Chastain Park will once again fill with painters, sculptors, glass blowers and jewelers next weekend as the Chastain Park Fall Arts Festival returns to Fulton County's largest public park on Saturday and Sunday. The two-day outdoor event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 7 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 8, and admission is free.
The festival takes place at Chastain Park, 4469 Stella Dr., according to carenwestpr.com, and is produced by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces, with volunteer artists also helping organize it, per the festival's website. As Secret Atlanta notes, the gathering has been recognized as one of the country's Top 100 Arts Festivals.
Organizers describe the event as an outdoor festival with an emphasis on the visual arts, and the festival's own site says it was named one of the nation's Top 100 arts festivals, ranked 67th, by Sunshine Artist Magazine. Sources differ on exactly how many artists will set up booths this year: carenwestpr.com reports the festival will feature more than 155 artists, while the festival's own website cites a figure of approximately 175 artists and artisans, and separate pages on the same site mention up to 185 or as many as 200 fine artists and craftspeople. Across those varying counts, the roster is expected to include painters, photographers, sculptors, leather and metal craft artisans, glass blowers and jewelers.
What's Planned for the Weekend
Visitors can watch artist demonstrations, take in live entertainment, join hands-on art activities and grab a bite from festival food and beverage vendors, according to the festival's website. The event will also include a children's area, food trucks and vendors, and music from a live DJ, per carenwestpr.com's rundown of the festival. A separate Atlanta Parent listing describes the festival as offering fine arts and crafts, a children's area, gourmet food trucks and acoustic musicians, though that account differs slightly on the entertainment lineup.
The festival is open to all ages, and leashed dogs are welcome, carenwestpr.com reports. It's billed as a rain-or-shine event, though the festival's general information page notes that certain activities may be canceled or rescheduled depending on weather conditions.
Where the Proceeds Go
Beyond the art booths and food trucks, the festival has a philanthropic component: it benefits a scholarship fund for local artists that is administered by the Georgia Foundation for Public Spaces, according to the event's general information page. That mission has run alongside the festival's reputation as a juried showcase for working artists across disciplines, from jewelry and glasswork to leather and metal craft.
Not every Atlanta outdoor arts event has drawn the same turnout this year. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that attendance at the 2026 Dogwood Festival was down by a third from the prior year after that festival began charging admission. Chastain Park's fall festival, by contrast, remains free to attend, a detail organizers emphasize on the event's own website.
