Virginia-Highland Summerfest 2026

VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND SUMMERFEST 2026

Come join us for another great celebration of summer in our Atlanta neighborhood, Virginia-Highland! Our festival is a 2 day event and takes place along tree-lined Virginia Avenue, in the heart of our historic and charming neighborhood. Summerfest enjoys an educated audience and last year 20,000+ attended Atlanta’s favorite neighborhood arts festival. We host an Artists Market, Makers Market, Music Stages, a 5K run and KidsFest. This event is heavily promoted in social media, local radio, and print.

 

Artist Market - juried for entry , judged for awards

Features artwork from 200 of the best artists in the southeast region and beyond

Maker's’ Market - juried for entry, no awards
Includes handmade items such as soaps, lotions, candles, pet items, plants, and delicious consumables
Such as gourmet nuts, chocolate, jams, honey, sauces, etc.

 

*no buy/sell allowed in either market.

PURPOSE

 

The Summerfest organization is staffed primarily by volunteers. 100% of net proceeds are donated to the preservation and improvement of our historic neighborhood. Summerfest supports such neighborhood initiatives as sidewalk improvements, lighting, crime prevention and civic programs. It also financially supports the local parks, schools, and libraries.

 

FESTIVAL DATES & TIMES

 

Saturday, June 6, 11am – 6pm

 

Sunday, June 7, 11am – 5pm

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicant may apply only once to a category/medium. No multiple applications under the same category/medium will be accepted. Applicant may apply for more than one category/medium, but a separate online application must be completed for each category/medium including its own set of images and application fees by the required deadline.

 

CATEGORIES:

Juried Art Market
 

The juried Fine Art Market has built a much-deserved reputation over the years as a source of high-quality art attracting patrons from all over the Southeast. The artist committee seeks a wide variety of art with an emphasis on quality work by talented artists specializing in fine art, folk art, fine crafts, and hip and funky art. We strive to offer a large variety of works representing various price ranges to appeal to our many visitors. All artwork must be handmade by the attending applicant.

 

• CLAY
  Original sculptural, decorative, or functional work in which the primary material used is clay. All artwork must be signed by the artist. No machine-made or mass-produced items.
• DRAWING / GRAPHICS / PRINTMAKING
  Original works made with pen, pencil, color pencil, charcoal or traditional printmaking techniques, including etching, engraving lithography, serigraphy or woodcut. Combination techniques/collages are also included. Original prints must be signed and numbered. Reproduction policies are outlined under “STANDARDS.”
• FIBER / LEATHER
  Original work created from fibers or leather which includes basketry, handmade paper, weavings, and other artistic, fabric-based work. All work must be designed and sewn by the artist. No commercial, mass-produced items permitted.
• GLASS
  Original sculptural or decorative work created in glass. All work must be signed by the artist. No molds or other forms of mass production permitted.
• JEWELRY
  Original jewelry made from precious and non-precious metals, gemstones, enamel, glass, fiber, clay or other materials. No buy/sell, kit or costume jewelry, or mass-produced items. Jewelry may be exhibited ONLY if accepted under the jewelry category.
• METAL
  Original sculptural or decorative items created in metal. May be painted or unpainted. All work must be signed by the artist. No commercial or volume production items.
• MIXED MEDIA
  Original work of two or three dimensions which incorporates the union of two or more media or physical materials. All work must be signed by the artist. Use this category ONLY if work cannot be classified under another category.
• PAINTING
  Original work created using oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, egg tempera or similar materials on canvas, paper, or board. Combination techniques/collages of these materials are also included. All work must be signed by the artist. Reproduction policies are outlined under “STANDARDS”.
• PHOTOGRAPHY / DIGITAL ART
  Original artwork created by the artist/photographer utilizing an SLR or Digital camera, or computer-generated image, and printed with either traditional darkroom, ink-jet, or laser printing technologies. No commercial photography. Original prints must be signed and numbered. Only one framed piece of each image may be hung on the walls of the booth. Reproduction policies are outlined under STANDARDS.
• WOOD
  Original sculptural or decorative work made primarily from wood which includes hand tooled, carved or machine worked items, with either natural or painted finish. All work must be signed by the artist. No commercial or volume production items

