NEWS BRIEF: Dogwood Festival faces uncertain future

Dogwood Festival sponsorship revenues down 45 percent

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Photo credit: CL FILE
Atlanta Dogwood Festival

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival is struggling to continue operating after dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs. This year’s just-completed event has left organizers in debt to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, says festival director David Hill, and sponsorship revenues are down 45 percent.

“I don’t know if the model of a free festival is going to be able to exist,” Hill said. “Across the country, free events are going by the wayside. There’s a real chance we won’t make it.” Hill has had to sell the company’s only asset - an office at the King Plow Center - and is looking at other ways to make money. But board chair Latoyin Rollins says the 86-year-old festival “cannot die on our watch. We won’t allow COVID to push us out.” She added, “We are committed to pulling out all the stops and doing everything that we can to keep the festival going.” saportareport.com