A brand-new plant festival is about to fill two floors of the former Forever 21 building at Atlantic Station with rare flora, drag performances and local art. The inaugural Dirt & Glitter Atlanta Plant Show runs October 16 through 18, mixing plant vendors with fashion, music and community programming in Midtown Atlanta.
The three-day event was founded by Steven Crafton, who according to CBS News Atlanta described the show as bringing the plant community and the queer community together. Crafton said the event includes drag performers, art and plants from around the world, and the show is pitched as a destination event rather than a simple market, per The Greenhouse Social, which organizes it. The festival will take over both floors of the former Forever 21 building at Atlantic Station, the same source notes.
Organizers describe Dirt & Glitter as featuring plants, plant-inspired goods, art, home decor and more, and the show's own event page calls it a highly curated plant and lifestyle show bringing together top plant shops, artists and creative vendors. CBS News Atlanta reports the show includes rare botanical specimens from across the globe, alongside fashion, art and live musical entertainment.
Opening Night Headliner and Ticket Prices
Crafton partnered with Atlanta drag artist Gigi Diamond, who is set as the opening-night headliner, according to CBS News Atlanta. Gigi Diamond started collecting plants during the pandemic and now has 80 plants, the outlet reports, and she said Dirt & Glitter will bring the plant community and queer community together and foster new relationships.
Pricing details vary slightly depending on the source. The Greenhouse Social lists general admission at $10 online or $15 at the door, with VIP cocktail-party preview tickets priced at $35 online and at the door. Meanwhile, Rough Draft Atlanta describes general admission as $10 per person, per day, with VIP tickets at $35 per person granting access for the entire weekend plus admittance to a party featuring a performance by Gigi Diamond. VIP tickets also include first access to rare and limited plants and a cocktail or mocktail, though that drink is not included with door tickets, per the organizer's page.
A Weekend Built Around Community
The show kicks off with an exclusive VIP experience on the evening of October 16, followed by two full days of shopping and community activities, the organizer site states. That second and third day promises two days of rare plants, curated vendors and the Atlanta plant community at its best, according to the same source.
Crafton's broader plant-community work traces back to the COVID-19 pandemic, when he and partners Alec and Tyler discovered their shared love of plants, according to an interview with Voyage ATL. The trio runs Plant Daddies of Atlanta, which describes itself as a queer-owned business that actively fosters a safe and welcoming environment for all. The business says it regularly hosts workshops, plant swaps and events to foster connections and provide education, and its plant collection is curated to suit a variety of tastes, from easy-care houseplants to more unique and rare finds.
That ethos echoes through Dirt & Glitter itself: CBS News Atlanta reports organizers describe the plant community as welcoming to people regardless of identity, origin or color. The Greenhouse Social, which also runs other events under its banner, says its broader mission is building community through plants, art and creativity.
Part of a Growing Regional Plant Scene
Dirt & Glitter arrives amid a wider wave of plant-focused gatherings in the region. The 2026 Southeast Plant Show, a separate event, bills itself as the biggest plant event in the region, promising rare and exotic plants, vendors, food trucks and more, according to Discover Atlanta. The Southeast Plant Show's own site touts rare finds, trusted growers, handmade goods and workshops under one roof — a similar formula to what Dirt & Glitter organizers are attempting at Atlantic Station, though on its own, queer-centered terms.
For now, the focus stays local: three days, one Midtown storefront, and a lineup that organizers hope will fold plant lovers and drag fans into the same room.