 

MAKERS’ MARKET

 

Items suitable for Makers’ Market products are limited to handmade personal care items such as soaps, lotions, candles, live plants, pet items and consumables such as nuts, chocolate, honey, jam, popcorn, dog treats, and other unique or gourmet food items. The Maker's Market will NOT accept drinks, non-packaged food, commercial items, vintage/antiques or any other items that fit categories in the Artist's Market. There are a limited number of Maker's Market spaces available and applications will be juried for entry. No awards will be given for the Maker's Market.
 

The Virginia-Highland Summerfest reserves the rights to use submitted images for publicity and affirmation purposes before, during and after the event.

 

JURY PROCESS

 

The jury panel will consist of experienced art professionals with knowledge and experience in multiple art disciplines. Applicants are juried by category, with each applicants’ images viewed sequentially on a monitor. After all images are viewed, each applicant is then assigned a score. Those with the highest scores per category will be invited to participate. A limited number of applicants per category will be accepted to provide a balanced show. In addition, a score-based wait list will be maintained in each category with cancellations filled from that list. The jury process is done anonymously and the decision of the jury is final.

 

The total number of juried booths available is approximately 200.

 

NOTIFICATIONS

 

Notifications will be emailed to applicants or notified through Zapplicaions. Applicants who fail to meet payment deadlines will forfeit their space.

 

AWARDS

 

Summerfest will present $800 in total award monies to juried participating applicants.

• Best of Show - $500
• Second place - $200
• Third place - $100

The panel of show judges will include industry professionals and art educators.

 

PARTICIPANT AMENITIES

 

The Summerfest staff wants your participation to be a pleasant and profitable experience. The following amenities will be offered to all participants:

• 24-hour security
• Vehicle loading and unloading at booth space
• Hospitality tent with water provided daily
• Designated Festival Hotline available during event hours regarding assistance, emergencies, questions, concerns, etc.
• Parking information will be forthcoming in the participants’ acceptance packet and/or check-in packet

COMMUNICATION DURING EVENT

 

Check your email often during the event for updates on important information regarding weather, emergencies, and more.

 

STATE SALES TAX

 

All applicants are responsible for collecting the 8.9% sales tax for the State of Georgia and Fulton County.
 

CANCELLATIONS

 

Cancellations for a booth, double booth, and corner refunds will be accepted if cancellation notification is received via email to Betty@Bettybaumann.com. A 5% processing fee will be deducted from any refund on or before the refund deadline date to cover the loss of credit card processing and administrative fees.  Summerfest is a rain or shine event and no refunds will be given for cancellations after April 28, 2025.

 

The Summerfest reserves the right to refuse any application. Application fees are non-refundable.

APPLICANTS’ PARTICIPATION

 

Applicants accepted for participation MUST accompany their own work and be present during the entire festival. Only one applicant may display per booth unless the work produced is a collaboration of two applicants in which case both applicants must sign this application and be present during the entire festival. No agents, dealers, or representatives may attend in place of the applicant(s). Work produced by apprentices or employees is unacceptable. All participating applicants will be required to show a photo ID upon check-in.

 

DIGITAL IMAGE REQUIREMENTS

 

Your ZAPP® application submission must be accompanied by three (3) digital images of your artwork and one (1) digital image of your booth fully set up for an outdoor show with artwork contained in it. Digital images must be current and show artwork completed within the past two years. 

 

Digital image quality is essential and can make a difference in your acceptance. The jury has only your digital images with which to judge your work. The best image is one that is full framed with the applicants’ single work, is well lit and is representative of the body of work intended for exhibition. Your booth image should show your booth as it is set up for exhibition at an outdoor show, but without the applicants’ name, banners, title of artwork or people visible in the digital image or image title, so as to remain anonymous to jurors. It should contain all work to be exhibited since it stands as a visual contract between you and the Virginia-Highland Summerfest. Failure to follow the digital image requirements will result in disqualification.

