What’s new in 2023

• The midway rides are back, for the first time since 2019. You’ll find them in the Meadow, along with nearby ticket booths.

• There is no International Stage this year — all the international and cultural performances will take place on the Main Stage.

• The VIP Experience has changed completely and is now known as Party in the Park — details below.

• There is a suggested donation of $5 to attend the festival this year — it is completely voluntary, as the festival was not permitted for paid admission.

Know before you go

Due to a city ordinance, no dogs (other than service animals) are allowed in Piedmont Park during the festival. PLEASE do not bring your pet and expect an exception.

There is no smoking in Piedmont Park.

You may not bring outside food or drink into the festival, and no coolers are allowed. You can bring lawn chairs, but no tents or umbrellas.

There are porta-potties and ATMs on site.

Atlanta Police will be strictly enforcing parking ordinances around Piedmont Park, so leave the car at home if at all possible! See the section below for details about MARTA, shuttle service, and parking options.

You can download a PDF of the festival map from the website.

You can find more info in general at dogwood.org. Note that some pages may not be fully updated, as they still reference last year’s date.

Dogwood Festival hours

Friday:

Festival is open noon to 9 p.m.
Artist Market is open noon till 7 p.m.
Party in the Park VIP Experience 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. (ticketed event; details below)

Saturday:

Festival is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Artist Market is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Party in the Park VIP Experience (ticketed event) 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Sunday:

Festival and Artist Market are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Artist Market

As always, the highlight of the festival is the Artist Market — one of the largest and most diverse juried arts festivals in the country.

More than 260 artists from all over the country will exhibit and sell works in 12 categories, including: glass, clay, wood, paintings, photography, sculpture, metal arts, jewelry, leather, and more.

You can find a complete list of vendors online.

Food

Rest assured, there will be plenty of your favorite festival foods. Bring your ID if you want to enjoy an adult beverage or kick back in the Beer Garden.

Kids Village

Midway rides return to the Meadow in 2023, after a hiatus during the pandemic.

The Kids Village is located on Oak Hill, just inside the 12th Street entrance to Piedmont Park.
Families will find:

Interactive arts and crafts projects
Face painting
Inflatables
Bubble fun
Teddy Bear Hospital
Topplin’ Tots Mobile Play Lounge
Puppet shows with Peter Hart

Mimosa 5K and Kids’ Mini-Mosa

This 5K run is an annual tradition and a Peachtree Road Race qualifier. It starts on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. The route follows midtown streets before ending up back in the park for a mimosa toast.

Registration info: $45 per person for Mimosa 5K
The registration fee includes a t-shirt and a mimosa (ONLY for participants age 21+).

The registration fee is non-refundable. This is a rain or shine event.
Register for the Mimosa 5K

VIP Experience in 2023

Gone are the bargain days of the $15 VIP tent!
This year’s Party in the Park VIP Experience will cost you $40 for either Saturday or Sunday.

Your ticket includes:

Upfront seating at the Coca-Cola Main Stage (first come, first-served)
Discounted cash bar
Private bathrooms in a comfortable trailer
Buy VIP tickets online via Freshtix

There are also VIP upgrades, starting at $60.
More info on the VIP experience

Live entertainment at the Dogwood Festival

You can enjoy live music on the Main Stage for FREE — just bring a blanket or low chairs and sit on the lawn.

Also different this year: The cultural events and performances that previously took place on the International Stage will be on the Main Stage. They’re scheduled for afternoons, with the main concerts in the evenings.

The cultural performances include dance traditions from around the world, improv comedy, drumming, and live jazz. You can see the complete schedule for all three days online.

The Main Stage musical performance schedule for 2023

FRIDAY

6:15 p.m. — Desmond Myers (pop / R&B)
7:30 p.m. — ATL School of Burlesque (cabaret / drag)

SATURDAY

3:35 p.m. — Rae and The Ragdolls (indie rock)
4:40 p.m. — School of Rock Metro Atlanta (rock covers)
6:00 p.m. — Jessie Albright Band (southern rock)
7:30 p.m. — Band X (party band)

SUNDAY

2:30 p.m. — WCLK presents Ragan Whiteside (jazz)
3:45 p.m. — Deja Bluegrass Band (bluegrass / americana)
5:00 p.m. — Chops Experience (party band)

International performances

Each year, the festival highlights the many international communities that make up metro Atlanta, and features both professional and amateur performers from children to adults. Performances include dance, song, martial arts, drumming, and more.

Performances take place on the Main Stage this year, and not on the stage previously located the Lake Clara Meer dock.

Disc dogs

It looks like this canine sporting competition, which has been a festival staple for over 20 years, will not be back for 2023.

Getting there and parking

If you don’t want to be towed or ticketed, PLEASE don’t park illegally.
You can pay in advance for guaranteed reserved parking — details here.

But your best bet is to leave the car at home and take MARTA to the festival.

MARTA has an excellent, detailed guide with step-by-step walking directions from the rail stations, as well as the bus routes that get you closer to the park. View it online.

It’s an easy 15 to 20 minute walk to Piedmont Park from either Arts Center Station or Midtown Station. Which station you choose to exit at depends on which side of the festival you want to hit up first (Midtown is closer to the Midway rides, while Arts Center is closer to the Artist Market).

You can park your car for FREE at the following rail stations:

Lindbergh
Lenox
Brookhaven
Chamblee
Doraville
Dunwoody
Sandy Springs
North Springs
College Point
East Point
Lakewood
West End

TIP: Purchase a Breeze Card in advance if you don’t have one. If you do, add a round trip fare online, so you don’t have to wait at a fare machine. Remember, trains run every 20 minutes on the weekend. The MARTA ON THE GO app can put train schedules in your pocket!

Biking to the festival

In past years, there has been a bike valet on 10th Street near Charles Allen Drive, in the bicycle lane. There is no info about this on the 2022 Dogwood Festival website.

Shuttle info

There is NO shuttle in 2023.

~~You can also take a FREE shuttle from MARTA rail stations to the Dogwood Festival. Catch a shuttle at one of these locations:~~

~~Arts Center Station — the pickup point is at the Bus Depot, 1255 W. Peachtree St. NW~~
~~Midtown Station — the pickup point is on Peachtree Place at the rear of the station~~

~~Shuttle buses will drop you off on Piedmont Aveneue between 13th and 14th Streets. You can pick up the shuttle back to MARTA at the same spot, after your festival visit.~~

~~The shuttle runs during the following hours:~~

~~Friday: 11:30 am – 10:30 pm~~
~~Saturday: 9:30 am – 10:30 pm~~
~~Sunday: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm~~

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Piedmont Park

400 Park Dr NE
Atlanta, GA 30306

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Your complete guide to the 2023 Atlanta Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park

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