Approximately 120 to 130 artist booths are set up this weekend as the Sandy Springs Fall Arts Festival returns for its free, two-day run. The event pairs juried fine art with food vendors, a children's play area, and interactive activities meant to draw families as well as serious art buyers.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the festival is presented by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces, the nonprofit behind a growing roster of outdoor art fairs across metro Atlanta. AFFPS was founded in 2005 by arts advocate Randall Fox and now produces more than a dozen juried arts festivals across metro Atlanta each year, according to SaportaReport.
A Juried Show With Strict Standards
The Sandy Springs event is a juried fine-arts festival featuring approximately 120 to 130 booths across various media categories, and every piece on display must be original and handmade by the exhibiting artist, per ZAPPlication. Buy-sell merchandise and mass-produced goods are prohibited under those selection standards. Exhibitors are responsible for applicable taxes, the same listing notes.
Vendor fees and festival revenue don't just fund the weekend's logistics. In 2010, AFFPS established a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm, the Georgia Foundation for Public Spaces, which distributes artist scholarships, emergency assistance, and educational grants using proceeds from events like this one, according to the Georgia Foundation for Public Spaces. That foundation is managed by a volunteer board of established local artists, giving the festival circuit a philanthropic backbone beyond the weekend fair itself.
Getting There and What to Expect
The Century Springs Office Complex sits less than a mile from Interstate 285's Roswell Road exit and includes dedicated free parking lots for festivalgoers, according to the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces. The organization notes temporary festival traffic and road adjustments during the event weekend.
This fall event isn't the only AFFPS festival Sandy Springs residents have come to expect. The group also produces the Sandy Springs Artsapalooza each spring on Easter weekend, an event that includes an egg hunt with more than 10,000 hidden eggs for local kids, according to Rough Draft Atlanta. Artsapalooza is another recurring Sandy Springs festival.
Part of a Bigger Fall Circuit
The Sandy Springs Fall Arts Festival is listed in AFFPS's schedule. Other AFFPS events include the Buckhead Arts Festival and Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival. The organization's schedule lists the Sandy Springs Fall Arts and Craft Festival for September 12–13, 2026.
The group's summer track record offers a point of comparison for what turnout can look like even under tough conditions. In August, the 17th annual Piedmont Park Arts Festival in Midtown Atlanta, also produced by AFFPS, drew more than 200 artists despite afternoon heat index values climbing to 110 degrees, Hoodline previously reported. Coverage advised attendees to take shade breaks and stay hydrated.
A Growing Suburban Backdrop
The festival takes place in Sandy Springs.
Sandy Springs is a city in Georgia. The free weekend festival takes place in Sandy Springs.
