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DEL.ICIO.USWhat kind of spring fest draws you out of town?
Are you heading to any of these festivals?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With Spring in full swing and May just round the corner, metro Atlantans have just a few weeks to (comfortably) appreciate the beauty of our region before the South’s sweltering heat settles in for the summer. To make it easy for us to get out and enjoy, it seems that just about every Southern town and city will be throwing some kind of festival between now and the end of June.
Some of these are your general arts and crafts-type festivals, where you can stroll the streets, get a taste of the local arts scene, hear new music and perhaps take in a fair. Others celebrate local homes and gardens or traditions like storytelling and musical heritage. Still others revolve around one of our region’s favorite pastimes - eating barbecue, eating catfish, eating crawfish, eating Vidalia onions…well, you get the idea. Even music fans who shudder at the dollar-to-euro and dollar-to-pound conversions can take in their own Glastonbury-style fun in Tennessee at Bonnaroo in June.
One festival that I wish I could get to this weekend is Oxford, Mississippi’s Double Decker Arts Festival. If we didn’t already have 96-hours of activities scheduled for this 48-hour weekend, I would be heading west this Friday afternoon. Oxford is a charming town, and I haven’t been back for a visit since our friends moved away from there years ago.
Sadly, this weekend’s crazy schedule will also prevent our family from making it to the Vidalia Onion Festival in Vidalia, Ga. to celebrate the harvest of our official state vegetable. But the festival season is in top gear and we are already looking ahead to the next few weekends’ worth of festival options.
Check out these sites for upcoming festivals in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama.
Then tell us…Will be skipping town for one of these festivals over the next few weeks? Have you been to any of these in the past? What’s your favorite spring festival in the Southeast?
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Southeast travel
Comments
By JJ
April 23, 2008 10:14 AM | Link to this
I won’t be travelling anywhere with these freaking gas prices.
By Jen
April 23, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
Well, the Sweetwater 420 Festival was in my neighborhood this past weekend. I think it was the first time it went for two days. I have never seen that people in my hood. One drunk girl walked up my driveway (actually, I share the driveway with my neighbor) looking for a place to pee. But my neighbor’s motion activated flood light had her tearing back down the driveway before she could pop the first button. I spent the evening shining a flashlight on the butts of college-aged boys peeing in my neighbor-across-the-street’s driveway (it’s sorta dark).
All in all - good times. I liked hearing the music from my front porch.
This coming weekend is the Inman Park Festival - always a good festival. We’ll probably bike on PATH to it. If you come all the way to town for it make sure to check out the Downtown Decatur Market (artist wares) and the Crescent Avenue SpringFest in Little 5 Points at FrontPage News.
A week or two after that is the Sweet Auburn SpringFest. It’s a pretty family friendly venue.
Then there’s the JAzz Festival in Midtown at the end of May.
There’s also the East Atlanta Beer Festival at the end of May.
In June is DaveFM’s MusicFest in my hood again. It’s supposed to be bigger than the Sweetwater Festival…should be fun. Blues Taveler is playing.
In late June it’s Atlanta Pride (fun as Mardi Gras no matter if you’re gay or straight!)
Virginia Highland has Summerfest in June.
There are others in July but I can’t think of them offhand.
Because of gas prices I probably won’t go to any mountain or village festivals. If they’re not in the city and I can’t bike or walk to them….won’t go.
So, after that last summer festival I won’t go to another until the fall, when there’s Harvest Festival in Midtown, Candler Park FallFest, and the Cabbagetown Chomp and Stomp.
By yankee
April 23, 2008 10:57 AM | Link to this
I’m almost with you JJ. We’ve restricted ourselves to one event a month. When you add up the gas, fees and food some other things are more important.
By cas
April 23, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
Three of my favorites are the Bear on the Square Music Festival in Dahlonega (third weekend in April), the Wildlife Craft and Arts Festival in Blue Ridge (September), and the Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay (2nd and 3rd weekends in October).
By mamaj
April 23, 2008 8:06 PM | Link to this
Started going to the Georgia Renaissance Festival in Fairburn Ga 4 years ago and it’s my favorite by far. There’s characters everywhere—on stage and off, lots of comedy shows that are really very good, and the food choices are endless and quite tasty.
By JP
April 23, 2008 11:23 PM | Link to this
NOLA Jazz Fest, personally. Austin City Limits in the fall.
By NewToATL
April 24, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this
What about the festivals in Memphis for the whole month of May? The first weekend if May is musicfest weekend. Second weekend is the world famous BBQ Festival and the last weekend is the Sunset Symphony (MSO playing on the Mississippi River). Check it out at memphisinmay.org
By BJ
April 29, 2008 11:23 AM | Link to this
Remember the Prater’s Mill Country Fair in N Georgia on Columbus Day weekend - this year on Oct 11 & 12. Also Creative Arts Guild Festival in Dalton on Sept 20 & 21.
By BJ
April 29, 2008 11:28 AM | Link to this
Don’t forget Prater’s Mill Country Fair in N. GA on Oct. 11 & 12. And the Creative Arts Guild Festival in Dalton on Sept. 20 & 21.