 

STANDARDS

 

Artwork must be original in design and executed by the applicant. All work displayed MUST be produced by the exhibiting applicant or two-person team collaboration and MUST be consistent with the images submitted.

 

Any artwork that is produced by any mechanical means, i.e., giclees, photo-offset, or any other reproduction technique MUST be labeled as a “REPRODUCTION” and placed in browse bins. Framed reproductions may be hung on only one wall of the booth not to exceed 10 linear feet and they must be labeled as reproductions.

 

No commercial dealers, agents, kits, crafts or castings from commercial molds. ABSOLUTELY NO BUY/SELL IS ALLOWED.

 

All applicants must remain with their booths for the duration of the festival, even if the entire body of work is sold. Applicant may not break down booth before closing time on any day of the festival.

 

Only applicants accepted in the Jewelry category may display and sell jewelry.

 

Summerfest will allow a limited quantity of offset prints and mechanical reproductions. All reproductions MUST be clearly labeled as such.

 

A reserve list of alternate applicants from each medium category will be selected by the jury to ensure a complete and balanced show. Applicants on the alternate list will be contacted as spaces become available.

 

No art may be sold or displayed at Summerfest that is offensive or creates a public nuisance. Summerfest reserves the right to require removal of art that is offensive or not in keeping with the inclusiveness of the festival

No 'Sale' signs or display of past awards are allowed.

Please stay within the footprint for your booth. No items are to be placed in the right of way in front or to the sides of your booth. Most spaces will have storage behind the booth space on the sidewalk, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Applicants are responsible for their own tents, tables, and display material. All tents must be a 10 x 10 canopied, WHITE tent. Booths are erected on hard surfaces and may not be anchored into the ground. Water and electricity are not furnished. Personal generators are not permitted at this show; however, battery-powered lighting is acceptable. There may be some room for storage behind a booth space depending upon the assigned booth location, but this is NOT guaranteed. With the exception of storage space behind the tent, exhibitors MUST stay within the footprint of your booth. Our show is crowded and you will be asked to move tables, etc that are outside your tent space.

 

Applicant will have the opportunity to purchase a booth, double booth or corner space upon notification of acceptance. A limited number of double booth and corner spaces will be available and can be purchased on a first-come, first-served basis until sold out.

Purchase of a corner booth is a guarantee of a corner. Because there are so many driveways on Virginia Avenue, there may be booths that are corners when an artist only purchased a standard booth if all corners are not sold.

 

Summerfest will make every attempt to accommodate specific booth space requests provided on the original application; however, there will be no guarantees. Returning artists from 2025 (only) may request their space from last year but there may be some changes this year and not all spaces can be guaranteed.

 

SET UP:

• Saturday, June 7th from 4am - 8am (all vehicles MUST be removed from the show street by 8am)

FEES:

• Application Fee (non-refundable) - $35.00
• Standard Booth - $350.00 - 10 x 10 space.
• Standard Corner Booth - $425.00 - 10 x 10 corner space. This corner space has an approximate 11’ gap between booths so you can showcase your artwork on the front and one side of your booth space. A limited number of corner spaces will be available and can be purchased on a first-come, first-serve basis until sold out.
• Double Booth - $700.00 - 10 x 20 space. A limited number of double booth spaces will be available and can be purchased on a first-come, first-serve basis until sold out.
• Double Booth Corner - $775.00 - 10 x 20 corner space. This corner space has an approximate 11' gap between booths so you can showcase your artwork on the front and one side of your booth space. These are very, very limited and can be purchased on a first-come, first-serve basis until sold out.

The Virginia-Highland Summerfest will only accept credit card payments through ZAPP®. Failure to follow directions will result in DISQUALIFICATION.

 

We do not refund any application fees. We do refund the purchasing of additional, and if the wrong booth size was selected. 
Last day to request refunds: 05/06/2026