Spring is officially here, and Atlanta celebrated the gorgeous weather with several outdoor festivals on the weekend April 15 to 17, including the 75th Atlanta Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were filled with local and traveling artists, concerts and activities for both adults and children.
The Artist Market had more than two hundred and fifty artists from across the country who excel in painting, photography, sculpting, glass blowing and much more. Their beautiful works of art were displayed throughout the park in individual tents, where festival goers were able to purchase some of their work. Even for those of us with college budgets, it was fun and exciting to see the talent that these artists have.
Along with professional artists, the Dogwood Festival sponsored the Atlanta High School Art Exhibition. The ninety best submissions were exhibited at the festival. On the main stage, music artists such as the Swamp Funk Quartet, the Urban Sophisticates and Nathan Angelo graced the attendees with varied and, at times, eclectic music that had everyone dancing.
Many people look forward to the canine competition at the Dogwood Festival every year. Sports USA brought many dogs to show off their Frisbee catching skills. The competition was fun to watch, but no one was having more fun than the dogs themselves.
One of the newer attractions of the Festival is the International Stage, where people of many cultures are able to showcase their unique talents and cultural art forms. Some performers included singers from the Munting Tinig Children’s Choir, dancers from the King O’Sullivan School of Irish Dance and the Ogya World Music Band. This stage exemplifies how diverse the Atlanta community is and celebrates our differences by bringing everyone together to enjoy the arts. Booths for various countries had information available for anyone who was interested in learning more about a particular culture.
For those wanting a more intimate experience at the Dogwood Festival, festival goers, for a fee, could participate in the “Friends of Dogwood Pavilion,” which featured some of Atlanta’s favorite restaurants offering food, dessert and wine tastings. Terrace, Geisha House and the Melting Pot were all present, to name a few.
In the fields of Piedmont Park, there were carnival games and rides including a Ferris wheel, a Merry-Go-Round, and a huge slide. Along with the carnival games, there was plenty of fried food and cotton candy to go around.
This year’s Dogwood Festival was filled with fun, food and festivities. There was something for every member of the family to enjoy, from carnival games and fried food to viewing and appreciating the beautiful works of art in the Artist Market.