Voted one of the top three arts & crafts shows in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine, a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event and winner of multiple awards by the Southeast Festival and Events Association.
Dates & Times: Sept. 10 and Sept. 11, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Sept. 12, 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Sept. 13, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Special Events Meadow at Stone Mountain Park
Price: Free; Parking is $15 for one-day permit or $40 for unlimited yearly parking.
Stone Mountain Park’s Yellow Daisy Festival, featuring more than 400 artists from 38 states and two countries will be held September 10-13 at Stone Mountain Park’s Special Events Meadow. The event is consistently voted one of the top three arts and crafts shows in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine, a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event and winner of multiple awards by the Southeast Festival and Events Association.
The first Yellow Daisy Festival was held at Stone Mountain Park in two picnic pavilions. Forty-seven years later, it is the Southeast’s largest outdoor arts and crafts festival. Despite its growth from a small arts and crafts show to the four day event it is today, the Yellow Daisy Festival continues to be a big show with a small-town feel.
The festival is held annually in September to celebrate the blooming of a special type of Yellow Daisy which only grows within 60 miles of Stone Mountain. First discovered in 1846, Viguiera Porteri, grows in bright bands of yellow on the granite outcroppings of the mountain.
The festival crafters and artists are selected from a pool of applicants by the Yellow Daisy Festival jury to display their distinctive handmade work in categories including pottery, fabric, painting, jewelry, sculpture, fiber, photography, fine arts and traditional arts and crafts.
The annual celebration attracts an estimated 200,000 shopping enthusiasts. The festival is a tradition for multi-generational shoppers searching for unique works of art.
“Each year, families and friends come from all over the Southeast to reconnect with fun, shopping, live entertainment and great food,” said Janet Bell, Stone Mountain Park special events manager. “We enjoy seeing moms, daughters, grandmothers, best friends and neighbors meandering the wooded trails together in search of the perfect treasure.”
Every year the Yellow Daisy Festival selects a featured artist and Suzy Toronto was selected to be the 2015 Featured Artist. A current resident of Tangerine, Fla., Suzy’s work is filled with fun and heartfelt humor that is always inspiring, uplifting and empowering. Describing herself as a “tad more than wacky and just shy of crazy,” Suzy is a prolific artist and author with numerous licenses within the gift industry and 17 published books. Suzy’s artwork will be included on all promotional and marketing materials for this year’s festival as well as T-shirts and posters.
In addition to the unique arts and crafts, the festival offers special outdoor dining options including popular food trucks such as Happy Belly, Roly Polly, Flatbread Bistro and Crepe Suzette. Other foods available include Sonny’s BBQ, Chick-fil-A, Bayou Billy’s Tea, Bruster’s, Nathan’s Gourmet Hot Dogs, TJ’s Kettle Corn and more.
Throughout all four days of the Yellow Daisy Festival, there will be live entertainment on the festival’s main stage, including popular Christian/Pop Artist, Jamie Grace, a singer-songwriter from Atlanta. In 2012, she was the youngest Grammy nominee with her debut single “Hold Me feat. tobyMac.” That same year, she was also nominated for a Billboard Award and four Dove Awards, going home as the Dove Awards New Artist of the Year. Grace will perform on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 4:30 p.m. The festival main stage will feature 17 other live performances that encompass musical genres such as country, blues, pop, big band and jazz.
The festival features a Children’s Corner where there are activities such as crafts, storytelling and face painting. On Saturday and Sunday of the festival there is a magic show and activities with the Atlanta Children’s Museum.
The Men’s Den is a great venue for the gentlemen and sports fans who don’t want to miss the big game during their visit to the festival. The Men’s Den is outfitted with comfortable seating and TVs showing fall football.
For the past 44 years, Stone Mountain Park has partnered with Redbud District of The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc., to co-sponsor the Yellow Daisy Flower Show during the Yellow Daisy Festival. The flower show is scheduled for Sept. 11-13 at Memorial Hall and admission is free with parking.
Yellow Daisy Festival shoppers may also enjoy accommodations right inside Stone Mountain Park at Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort. Packages start at $169 a night, and include a one-night stay at the Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort and breakfast.
Shoppers can stop by the Humana booth, the festival’s presenting sponsor, for a free Yellow Daisy bag and to learn how to make healthy things fun and achieve lifelong well-being.
For more information on the Yellow Daisy Festival, please visit the Yellow Daisy Festival Frequently Asked Questionswebsite. Listed in Frommer’s 500 Places to Visit with Your Kids Before They Grow Up and cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of “35 Natural Wonders in Georgia You Must See Before You Die,” Stone Mountain Park is located 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta. To get to the park, take I-285 to Exit 39B, Hwy. 78 East. Stone Mountain Park is Exit No.8 on Hwy 78. More information regarding Stone Mountain Park attractions and hours of operation is available at770-498-5690 or by visiting www.stonemountainpark.com.
