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Atlanta Dogwood Festival 2023

Photo Credit: Explore Georgia. Photo by Kimie Yates, @kimieyates

Atlanta Dogwood Festival - Piedmont Park in the Spring

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The Atlanta Dogwood Festival 2019
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Events for Friday, April 12, 2019 - Day One
Events for Saturday, April 13, 2019 - Day Two
Events for Sunday, April 14, 2019 - Day Three
2019 Festival Map
The Atlanta Dogwood Festival 2023
About the Dogwood Festival
Is the Dogwood Worthy of Its Own Festival?
Atlanta Dogwood Festival 2018 Video
News About the Dogwood Festival
Past Coverage

April

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival 2023

Every spring, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park honors the warmer weather with performances, art booths, kiddie rides, snacks from local restaurants, and thousands upon thousands upon thousands of cabin-fevered Atlantans.

About the Dogwood Festival

The first Dogwood Festival took place April 19, 1936. The founder of Rich’s department store, Walter Rich, was the visionary behind the week-long event.

Atlanta Dogwood Festival Postcard From 1936 (400)

Largely due to the popularity of the festival, the Dogwood Tree is connected to the City of Atlanta in a similar way that the Cherry Blossom is identified with Washington DC. The Dogwood grows mainly in the Southeast US, the Atlantic Seaboard and the MidWest.

Is the Dogwood Worthy of Its Own Festival?

Creative Loafing’s Jeff Slate asks residents:

Street Talk 2009 Ric: “Definitely. When something can bring attention to nature, it’s a good thing. And they are beautiful, they’re beautiful trees. They’re kind of like the cherry blossoms in Japan. They only come a certain time of year, so you might as well enjoy them. The white blossom is different and really stands out in the midst of everyday green, pink and yellow. I’m not a botanist, but a beautiful flower is a beautiful flower. I’m new to Georgia and I’ve never seen a dogwood until I came here. It is a gorgeous tree and flower.”

Street Talk 2009 Gina: If there was an impressive display of them at Piedmont Park, then yes. But I’m from D.C, and the cherry blossoms are always so breathtaking and beautiful. The park here is lacking dogwood trees. It’s kind of silly to name it the Dogwood Festival when you only have five dogwood trees. In D.C. people go to see the cherry blossoms. It’s impressive. There are cherry blossoms! But here, call it a spring festival or something, so you don’t have any expectations of seeing beautiful dogwoods. Or plant some more dogwood trees.

Street Talk 2009 Rosalyn: Yes. It’s a initial sign of spring. It’s symbolic of Christianity. It was the tree that was used for Jesus to be nailed to the cross, and the flower heavily resembles the cross. My parents and grandparents would always show them to us and explained to us what they meant. It’s the first tree I learned about. There’s a lot of sentimental value, especially for this area because it’s the Bible Belt. The white is a symbol of purity. Most people, if they know their history, know what the dogwood symbolizes. And when you see them, they are just so beautiful.

Atlanta Dogwood Festival 2018 Video

News About the Dogwood Festival

02/24/2025

Remembering the legendary Roberta Flack and her unforgettable performance at the Dogwood Festival in 2012. Her voice and her music left a lasting impact on all who were there. A true icon who gave us timeless songs...
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02/21/2025

🎨Artist Spotlight: Impressed by her sculptural pieces made from repurposed materials, Artist Market judges chose Limor Dekel as the winner in the 3D Mixed Media category. Limor began her art career as a ceramicist,...
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02/18/2025

🍾Run, sip, celebrate! Join the Mimosa 5K on April 12 and race through Midtown’s scenic streets! An AJC Peachtree Road Race Qualifier, this scenic Midtown run ends with a chilled mimosa (21+) courtesy of Cupcake...
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02/14/2025

❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air... and so is creativity! Whether you’re drawn to vibrant art, live music, or exploring with friends, we’ve got something for you. Tag your Valentine and make plans to spend...
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02/13/2025

🌸 Save the Date! The 89th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival is returning to Piedmont Park, April 11-13, 2025! 🎨🎶🌳 Mark your calendars for a weekend filled with fine art, live music, delicious food, and family-friendly...
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01/09/2025

🌟 Are you a food vendor ready to serve up something amazing at this year’s festival? 🍔🌮🍩 The deadline to apply is TOMORROW! Don’t miss your chance to join the fun, connect with the community and showcase your...
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01/04/2025

🏆This year’s 2024 Governor’s Honors Award for Arts and Humanities (gahumanities) award sculptures were handcrafted by former Atlanta Dogwood Festival participating artist and artist market judge, Charles Pinkney of...
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01/01/2025

✨ Happy New Year! Mark your calendars because we can’t wait to see you April 11-13 in Piedmont Park! 🌸 Here’s to the countdown to an unforgettable weekend in April 2025!
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12/24/2024

🌟 From our Atlanta Dogwood Festival family to yours, we wish you Happy Holidays!
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11/28/2024

From the Atlanta Dogwood Festival team, wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🍂
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11/22/2024

🎨✨ Friday Artist Feature: Rahmon Olugunna ✨🎨Check out the vibrant work of Chicago-based Rahmon Olugunna, the 2024 Artist Market award winner in the Painting - Oil & Acrylic category. Born in the Yorubaland township of...
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11/15/2024

🎨✨This week, we’re excited to feature visual artist Richard Wilson richardwilsonart. He uses reality and creativity to reflect the beauty of the world around him, and our Artist Market judges agreed, choosing him as...
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Past Coverage

Atlanta Dogwood Festival 2022

04/08/2022 12:00 PM

The Dogwood Festival will take place Friday, April 8 – Sunday, April 10th, 2022.