From Jousting To Juggling: 10 Atlanta Spring Festivals

The Georgia Renaissance Festival is a family-friendly event in Fairburn that features shows, goods and foods that will keep the family busy for hours. Shows include acrobats, comedians and artists performing at all hours of the festival while guests peruse costumes, jewelry, trinkets and toys. Special themed weekends are available, such as the weekend of April 30 to May 1, where children get free admission, and May 21 and 22, where guests are invited to put on their best pirate costume.

Music, vendors, parades and tours are all available at the family-friendly Inman Park Festival. The festival features booths for artists, food vendors and musicians performing music in genres ranging from “cowboy swing” to hip-hop, according to the event website. Kids can enjoy the “kidzone,” where children are invited to participate in circus-style activities such as juggling, hula hoops and slack rope.

The 43-year-running Snellville Days festival is an arts and crafts festival at T.W. Briscoe Park featuring live music, a kid’s field and entertainment such as puppet shows, racing pigs and a stilt walker. Admission, parking and shuttle transport are free and guests will be able to experience over 200 food, craft and other vendors, according to the event website. The festival is open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

2016 is the first year of the Atlanta Taco Festival, an event featuring more than 20 different venues as well as attractions such as Lucha Libre Wrestling, Salsa Dancing and local live music. The event will sponsor CHRIS Kids, a nonprofit that helps children and strengthens families, according to the event website. The Atlanta Taco Festival will take place at the corner of Candler Park Drive and McLendon Avenue in Candler Park.

Pick’n in Grant Park is a barbecue and music festival that benefits the Grant Park Conservancy, a group that works to maintain Grant Park. The event features a barbecue competition, a street market, live music and a kid zone.

This family-friendly event at Boling Park in Canton celebrates Native American culture with events such as a Native American dance competition, environmental displays, artisans and Native American cuisine. The event lasts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 8.

TasteAtl is hosting “Food That Rocks – A Celebration of Sandy Springs,” a 21+ event featuring more than 20 local restaurants as well as food and beer tasting and live music, according to the event website. The event will benefit groups such as the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance, Ian’s Friends Foundation and Second Helpings Atlanta. The event will take place in Hammond Park in Sandy Springs.

Briscoe Park in Snellville will be playing host to PAWfest 2016, a fundraising event that sets out to educate the public on pet-related issues, according to the event website. The event, run by the Gwinnett Humane Society, features booths that celebrate the bond between people and their furry friends as well as a dog fashion show, Frisbee demos and a number of dog-related contests such as “Best Kisser.”

The Kirkwood Spring Fling is a free event that features a tour of homes in the Kirkwood community as well as a 5K, an artist market and a barbecue competition. Kids can enjoy the Urban Tree House as well as crafts and bounce houses. Admission is free to the festival, which takes place in Bessie Branham Park in Kirkwood.

This free, three-day festival features live music as well as an artist market and a number of food and beverage vendors at Piedmont Park.