Fairs/Festivals
Decatur Arts Festival 2027
Decatur, Georgia
Artist Market Jury Fee: $35
Contact Information
Requirement Overview
- Eligible Applicant Types: Artist
- Emerging Artists: Emerging artists may apply.
- Submission Limit: 3
Media Requirements
- Images | Min: 4, Max: 4
- Total | Max: 4
Opportunity Summary
The Decatur Arts Festival is produced by the Decatur Arts Alliance, a 501 (c) 3 organization that connects local residents, businesses, tourists, and artists to increase arts access and engagement in Decatur, Georgia.
The Decatur Arts Alliance invites you to apply for booth space in the 36th annual Decatur Arts Festival. The festival will be held on the newly renovated square in historic Decatur, GA, just minutes from downtown Atlanta.
The Decatur Arts Festival brings the community together through a multi-day offering of live music, dance, comedy, theatrical performances, a kids’ fest, exhibitions, and an expansive and diverse Artists’ Market. Annual attendence is estimated to be 50,000 .
The Artists Market will be open on Saturday, May 1st, from 10am until 6pm, and on Sunday, May 2nd, from 11am until 5pm.
The Decatur Arts Alliance invites you to apply for booth space in the 36th annual Decatur Arts Festival. The festival will be held on the newly renovated square in historic Decatur, GA, just minutes from downtown Atlanta.
The Decatur Arts Festival brings the community together through a multi-day offering of live music, dance, comedy, theatrical performances, a kids’ fest, exhibitions, and an expansive and diverse Artists’ Market. Annual attendence is estimated to be 50,000 .
The Artists Market will be open on Saturday, May 1st, from 10am until 6pm, and on Sunday, May 2nd, from 11am until 5pm.
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General Information
Artists Market Hours:
Saturday, May 1st: 10am until 6pm
Sunday, May 2nd: 11am until 5pm
Fees:
A non-refundable jury fee of $35 is required. The booth fee is $375 for a 10’ x 10’ booth space, $725 for a double space. Double booth spaces are limited. Invitations to participate will be issued by February 3rd. No rain date and no refund of booth fees from accepted artists. Checks post-dated or returned unpaid by the bank will result in immediate disqualification. No exceptions.
The status of each artist will be posted to his or her Zapplication account. We will not send letters – all communication will be by email.
Artist Amenities:
Judging and Prizes:
Prizes for Best of Show, Second and Third Place will be awarded. The Best of Show winner will receive an invitation to the 2026 show free of charge. Second and Third Place will receive an invitation to the 2028 show at half price. Cash prize for Best of Show is $1000, Second Place is $700, Third Place is $500.
Additional Information:
Exact set-up times, a map, and parking information will be sent electronically after acceptance into the Artists’ Market is confirmed. Set up will be completed on Friday evening.
If you have questions, call the Decatur Arts Alliance office, 404-371-9583 during business hours (10am – 4pm, EST). If you get voice mail, please leave a message with your specific question.
Category Definitions:
Saturday, May 1st: 10am until 6pm
Sunday, May 2nd: 11am until 5pm
Fees:
A non-refundable jury fee of $35 is required. The booth fee is $375 for a 10’ x 10’ booth space, $725 for a double space. Double booth spaces are limited. Invitations to participate will be issued by February 3rd. No rain date and no refund of booth fees from accepted artists. Checks post-dated or returned unpaid by the bank will result in immediate disqualification. No exceptions.
The status of each artist will be posted to his or her Zapplication account. We will not send letters – all communication will be by email.
Artist Amenities:
- City of Decatur Police Department will provide 24 hour security beginning on Friday, April 30th until the close of the festival on Sunday, May 2nd.
- Booth sitting provided by volunteers
- Complimentary artists' breakfast on Saturday
- A new "Artist Retreat" will be available with air conditioning, a private restroom, and other amenities
- All booths located on the street – Friday evening set-up and drive up access for unloading
Judging and Prizes:
Prizes for Best of Show, Second and Third Place will be awarded. The Best of Show winner will receive an invitation to the 2026 show free of charge. Second and Third Place will receive an invitation to the 2028 show at half price. Cash prize for Best of Show is $1000, Second Place is $700, Third Place is $500.
Additional Information:
Exact set-up times, a map, and parking information will be sent electronically after acceptance into the Artists’ Market is confirmed. Set up will be completed on Friday evening.
If you have questions, call the Decatur Arts Alliance office, 404-371-9583 during business hours (10am – 4pm, EST). If you get voice mail, please leave a message with your specific question.
Category Definitions:
Ceramics: Original functional and non-functional works created from clay, porcelain, stone ware, or earthenware. No factory produced work is permitted.
Digital: work that uses digital technology as an essential part of the creative or presentation process. Art that has been non-trivially modified by a computing process such as a computer program, microcontroller or any electronic system capable of interpreting an input to create an output.
Drawing: Works drawn by hand incorporating ink, charcoal, pastel, pencil, etc. are entered in this category.
Fiber: Works created from fibers including basketry, weaving, papermaking and fine wearables. No factory-produced wearables are permitted.
Glass: No mass or factory produced work is permitted.
Jewelry: All work that is jewelry must be entered in this category regardless of the materials used. No commercial casts, molds, or production studio work is permitted.All work must be handcrafted by the artist; no factory production is permitted.
Digital: work that uses digital technology as an essential part of the creative or presentation process. Art that has been non-trivially modified by a computing process such as a computer program, microcontroller or any electronic system capable of interpreting an input to create an output.
Drawing: Works drawn by hand incorporating ink, charcoal, pastel, pencil, etc. are entered in this category.
Fiber: Works created from fibers including basketry, weaving, papermaking and fine wearables. No factory-produced wearables are permitted.
Glass: No mass or factory produced work is permitted.
