Important Park Rules for the Summer Festival Season

With the summer festival season upon us, the City of Atlanta asks residents and visitors to abide by the following rules and regulations for their safety and for the safety of others.

1.  All pets including, but not limited to dogs, cats, snakes, birds, pigs are prohibited in parks - leash or no leash - during all festivals with more than 10,000 in attendance.
2. No horses or ponies are allowed in any park at any time, except APD’s mounted patrol.
3. Outdoor cooking is prohibited except in areas where a city grill has been provided for public use.
4. Charcoal-fired portable grills are prohibited during festivals. Portable gas grills are acceptable only if situated within 100 feet of a City-provided grill. Used charcoal must be deposited in City-provided receptacles that are clearly marked for charcoal disposal.
5. Tents and canopies larger than 10 ‘x 10’ are prohibited without written permission from the Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.
6. Driving of stakes, posts or poles for any reason (including erecting tents or other structures) is forbidden without prior written permission from the Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.
7. No motorized vehicles are allowed, except for use by emergency and festival personnel. No bicycle, motorcycle, or moped riding is allowed during event times. No skateboard riding or roller-skating is allowed during event times.
8. Playing of portable radios, musical instruments or similar devices that are plainly audible to others in the park are prohibited, unless part of event programming.
9. Glass containers are prohibited in parks.
10. Please dispose of all trash in designated receptacles.
11. Alcohol consumption in only permitted in a park during Outdoor Festivals, except when an Outdoor Festival Host has asked to prohibit alcohol consumption at the Outdoor Festival.

In addition, when attending any festival, we ask attendees to please be respectful of residents and businesses in the neighborhood. Observe parking regulations and dispose of trash in appropriate receptacles.  We thank residents and visitors in advance for their role in making sure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience at our many City of Atlanta parks this summer and throughout the year. 

Festival Classifications:

Class A permit – Anticipated cumulative attendance of 50,000 people or more.
(Examples: Dogwood Festival, Atlanta Pride Festival, 4th of July Fireworks at Lenox)

Class B permit – Anticipated cumulative attendance of 20,000 to 49,999.
(Examples: Atlanta Jazz Festival, Virginia-Highlands SummerFest)

Class C permit – Anticipated cumulative attendance of 10,000 to 19,999.
(Examples: AIDS Walk, Inman Park Spring Festival)
Class D permit – Anticipated cumulative attendance of 2,000 to 9,999.

(Example: Shake at the Lake, Taste of Atlanta)
Class E permit – Anticipated cumulative attendance of 250 to 1,999.
(Various small neighborhood festivals)

These rules and regulations can be found in full in the City of Atlanta Code of Ordinance Section 110-76 that can be accessed on the web at http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/

For information on planning a special event inside the City of Atlanta and to download a special event permit, please visit the Special Events website at www.atlantaga.gov under Mayor’s Office of Special Events.  For more information on the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs, please contact Myra Reeves at 404.817.6767 or mreeves@atlantaga.gov.

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For more information about this and services of the City of Atlanta visit our website at www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26.