It's Summerfest Time!
We've waited 51 weeks to be able to say - it's once again time to Summerfest!
The 33rd edition of VaHi’s summertime celebration of art, music and food is just days away. Here’s the 411 on this year’s event:
Friday, June 3
The weekend's fun gets kicked-off Friday, June 6 with resident-only events, starting with the Community Parade. This year’s parade theme is Rio Olympics. Display your Olympic spirit by dressing up in creative costumes as we celebrate the upcoming summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. These Olympic games will be the first games held in South America!
The parade starts at Intown ACE Hardware at 7:00 pm. Parade participants should arrive no later than 6:30 pm. Bring your photo ID so you can snag your dinner tickets when you check-in. Please bring cash as well – this year we're asking for a $5 suggested donation to participate in the parade. Here's a link to a page with an online registration from, if you haven't registered and wish to do so.
For those cheering on the participants, the parade will proceed down Drewry, turn right on Barnett and end up on the eastern side of John Howell Park where the community dinner and movie will be held again this year. Please note that this event has been moved from the Inman Middle School ball field where it was held for a number of years. The dinner starts at 7:30 pm. The usual awesome cook-out fare will be provided by Atkins Park.
This year's movie is Rio 2, an animated adventure-comedy rated “G”. Macaws Blu, Jewel and their 3 children leave their domesticated life in Rio for a journey to the Amazon to explore the world and their rainforest roots. Once there, the family has many adventures as Blu tries to fit in and meets his father-in-law.
Admission to the dinner/movie is free to VaHi residents with a valid ID or other proof of residency. Non-resident guests (date, houseguest, babysitter, etc.) are welcome when accompanied by a resident. Cost for guests: $10 for adults, $5 for children. If space is available, non-resident neighbors may enter the area after dinner (around 8:15 pm) to watch the movie.
After the movie, head on down to the Acoustic Stage at the intersection of Virginia and N. Highland Ave.’s where Francisco & Friends will provide entertainment from 8:00 - 10:45 pm.
Saturday, June 4
Don’t stay out too late Friday night because the popular Summerfest 5K Road Race gets going at 8 AM Saturday. For more information on the race or to register in advance, click here.
On-site registration will also be available this year at Yeah Burger! at the corner of Virginia and N. Highland Avenues. If you have aspiring runners too young for the road race (ages 7 and younger), bring ’em over to the eastern section of John Howell Park following the 5K’s conclusion (around 9:15 am) for this year’s Tot Trot. Click here to pre-register for Tot Trot or you can register on-site.
Summerfest 2016 officially opens at 10:0 am Saturday. Festival-goers can choose from events like the Artist Market and Kidsfest. Please note that Kidsfest ends at 3:00 PM and the Artist Market closes at 6:30 PM on Saturday.
Juried Artist Market
Just a reminder that Summerfest’s Artist Market is a juried show of gallery-quality art featuring 230+ of the Southeast’s finest artists. You’ll find artists specializing in painting, sculpture, jewelry, textiles/fiber arts, photography, clay, wood, metal, graphics and mixed media. Visit our online Artists Page to view a list of this year's exhibiting artists. Please be sure to visit the Artist Market and support the 2016 Summerfest artists by making a purchase or two.
Summerfest Music
The Music Stage gets going at Noon Saturday with a performance from the Frank Hamilton School Band. Here’s the rest of Saturday’s music lineup:
Please note that this year’s Music Stage will be located on the eastern side of John Howell Park.
After Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers wraps things up on the main Music Stage, the Acoustic Stage at Virginia and N. Highland Avenue will be the place to be again Saturday night with entertainment by Francisco & Friends provided from 7:00 - 10:45 pm.
Speaking of the Acoustic Stage, students from the neighborhood's own Eclectic Music will perform there Saturday from Noon - 2:00 pm.
New This Year!
Local Market
New to Summerfest this year is the Local Market. The market will be located at the Barnett/Virginia intersection, one of the entrances to John Howell Park. We'll have 17 vendors selling local, handcrafted products including bath care, bakery items, candles, honey, dog treats, cacti and succulents arrangements, and gourmet foods products.
Stroll through this new section to peruse the small artisan batches of homemade natural soaps, toothpaste, essential oils, grooming and beard care products, bean to bar chocolate, Brazilian breads, apple bread, fruit donuts, muffins, cookies, cheese straws, dog biscuits and BBQ sauce.
Local market hours on Saturday and Sunday are the same as the Artist Market.
