You can’t walk through Atlanta without tripping over an outdoor festival, but this year it seems they are tripping over each other.
The venerable Atlanta Arts Festival and the equally venerable Music Midtown have scheduled their gatherings for the same weekend, Sept. 19-20, in the same primo locale for outdoor shindigs, Piedmont Park.
Each is accusing the other of foul play — or at least bad faith —- and neither seems likely to budge.
“They went in a little early to get the date before us, which surprises me,” said Peter Conlon, president of Live Nation Atlanta.
Julie Tepp, co-founder of the Atlanta Arts Festival, said her group staked out the third weekend in September almost three months ago. “On Nov. 14 of last year we turned in an application for this year,” she said. “We have an approved site plan from the parks department, and all of a sudden we get a phone call … We are just as surprised as anybody.”
Tepp pointed out that Music Midtown hadn’t applied for a permit until this month, and said the city should abide by the policy of first come, first served.
Conlon has been putting on Music Midtown since 1994, but took a six-year break in 2005. The music festival drew 150,000 visitors to Piedmont Park last year, hosting such acts as John Mayer, Jack White and Eminem. Conlon has held the festival the third weekend in September for the past two years.
The Atlanta Arts Festival is entering its eighth year, and last year drew a crowd of 25,000 to see hundreds of the Southeast’s best artists and craftsmen. It has been held on the second weekend of September for the past two years.
Melissa Mullinax, senior advisor to Mayor Kasim Reed, said in a statement, “The Atlanta Arts Festival and Music Midtown both contribute to the cultural vitality of our city. We remain optimistic that both events can be accommodated this year and in the years to come.”
The statement didn’t indicate which festival will be scheduled when.
Mullinax acknowledged that both organizations had submitted applications to hold their events, but pointed out that the two are permitted by different branches of city government.
“Comparing the applications – whether around the timing of application submittal, fees paid, or review process – is an apples to oranges comparison,” the statement said.
Music Midtown is a ticketed, gated event that’s not open to the public, and pays a fee negotiated by contract with the city — in this case a total of $400,000. The Arts Festival is a Class C event, and is significantly cheaper to permit, at $5,000, according to Tepp.
Tepp said the city has informed her that her event date is “no longer available.”
She said scheduling the arts festival earlier is out of the question: “It would be financially devastating for us to switch weekends.” The weekend of September 12-13 is the same weekend as the St. Louis Art Fair, “the number one art show in the country.”
Conlon said moving his show is equally impractical. “It’s impossible for us, we’ve already processed over $3 million in talent, we’ve already got major artists committed. The talent is impossible to move.”
Holding both festivals on the same weekend in the same park would also be a mistake, both organizers agreed. The solution to the problem has not yet materialized, said Tepp.
Said Conlon, “I’m sure it will get resolved to everybody’s satisfaction.”
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