79th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park April 10-12

On the heels of the most successful year ever, the 79th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival, presented by PNC Bank, takes place April 10 through 12 in Piedmont Park. The festival will welcome more than 260 fine artists and hundreds of thousands of visitors to a three-day weekend of live music, international performances, gourmet and festival fare, midway rides and games, the popular disc dog competition and more under the always anticipated blooming dogwood trees.

AT A GLANCE The 79th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival heads to Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta Friday through Sunday, April 10 – 12, 2015. www.dogwood.org

HOTELS Out of town guests and Atlanta “staycationers” can get special rates at Midtown partner hotels including: Hyatt Atlanta Midtown, Atlanta Marriott Suites Midtown, Courtyard Atlanta Midtown/Georgia Tech and W Atlanta Midtown. More information is available at http://www.dogwood.org/Hotels.

ART MARKET Each year, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival features a juried fine art Artist Market with more than 260 artists selected from over a thousand entries. Works included range from painting to jewelry, from fiber arts to sculpture and other artistic disciplines.

5K RUN Festival attendees will now have a chance to run off that funnel cake by hitting the pavement at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival 5K. Held Saturday, April 11, 2015, the run winds through the beautiful neighborhood and park on a crisp spring morning. Registration is available at www.dogwood.org.

INTERNATIONAL Since 2010, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival has presented an award-winning International Program comprised of an International Stage and the Cultural Exchange Pavilions. Welcoming hundreds of performers from the many countries making up Atlanta’s multicultural community, the International Stage provides exciting entertainment, colorful costumes and the chance for spectators to develop a broadened cultural understanding.

FOOD EVENTS In addition to the festival fare located throughout the grounds, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival offers the ticketed VIP food and drink experience Backyard Barbecue & Brews on Saturday and Sunday. This event sold out last year because attendees loved this special taste of the South! Tickets are available at www.dogwood.org.

LIVE MUSIC Blues, rock, country, R&B – the Atlanta Dogwood Festival features these styles and many more! Live music fills the air throughout the entire weekend on the Coca-Cola Main Stage.

ECO-VILLAGE The Atlanta Dogwood Festival has brought home top honors for its green event program, and each year the festival strives to improve upon this initiative. The festival recycles all cooking oil, requires vendors to use only compostable serving ware and hosts the Eco-Village where guests can meet “green” companies, learn about taking eco-friendly practices home and find out about the latest green developments.

YOUTH ART The Atlanta Dogwood Festival gives high school artists an opportunity to compete, exhibit their work and earn prizes such as scholarships and art supplies. The Atlanta High School Art Exhibition is a juried competition and exhibit drawing upwards of 700 entries each year. The high school art exhibit is one more vital way the non-profit festival’s funds are used to benefit the community.

KIDS & RIDES The much-visited Kids Zone is situated in the Mayor’s Grove close to the children’s playground and a variety of rides can be found in the Piedmont Park Meadow. Children and adults can spend hours having fun, jumping on the inflatables, riding the merry-go-round or opting for something a little scarier.

FAMILY FRIDAY In 2015, the festival will offer families a special package for a night on the town with unlimited rides, food and beverage discounts and family-friendly entertainment. Advance tickets are available at www.dogwood.org.

DISC DOGS A festival favorite, 25th Disc Dog Southern Nationals - USDDN World Finals Qualifier takes place on Saturday and Sunday during the festival. The competing canines amaze and astound as they literally fly through the air. (Other than competing dogs, no pets are allowed in the park during the festival, per a City of Atlanta ordinance.)

HOT DOGS Major League Eating and Atlanta Dogwood Festival will host a regional qualifier for the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 12 on the Main Stage.

2015 IMAGE The 79th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival has chosen the collaborative duo of painter Evan Jones and photographer and gallery owner Robert Matre, Plaid Columns, to create the official artwork for the Festival, “The Dogwood Festival,” which will appear on posters, t-shirts and more.

FUNDRAISING The Atlanta Dogwood Festival looks forward to being a free event for the next 79 years. The Festival’s non-profit efforts can be supported through donations at one of the onsite donation boxes and the new Silent Auction, which will be located in the Pavilion in the center of the Park across from Greystone.

ABOUT THE ATLANTA DOGWOOD FESTIVAL

The city’s longest-running festival, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing the annual springtime celebration of arts and entertainment. The festival has earned significant recognition for the overwhelming success of its Green Festival Initiative, which in 2011, 2012 and 2013 received a Gold Award for Best Festival Environmental Program from the International Festivals & Events Association. The Society of American Travel Writers named the Atlanta Dogwood Festival as one of the Top 10 Spring Festivals in 2012 and Sunshine Artist magazine named the festival the 30th best in the country in 2014. The Art Fair Sourcebook ranked the Atlanta Dogwood Festival in its list of Top 25 Fine Art Festivals in the country for 2013. www.dogwood.org.

The 79th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival will take place April 10 – 12, 2015 in Piedmont Park.

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