Atlanta nearly lost one of its most cherished traditions—The Atlanta Dogwood Festival.
Due to a funding crisis from the pandemic fallout, as well as rising production costs and dwindling sponsorships, the festival seemed doomed. But, it’s back! And it’s running from April 10-12 at Piedmont Park in Midtown.
The City of Atlanta stepped in with something it had never allowed before: a small entrance fee ($5 on Friday, $10 Saturday and Sunday) to help close it. The festival director, Brian Hill, put it plainly. He called the Dogwood Festival “a multigenerational rite of passage for families.” For anyone who’s attended with their kids, or remembers being brought as a child, that probably rings true.
Nine Decades of Atlanta’s Favorite Spring Tradition
The festival’s roots go back to 1936, when Walter Rich founded it to lift the spirits of Atlantans living through the Great Depression—and to celebrate the natural beauty of the city’s blooming dogwood trees. It’s now Atlanta’s oldest outdoor event, drawing hundreds of artists and thousands of visitors from across the country each spring.
Much like the cherry blossom in Washington, D.C., the dogwood has become genuinely tied to Atlanta’s identity. The trees bloom for only a few weeks each year, which makes the timing of this festival something of a passing gift. That this 90th edition almost didn’t happen makes getting out to Piedmont Park this weekend feel that much more worthwhile.
What’s Happening at the Festival This Weekend
There’s plenty going on across all three days. The nationally juried Fine Art Artist Market showcases more than 250 artists working across 12 mediums, including photography, and a separate juried competition recognizes artistic achievement in categories such as sculpture, painting, jewelry, and photography.
Two brand-new additions this year are worth noting:
- The Great Chair Hack challenges teams to take IKEA chair kits and build something that is decidedly not a chair in three hours.
- Art Throwdown pits artists against each other in a timed head-to-head sketching competition.
Near the 12th Street entrance, the Atlanta High School Art Exhibition features work from over 100 students. The Kids Village offers face painting, inflatables, and hands-on activities. Live music runs on the Main Stage all three days, with fireworks over the Midtown skyline around 9 p.m.
Why Piedmont Park in Spring Is a Photographer’s Dream
Dogwood blooms, wide open lawns, and natural tree canopy overhead—Piedmont Park in April produces the kind of light that photographers genuinely look forward to all year.
The soft, warm glow of the golden hour filtering through spring foliage is particularly flattering for portraits, and the park’s natural green palette provides a clean backdrop that works well for all ages. Chris Cappelmann, an Atlanta-based freelance photographer and videographer who specializes in outdoor family sessions, considers spring the most rewarding season to photograph families in the Atlanta area. The festival setting adds an entirely different dimension. Kids running between booths, families spread out on the grass, live music filling the park—these are the unscripted, motion-filled moments that produce the most authentic family photographs. No forced smiles. No stiff poses. Just real life, caught in good light.
A Multigenerational Moment Worth Capturing
Hill’s description of the Dogwood Festival as “a multigenerational rite of passage” isn’t just a nice quote — it gets at something real about what makes this event special. That same idea sits at the heart of what Christopher Cappelmann does with his Family Legacy Videos: preserving the connections, traditions, and personalities that define a family, in a form that holds up for generations. Spring in Atlanta, with its blooming trees and long golden evenings, is the natural season to think about exactly that. Whether the Dogwood Festival inspires a visit to Piedmont Park this weekend or simply nudges families to finally book that outdoor session they’ve been putting off, the timing couldn’t be better. The festival runs through Sunday, April 12.
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