Jewelry: All work that is jewelry must be entered in this category regardless of the materials used. No commercial casts, molds, or production studio work is permitted.All work must be handcrafted by the artist; no factory production is permitted.
Leather: Includes all works from leather. No production studio work is allowed.
Metal: Functional and non-sculptural works incorporating metal are accepted in this category. Jewelry incorporating metal must apply in the jewelry category.
Mixed Media: Includes any combination of a variety of materials to create an original work of art. This work may be 2-D or 3-D.
Painting: Oil/Acrylic: Works created on a surface, such as canvas, with oil or acrylic paints.
Painting: Watercolor: Works created on a flat surface with watercolors.
Photography: Photographs made from the artist’s original image and printed either by the artist or under his or her direction are permitted. The photographic process must be displayed and each edition must by signed and numbered. Please describe in artists statement if work is traditional photography or any additional processing or digital effects.
Printmaking: Hand pulled original works from a brick, plate, stone or other object are acceptable. Prints must be properly signed and numbered as first editions. All photogravure, photocopy and/or offset reproductions will be rejected.
Sculpture: Three-dimensional works incorporating any material that are carved, molded, constructed or cast are included in this category.
Wood: Original works in wood that are hand-tooled, machine worked, turned or carved are accepted in the wood category.
Please note that we do not have a category for food or cosmetic products. These will not be considered.
Metal: Functional and non-sculptural works incorporating metal are accepted in this category. Jewelry incorporating metal must apply in the jewelry category.
Mixed Media: Includes any combination of a variety of materials to create an original work of art. This work may be 2-D or 3-D.
Painting: Oil/Acrylic: Works created on a surface, such as canvas, with oil or acrylic paints.
Painting: Watercolor: Works created on a flat surface with watercolors.
Photography: Photographs made from the artist’s original image and printed either by the artist or under his or her direction are permitted. The photographic process must be displayed and each edition must by signed and numbered. Please describe in artists statement if work is traditional photography or any additional processing or digital effects.
Printmaking: Hand pulled original works from a brick, plate, stone or other object are acceptable. Prints must be properly signed and numbered as first editions. All photogravure, photocopy and/or offset reproductions will be rejected.
Sculpture: Three-dimensional works incorporating any material that are carved, molded, constructed or cast are included in this category.
Wood: Original works in wood that are hand-tooled, machine worked, turned or carved are accepted in the wood category.
Please note that we do not have a category for food or cosmetic products. These will not be considered.
Application Requirements
Guidelines and Policies:
- All artists represented on the entry form must personally attend their exhibit and must be present the entire two days and during the exhibit hours posted for the public. Artists must be present to display their own work; proxy exhibitors are not permitted.
- Photo ID must be presented at check-in.
- All work submitted and exhibited must be original, hand-crafted work produced by the artist and may not be the result of work by any person other than the artist(s) applying, or from commercial kits, molds, patterns, plans, prefabricated forms or other commercial methods. Work manufactured by production studios is not permitted.
- Works exhibited must be consistent with images submitted by artist(s).
- Artists cannot sublease assigned booths or employ sales agents or representatives in lieu of attending the festival.
- Original art must occupy at least 50% of the artist’s wall space. Browse bins may occupy only minimal space and must be aesthetically pleasing and not obstruct patron flow. All artwork displayed must be for sale.
- It is the artist’s sole responsibility to identify the category and the bodies of work for which they would like to be juried.
- Tapes/CDs or exhibited instruments performed by the exhibiting artist may be sold along with an instrument, but not alone.
- Only artists accepted in the jewelry categories may exhibit or sell jewelry. Jewelry is not accepted in any other category.
- Artists are responsible for proper insurance and protection of work and set-up. The Festival will not be responsible for damage to work or set-up due to weather or unrelated incidents.
- All tents must be white unless it has been cleared by the festival director.
- Artists retain 100% of their sales and are responsible for the collection and reporting of all applicable sales taxes. DeKalb County is 8%.
- The Festival discourages any person from applying if they are inclined to misrepresent either their craft or the industry.
Jury Details
Average number of applications submitted each year
350
Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event
150
Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event
10
Booth Information
Some notes about your booth shot: Booth shots should show your outdoor booth as it will be displayed at the arts festival. The booth image should show the jury your body of work, provide dimension and scale, and show overall continuity and presentation of your current body of work. All work shown in the booth shot must correspond with the category you applied in. If more than one medium is represented in the booth shot, all mediums must be separately juried. Having unjuried work in a booth shot does NOT qualify that work for the fair.
Please do not include any people or identifying signs or banners in your image. The jurying is done anonymously, and your booth shot should not give any hints of whose work we are looking at.
Some tips that make for a professional image:
Booth images may not be manipulated in Photoshop or other computer program.
Flooring makes a booth look "finished".
If using folding tables, the skirts should come all the way to the floor.
Walls should be professional - Solid walls usually look best, no pegboard, please.
Show your entire booth - all 3 walls of your booth. Partial booths, or shots of a corner do not let us know what your entire booth will look like.
Refund Policy
Your application fee is not refundable.
A full refund of your booth purchase will be granted if requested before the application deadline.
If you need to withdraw your application please contact us as soon as possible.
In the unlikely event that the festival is cancelled, we will offer a full refund of booth fees.
A full refund of your booth purchase will be granted if requested before the application deadline.
If you need to withdraw your application please contact us as soon as possible.
In the unlikely event that the festival is cancelled, we will offer a full refund of booth fees.
Additional Fees
Double booth on corner: $775
Double booth 20 x 10: $725
Guild booth (preassigned to guilds): $675
Corner booth 10 feet x 10 feet: $450
Standard booth 10 feet x 10 feet: $375
Terms to Apply
Artist Market Jury Fee: $35