Piedmont Park Readies for Festival Season

Patch Staff Report

As the 2014 festival season approaches, Atlanta's Mayor’s Office of Special Events and the Department of Parks and Recreation have announce the 2014 Class A festival schedule for Piedmont Park and other important information regarding park rules and regulations during festivals.

According to a news release, Piedmont Park is the home of six Class A festivals which include The Atlanta Dogwood Festival, The Atlanta Jazz Festival, The Peachtree Road Race and The Atlanta Pride Festival. Class A festivals have a total attendance of 50,000 or more people during the event. The festival season runs from April through October each year. 

During all Class A, B and C festivals, attendees and other visitors to the park are asked to abide by the following park rules and regulations:

• NO Smoking in any City of Atlanta Park is allowed at any time
• NO Bicycle Riding within the festival area
• NO Grilling within the festival area
• NO Dogs allowed within the festival area (Visitors who wish to bring their dogs to the Piedmont Park Dog Park may use an alternate route in the park)

Piedmont Park Class A Festivals:

The 78th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival will occur on April 11-13, 2014. The event is free and open to the public. Visit the website www.dogwood.org for the most up to date information.

The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs celebrates the 37th Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival, Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25, 2014 in Piedmont Park. The event is FREE and open to the public. There are two important changes to this year’s Atlanta Jazz Festival. The festival will occur on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 23-25) and there will be NO GRILLING allowed in Piedmont Park during the festival. Visit the following sites for additional information: website www.atlantafestivals.com; Facebook: AtlantaJazzFestival; Twitter: AtlantaJazzFest

The Piedmont Park Conservancy is the nonprofit organization working with the City of Atlanta for the preservation of Piedmont Park. The Conservancy reserves the right each year to host a fundraising event that benefits Piedmont Park. Visit the website www.piedmontpark.org for information.

The AJC Peachtree Road Race is held annually on July 4th. The Peachtree Road Race is the world’s largest 10K race. Visit the website www.peachtreeroadrace.org for information.

Music Midtown is a gated and ticketed event with three stages and will occur on September 19-20, 2014. Visit the website www.musicmidtown.com for information. This event is a City of Atlanta fundraiser.

The 44th Annual Atlanta Pride Festival will occur October 11-12, 2014. Visit the website www.atlantapride.org for information.

Class B festivals have a total attendance of 20,000 to 49,999, and include festivals such as the Virginia-Highlands SummerFest. Class C festivals have a total attendance of 10,000 to 19,999, and include events such as the AIDS Walk and Inman Park Spring Festival.

Individuals interested in more information about scheduling a special event should contact the Mayor’s Office of Special Events or visit the city’s website at www.atlantaga.gov.