Savannah Arts Festival 2027

An inaugural juried fine arts and fine craft festival at historic Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia, May 29–30, 2027. The festival features original, artist-made work across mixed media, ceramics, digital art, drawing and printmaking, fiber, glass, handicraft, jewelry, metal, painting, photography, sculpture, and wood and furniture. Artists exhibit and sell their work in person.

Submit five images, including a required booth shot. Emerging-artist applications are not accepted. Only individual artists or two-person collaborative artists may apply; artist groups and booth sharing by non-collaborating artists are prohibited. Artists must be present and operational throughout the festival; commercial agents, dealers, and salespeople cannot operate booths, and each booth may have at most two occupants. All merchandise must be original, handmade, and created by the exhibitor; reproductions must be identified, original art must occupy at least 50% of the space, browse bins must occupy minimal space without obstructing patrons, and all displayed artwork must be for sale. Show only categories approved by the jury. Buy-sell merchandise, imported items, and items not made by the artist present are ineligible. Prohibited items include T-shirts and commercial clothing, posters, manufactured toys, commercially manufactured or reproduced resale items, jewelry with more than 50% manufactured components, and items using commercially available molds or patterns. Prints must be signed and numbered; photocopies are prohibited. Fiber and glass categories prohibit embellishment of manufactured materials; embellished manufactured wood items are prohibited. Handicraft requires a complete description of items. Jewelry prohibits commercial molds or casts and requires at least 50% of organic materials in the finished product to be produced by the artist. Social media presence is considered in jury review; the jury process is closed. Application deadline: March 9, 2027; notification: March 10; invitation acceptance and purchase deadline: April 7. Late applications may be accepted at the Director's discretion for the waitlist. The principal schedule gives Friday-only load-in on May 28, 2027, noon–7 p.m., subject to change if a concert is scheduled; a separate amenities paragraph instead gives May 8, 2026. Confirm load-in instructions through ZAPP. Check in with photo identification and provide your own displays and white-top tents of EZ UP quality or higher. Tent-weight requirements conflict: the rules specify professional weights of 45–50 pounds per leg and list permitted weights at a minimum of 45 pounds, while booth/refund sections state 40 pounds per leg. Staking or tying to trees or lamp posts is prohibited. Grid panels or stabilizer bars without weights, raw concrete blocks or bricks, water containers, and sand in plastic bags are not permitted. Arriving without required weights prevents setup and forfeits participation fees. Booth spaces are approximately 10 feet deep by 11 feet wide or greater; confine work to the assigned space. Unload during designated times, move vehicles before setup, and keep vehicles out of exhibition space during the festival until authorized. Display a parking pass. Artists must obtain applicable licenses and permits and collect and report sales taxes. The page states a Savannah business license costs $85 per calendar year, may be obtained after acceptance, and needs at least two weeks for processing. License statements conflict: some specify first-time attendees and an exemption for artists living in counties immediately surrounding Chatham County; another says all selling artists need a Savannah license even with a Georgia license. Confirm the applicable requirement with Savannah's revenue department. Application-fee amounts conflict: the application requirements and listing state a non-refundable $35 processing fee, while booth information states $30; no single application-fee amount is recorded. Standard booth fee is $300 plus a $50 city special-event fee; a double booth is $600, corner upgrade $75, and electricity $100, each latter option subject to limited availability. The festival is rain or shine with no rain date. Artists not checked in or contacting the festival emergency number by Saturday at 8 a.m. are no-shows, forfeit their space, and receive no refund. Cancellation/refund terms vary across sections: rules require written cancellation, state no refunds after the jury date or for no-shows, and apply a $50 administration fee to refunds; the refund section offers fee credits for cancellations up to 90 days before the event and no refunds within 60 days. Credits must be used within one calendar year for the same show, cannot transfer to another show, and require a normal application and notification to the director. Fees applied to a previously canceled show and jury-exempt advance reservations are non-refundable. Application/administrative fees are non-refundable. Weather, government action, other cancellation reasons, or removal for rule violations do not qualify for refunds under the refund section. Artists bear responsibility for their property and injuries; insurance is advised at their expense. Applying and paying through ZAPP authorizes fees; disputed authorized charges may lead to additional costs, removal, and exclusion from future events. Monitor ZAPP email for load-in, load-out, and updates; no packets are mailed. Some ancillary text references Chastain Park, Atlanta/Fulton County sales taxes, and Atlanta police despite the event's explicit Savannah/Forsyth Park location; confirm those ancillary details rather than relying on them.