrate dogwoods, according to the organization.
The bottom line: Hill told Axios the festival is not only an established tradition in Atlanta but a multigenerational rite of passage for families.
- "It has evolved with [the] times, but it's always been an important element of being part of Atlanta," he said.