The Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival, now in its 14th year, will take place June 20-21, 2026, at Historic Fourth Ward Park along the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail. The free event, open to all ages and dogs, features curated artist booths, live DJs, food, and a children's area. But the festival is more than an art show; it is a celebration of a neighborhood that has shaped Atlanta's history and culture.
The Old Fourth Ward is home to Morris Brown College, founded in 1881 as the only institution in Georgia established by, funded by, and created exclusively for African Americans. Dr. Kevin E. James, president of Morris Brown College, noted the institution's enduring legacy as it marks its 145th year. The neighborhood also gave Atlanta its iconic Ponce de Leon Avenue, named after natural springs discovered by a local physician in the late 1860s, which now feeds the park's two-acre lake.
After the Great Atlanta Fire of 1917, the area reinvented itself around Ponce de Leon Ballpark and an amusement complex, later attracting Sears, Roebuck & Company's Southern Regional Distribution Center, now Ponce City Market. The name "Old Fourth Ward" emerged informally after the 1937 ward restructuring and persisted even after the ward system was abolished in 1954. Long before the BeltLine, O4W was a canvas for public art, with artists like HENSE creating large-scale works on its walls.
The festival, organized by Shawn Morgan of Compass Atlanta, a luxury residential specialist with deep knowledge of Atlanta's neighborhoods, offers two days of discovery. Visitors can explore paintings, photography, ceramics, glass, jewelry, and woodwork while enjoying live music and local food. The event is free and welcomes dogs, making it a family-friendly outing.
For more information, visit www.oldfourthwardparkartsfestival.com.
