The annual Inman Park Festival and Tour of Homes started in 1972 as a way to attract attention to the gentrification efforts that sought to revitalize the area. Over the previous decades, Inman Park had fallen victim to neglect and disrepair and then to redlining. That’s when a small group of Inman Park homeowners came together to plan the first festival. Their goal was simple – to raise awareness of efforts to save and restore the historic homes that make up the heart of the neighborhood. Over the years, Inman Park Festival has evolved from a single afternoon with 3,000 guests to a three-day festival that attracts over 45,000 people.

The Inman Park Festival takes months of planning, over 700 volunteers, and thousands of hours of hard work. It is completely run by volunteers, making it one of the largest volunteer-run festivals in the Southeast. Proceeds from the festival fund projects like historic preservation, sidewalk restoration, neighborhood beautification, education, and other projects that benefit Inman Park and the surrounding communities.

Each year, the days and weeks leading up to the festival are full of anticipation as signs of preparation appear around the neighborhood. Temporary power poles go up, and American flags are installed along the streets. There are volunteer events to clean up the neighborhood parks, and people tidy their own yards and plant flowers. The City of Atlanta street sweepers come through the day before, and the whole neighborhood is gussied up and ready for a party. In anticipation of the festival, here is what happens in the neighborhood.

About 6 weeks before the event, the temporary power poles are installed. These are used by the music stages and some of the food vendors. 

Signs go up advertising the festival and asking for volunteers to sign up.

Tickets for the Tour of Homes go on sale. Inman Park residents get a discount.

Two weeks before the event, the flags show up. I saw these flags around the neighborhood this week. Now I know we’re getting close to Festival!

During the week before the festival, we start to see No Parking signs and street barricades delivered. During the event, several neighborhood streets are blocked off to create a pedestrian zone. The streets are lined with booths for the arts and crafts fair and the street market, and there is no room for cars. If you live on one of these streets, you have to either put your car in your driveway and leave it there all weekend or move your car to another part of the neighborhood if you plan on driving somewhere during the weekend.

A couple of days before Festival, the golf carts are delivered. Since the area becomes a car-free zone during the festival, golf carts are used by the staff and volunteers to deliver ice, to take away trash, and to run other errands.

Port-o-potties are also delivered, because, well you know…

On the Thursday before festival, the local preschool organizes hay rides for the kids, and a couple of older neighbors drive groups around the neighborhood. What I can’t figure out is where these guys store the tractors during the rest of the year. It’s not like we have farms and barns around here.

On the Friday of Festival weekend, the music tents go up, stages for the musicians are erected, and chairs for the audience are set up. Bike racks are arranged at the bike valet stations for guests who arrive on bicycle. Directional signposts are also staged around the neighborhood. The food vendors set up their tents and park their food trucks.

At 6 am on Saturday morning, the vendors start to arrive and set up their booths.

By 11 am when the festival begins and people start streaming into the neighborhood, I am positively vibrating with excitement about the weekend ahead…