Atlanta Arts Festival’s size lets it stay in Piedmont Park
By CHANDLER BROWN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Hundreds, likely thousands, will flock to Piedmont Park this weekend for the second annual Atlanta Arts Festival. Why is it being allowed in the park when other festivals were banned this year because of Georgia’s drought?
ATLANTA ARTS FESTIVAL
When: Friday 4 to 8 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Piedmont Park
Information:
www.atlantaartsfestival.com Q: Why is the Atlanta Arts Festival allowed at Piedmont Park when other festivals are not?
A: It’s all in the numbers. Earlier this year, the city banned Class A festivals — those that attract 50,000 people or more — from Atlanta’s premier green space because of their effects on the park’s drought-stricken lawn. The Atlanta Arts Festival, which attracts fine-art enthusiasts from the Southeast and beyond, is a Class C event, meaning 19,999 or fewer visitors are expected, said Atlanta Arts Festival co-founder Julie Tepp.
Q: How does the Atlanta Arts Festival differ from larger festivals traditionally held in Piedmont Park?
A: The most obvious comparison is with the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Although they attract similar audiences, there are many differences. The Dogwood Festival is in its 72nd year; the Atlanta Arts Festival its second. In its heyday, the Dogwood Festival attracted 200,000 or more people to Piedmont Park; the Arts Festival drew fewer than 20,000 last fall. Like other events that used to be held in the park — the end of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, Atlanta Pride, the Atlanta Jazz Festival — the Dogwood Festival erected large entertainment stages, booths and vendors that leave patrons trampling the park’s lawn. The Atlanta Arts Festival will be confined to sidewalks and paved surfaces along the park’s northwest edge along Piedmont Avenue, Tepp said. The event is not widely promoted.
Q: How do other festival organizers react to the Atlanta Arts Festival being held at Piedmont Park?
A: “I’m in support of any festival, art or otherwise, being in the park,” Atlanta Dogwood Festival executive director Brian Hill said by phone Thursday from Idaho, where the event picked up several prizes at the International Festival and Events Conference. “But if they’re too successful, they’re out too.”
Q: What is the status of larger festivals returning to Piedmont Park?
A: The Atlanta City Council is expected to get a briefing next month from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. Atlanta Pride and the Atlanta Track Club have put temporary holds on the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center Jones Atlanta Civic Center for next year. The Atlanta Dogwood Festival, held this spring at Lenox Square with disappointing financial and attendance numbers, is looking for a new home. The city-run Atlanta Jazz Festival has not announced plans for next year.
Posted By: Daniel Moss
Thursday, September 11th 2008 at 2:54AM
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