Sandy Springs Fall Arts Festival:(7th Annual) 2027

A juried, two-day outdoor fine arts and crafts festival in Sandy Springs, Georgia, September 11–12, 2027. Artists exhibit and sell original handcrafted work, including painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry, glass, leather, metal, wood, mixed media, and fine crafts. The event features approximately 120–130 booths, live acoustic music, food trucks, and family-friendly activities. Applications from emerging artists are accepted. Festival hours are Saturday 10 am–5 pm and Sunday 11 am–5 pm.

Apply through ZAPP with five images, including a required booth shot. The $30 application/administrative processing fee is non-refundable. Applications open October 3, 2026; the application deadline is August 3, 2027 at 12:00 AM PDT. Acceptance of an invitation and booth purchase are due August 31, 2027. Late applications may be accepted at the Director's discretion and placed on the waitlist. Emerging artists may apply; the application states that an emerging artist program or grant is available.

Only individual artists or two-person collaborative artists may apply; artist groups are rejected. Non-collaborating artists may not share booths, and no more than two occupants are permitted per booth. Artists must personally attend and operate their booths for the entire festival; commercial agents, dealers, and salespeople may not operate them. All merchandise must be original, handmade, and created by the exhibitor. Reproductions must be clearly identified; original art must occupy at least 50% of the artist's space. Browse bins must occupy minimal space, be aesthetically pleasing, and not obstruct patrons. All displayed artwork must be for sale, and artists may exhibit only in jury-approved categories. Buy-sell, imported, mass-produced, or work not handmade by the attending artist is excluded.

Eligible categories include 2-D and 3-D mixed media, ceramics, digital art, drawing and printmaking, fiber, glass, handicraft, jewelry, metal, painting, photography, sculpture, and wood/furniture; the overview also names leather and fine crafts. Prints must be signed and numbered; photocopies are prohibited. Fiber and glass categories prohibit embellishment of manufactured materials; wood entries must be original built, turned, carved, or tooled works, not embellished manufactured wood. Handicraft requires a complete item description and transformation of manufactured, recycled, or repurposed materials into a unique cohesive collection. Jewelry prohibits commercial molds or casts, requires at least 50% of organic materials in the finished product to be produced by the artist, and excludes jewelry with more than 50% manufactured components. Prohibited items include T-shirts and commercial clothing, posters, manufactured toys, commercially manufactured or reproduced resale items, and anything using commercially available molds or patterns.

Standard booth fee: $300; double booth: $550, limited availability; corner upgrade: $75, limited availability; electricity: $100, limited availability. Spaces are approximately 10 feet deep by 10 feet wide or greater; some street locations are uneven. Exhibitors supply their own displays and white-top tents of EZ UP quality or higher, keep work within assigned spaces, and move vehicles to designated parking after unloading. Tent weights are mandatory and staking or tying to trees or lamp posts is prohibited. The source gives conflicting weight standards: rules specify professional weights of 45–50 pounds per leg, while booth/refund sections specify 40 pounds per leg. Accepted weights include tubes, cloth-bag sand weights, concrete-filled buckets, weighted stabilizer bars, and plates/dumbbells. Unweighted grid panels or stabilizer bars, raw concrete blocks/bricks, one-gallon water containers, and plastic-bag sand weights are prohibited. Arriving without required weights forfeits participation and fees.

Check-in requires photo identification; artists must display their parking pass. The source gives conflicting load-in instructions: general information specifies Saturday September 11, 7:30–9:00 AM and Saturday-only load-in, while rules/booth information refer to Friday setup or Friday-evening load-in. Confirm the schedule through ZAPP communications. Instructions and updates are sent through ZAPP/email, not mailed packets. Artists must hand-cart additional merchandise after designated load-in times. Artists not checked in or calling the festival emergency number by Saturday 8:00 AM are treated as no-shows, receive no refund, and forfeit their space.

Artists are responsible for applicable permits, licenses, taxes, and sales-tax collection/reporting. The organizer disclaims responsibility for injury, damage, or loss; artists should obtain their own insurance as needed. The event is rain or shine with no rain date. Application fees are non-refundable. The refund section states cancellations up to 90 days before the event receive credit toward the next scheduled show, no refunds within 60 days, and no refunds for booth fees applied from a previously canceled show. Credits must be used within one calendar year; credited artists must still apply, notify the Director, and meet all deadlines. Credits are restricted to the show for which they were given and may not transfer to another show. Jury-exempt advance spots offered to preceding-year artists are non-refundable. Rules separately state refunds incur a $50 administration fee and contain unclear cancellation timing language. No refunds are provided for no-shows, weather or other listed cancellation causes, removal for rule violations, or missing required tent weights. Authorized-fee chargebacks may lead to administrative/recovery costs, removal, and exclusion from future organizer events.

Saturday judging awards Best of Show in Fine Arts and Crafts, first, second, and third place, two Honorable Mentions, and Best Booth; no monetary amounts are stated. Jury criteria include technical ability, originality, and booth-display quality. Social media is considered, and the jury process is closed.