Decatur Arts Festival 2018 Cheat Sheet

When is Decatur Arts Festival? Takes place from Friday, May 26 to Saturday, May 2018 in downtown Decatur, Georgia. The ArtWalk opens the festival on Friday evening at 5 pm and ends at 10 pm. The festival hours are Saturday, 10 am-6 pm, and Sunday, 11 am-5 pm.
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Location of Decatur Art Fair: Downtown Decatur, Georgia. A suburb of Atlanta, Y'all.

Visual Artists at Artisphere 2018: https://artisphere.org/2018-visual-artists/

Located in downtown Decatur, Georgia, USA is The Amazing Arts Festival is brought to you by The Decatur Arts Alliance

This festival has been around since 1985 and has 60,000+ visitors for a weekend in May each year. Usually Memorial Day Weekend. This year is the much the same. This is the largest fundraiser for the Decatur Arts Alliance. Enjoy! 

Delighting Decatur Since 1985: Decatur Arts Alliance Does It Up Right 
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The Decatur Arts Festival has actually been fascinating citizens of funky and arty Decatur, Georgia. Doesn't feel like the rest of the art fairs in Atlanta. Not all that big, and so much live entertainment. Of course hundreds of artists that have been through a rigorous jury process (that means cool and quality art). Yeah!

What started off as a small, hipster event has presently grown into among one of the biggest yearly celebrations in Decatur. The doors open bright and early on Saturday and Sunday, so set your alarm and grab your coffee to go. This Decatur Art Fair is an all-day event, making it the perfect opportunity to indulge your inner bohemian goddess and make a day of browsing, exploring, and enjoying. 

What does The Decatur Arts Festival have in store? 

Memorial Day Weekend 2018 will be brimming with excitement over the annual Decatur Arts Festival scheduled for May 25 through May 27 in Decatur, Georgia. The event is held downtown from Decatur Recreation Center to the Downtown Square. It includes East and West Ponce de Leon Avenue, Claremont Avenue and the Dalton Gallery at Agnes Scott College. The festival will be held, rain or shine.

What to see at the Decatur Arts Festival

For one night only, on Friday, May 25, enjoy Artwalk. Meander through the downtown area enjoying complimentary snacks while enjoying the exhibits offered by local merchants.

Artist Market is a designated area for visual arts. With over 150 artists from the Southeast United States and elsewhere, there is a wide assortment including painting, drawing, photography, metal, leather and fiber, ceramics. Also included are collections from the Georgia Goldsmith’s Guild, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, and the Atlanta Glass Guild.

The Performing Arts Stage is two days full of live music. From solo artists to combos to drum groups, there will be something for everyone.

Acoustic Palette is another performance area focusing primarily on vocal artists. The program is still being finalized but promises enthusiasm in many genres.

Always growing, New Dance will amaze you and your family with movement and dance performances and learning experiences.

• Other opportunities include:
• Artists and Art
• Live Music
• Comedy, both stand-up and improvisational
• Special children’s section at the Decatur Recreation Center
• Dance Performances

Food trucks will be conveniently stationed on East Court Square with a variety of choices. Decatur also has a number of excellent restaurants, cafes, and bistros where you can enjoy a meal, a snack or dessert.

Month-long Art in Decatur

You won’t need to wait until the end of the month to start participating.
On May 10 the official poster will be unveiled. The poster is free, so come by between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to pick up your copy and enjoy the party. It will include drinks, refreshments and live music.

May 11 is the Decatur Lantern Parade. Starting at the Color Wheel Studio after 8:00 p.m., the parade moves to the downtown square. All lanterns are battery operated and flying lanterns are prohibited, but beyond that let your imagination be your guide. If you need instruction or ideas, contact the Color Wheel Studio for their workshops.

Fine Arts Exhibition will be open daily from May 22 through June 10 afternoons from 2 – 5 p.m. View this year’s assortment of paintings, prints, sculpture, mixed media, and photographs. It ends with the Last Call Closing Reception on June 10.

DeKalb History Center – Located on the main floor of the historic Old DeKalb County Courthouse, the Center houses primarily furniture acquired over the past 70 years.

Decatur Artway – Beginning in 2015, this is a rotating outdoor sculpture gallery with new pieces installed annually. Free narrative tours are available through Otocast app from iTunes or Google Play.
Authors’ Readings and Book Signings – Hosted by the Decatur Library, the events will be held in the auditorium and the complete roster will be available soon.

As details are finalized, information is posted on the website http://decaturartsfestival.com/festival.

You Might Be Glad About This... 

This show is absolutely free. Yes, no charge for this amazing event. There are some really great things to that sets this event apart from other art shows. Each one is listed below as my segment on 10 great reasons to attend these years Decatur Arts Festival...

• Oils, acrylics, watercolors
• Ceramics
• Jewelry
• Sculpture
• Mixed Media
• Furniture
• So very much more
  
  

More Things To Set Decatur Arts Festival Apart...

• The outhouses. Cool, artsy port-a-potties. Totally cool and unique. (1st picture above)
• Great entertainment. Right behind the old courthouse. Doesn't start first thing but gets going and keeps the crowds 
• Restaurants and bars stay open all throughout the festival. Doesn't usually happen at Art Festivals! Great job Decatur!
• Plenty to do for kids. Kids tents, face painting and so much more! 
• Ride The Marta and save moola. Yes, ride the public transportation and you've got it made. No parking headaches and save money to boot, so you can buy more art. So buy more art, please.
• Cool vibe. Decatur has it going on.  Yes, Decatur is the arty district of Atlanta. Totally unique. 
• Can be hot. Yes, average temperatures can reach in the 90's. Ughh! Good thing there are lots of ice cream vendors and beverages available.

 

 

 

Here's What's Unique About Decatur Georgia...

Decatur was established at the intersection of two Native American trails: the Sandtown, which led east from the Chattahoochee River at Utoy Creek, and the Shallowford, which follows today's Clairmont Road and eventually crossed near Roswell. It was named for United States Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur.

Decatur, Georgia during the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, Decatur became a strategic site in Sherman's Atlanta Campaign. In July 1864, Major-General James McPherson occupied the town to cut off the Confederates' supply line from Augusta. On July 22, during the Battle of Atlanta, Confederate cavalry under Major-General Joseph Wheeler attacked McPherson's supply wagons and the Union troops left to defend the wagons. A historical marker at the old courthouse marks the site of this skirmish

20th Century Decatur

The 1960's and 1970's witnessed dramatic drops in property values. However, more recently the city has regained economic vigor, partially thanks to several long-term downtown development plans that have come to fruition, making Decatur a trendy small mixed-use district with easy transit to downtown Atlanta. Over the past twenty years, it has gained a local and national reputation as a progressive city with a high level of citizen involvement that retains a small town feel despite its proximity to Atlanta.

*Courtesy of Wikipedia. Learn more here  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur,_Georgia