Margarita Tasting Tent
Looking for someplace to escape from the heat and maybe throw something cool and tasty down your throat? Check out our first-ever Margarita Tasting Tent where, for a mere $20, you not only get shade, but you also get tastings of three deliciously different Margarita flavors and a full glass of whichever one you like best! Choose from "On the Rocks", Pomegranate, Mango or Jalapeno Margaritas. Other beverages and some great food options will also be available. Hang out until you can't stand being out of the sun anymore, or when you have to head back to the band stage to cheer on your favorite act.
Our Margarita Tasting Tent will be located in John Howell Park between Barnett St. and the Main Music Stage. Leave the kiddies at home, though, because it's 21 and over to enter the tent.
Bike Valet
Don’t forget that you can help alleviate Summerfest traffic congestion by cycling to the festival. We’ve made that easier to do by again partnering with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition to provide free bike valet parking during festival hours. This year's ABC bike corral will be located at the “Field of Dreams” on the southwest corner of Virginia Ave. and Ponce de Leon Pl. (adjacent to the festival’s western entrance). Please consider cycling to this year's festival and encourage everyone you know to do the same!
Special thanks to Atlanta PRO Bikes for sponsoring this year's Summerfest bike valet.
2016 Summerfest T-Shirt
Anyone curious about this year’s Summerfest t-shirt design?
We went in a little different direction this year using Rep Your Hood, a local company that has designed t-shirt art for a variety of local festivals. Their design style is very distinctive and it’s a bit of a departure from what we usually do, but we really like this year’s shirt as we think it’s an awesome reflection of the neighborhood and the festival.
The design will be available in several styles including a Unisex shirt, a women's shirt in both round and v-neck and - drum roll, please - a Unisex tank top. Yes, we said tank top. The folks at RYH say they fly off the shelves at the other festivals and we hope the same happens next weekend in VaHi. Color choices: gray, light tan, turquoise, lilac, kelly green, Cancun blue, light orange and athletic blue (tank top). The staff/volunteer shirts use the same design but are printed on a watermelon reddish shirt.
We sure hope you like this year’s design! They'll be available for purchase at two booth locations at this year's festival.
Sunday, June 5
Sunday's Summerfest musical experience gets started at 12 Noon at the Acoustic Stage where Burke Connolly Irish Dancers will perform until 1:00 pm.
The Main Music Stage gets going Sunday at 1:30 PM with City Mouse performing. The rest of Sunday’s music lineup:
And, since you probably didn’t have enough time to enjoy all the activities on Saturday, be sure to stop by the Artist Market and Kidsfest area on Sunday. Kidsfest closes at 3 PM Sunday and the Artist Market closes at 6 PM.
For more information on Summerfest, click here.
We look forward to seeing everyone next weekend at Summerfest 2016!
Final Call for Summerfest Volunteers - Friday, Saturday, Sunday Help Still Needed
Summerfest is just days away and we're still in need of volunteers to help make this one of the best festivals ever. We're in pretty good shape overall, but there are a couple of key areas where we still need help. Please sign up today for one (or more) of the shifts listed below and encourage your family and friends to do the same.
Friday
- Artist Unload and Setup (1-4 pm shift - 1 volunteer needed)
- Kidsfest Setup (Noon - 3 pm shift - 2 volunteers needed)
Saturday
- Artist Unload and Setup (6-9 am shift - 1 volunteer needed)
- Summerfest Road Race Support (6-9 am shift - 15 volunteers needed)
- Kidsfest (9-11 am - 6 volunteers needed; 11 am - 1 pm shift - 6 volunteers needed; 1-3 pm shifts - 6 volunteers needed)
- Assist Art Judges (12:30-3:30 pm shift - 2 volunteers needed)
- Artist Market Support (3:30-6:30 pm shift, 2 volunteers needed
- Parking Attendant (3:30-6:30 pm shift - 1 volunteer needed)
Sunday
- Kidsfest (9:30-11:30 AM shift - 8 volunteers needed, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM shift - 4 volunteers needed; 1:30-3:30 pm shift - 6 volunteers needed)
- Parking Attendant (11:30 am - 1:30 pm shift - 1 volunteer needed)
- Artist Market Support (4-7 PM shift - 2 volunteers needed)
Volunteering is a great way to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones, and also help ensure the success of the civic association’s biggest fundraising event of the year. Volunteering can be a great way for high school or middle school students to get service hours. You can even sign up for multiple shifts if you like. Encourage your friends and neighbors to volunteer. Come join in the fun and go home with the coveted volunteer t-shirt!
To review the list of available shifts and sign up, please visit our VolunteerSpot registration site. Have questions or need more information? Contact volunteer coordinator John Becker at jnbecker@me.com.
Thanks for your support of Summerfest 2016!
