The Alpharetta Arts Streetfest, the opening of the Wills Park Pool, and the Special Olympics Georgia State Horse Show are expected to fill Wills Park with fun and laughter but will also bring crowds and heavier than normal traffic to nearby roads during the long Memorial Day Weekend. Motorists are advised to pack some extra patience in their cars if they will be traveling on Old Milton Parkway, Wills Road, or Roswell Street.
While the pool opening and the arts festival have typically occurred over the Memorial Day Weekend, this marks the first year that the 15-year-old festival will be held in Wills Park, which is also home to the pool.
“The Alpharetta Arts Streetfest has been one of several annual events hosted by the city for which we close Milton Avenue in Downtown Alpharetta,” said Morgan Rodgers, Alpharetta’s Director of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Services. “But, this year, in an effort to avoid closing roads and because of construction happening along Milton Avenue, the event producer, Splash Festivals, decided to try moving the event to Wills Park. We are both excited about the new location and believe it will be a great home for the event, but we will be evaluating things to decide if this will be a permanent move.”
The Alpharetta Arts Streetfest is being held in an area of Wills Park known as “The Grove,” which is located behind the Alpharetta Community Center and adjacent to Waggy World Dog Park. Artist tents will be located under the trees throughout The Grove, allowing the adjacent Grand Pavillion and activity lawn to remain open for general use throughout the event. Access to and use of the dog park will not be impacted.
All festival vendor parking is located outside of the park, so all parking areas within Wills Park will be available for attendees and parks users.
The Alpharetta Arts Streetfest is being held May 29 from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM and on May 30 from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Additional information on the event is available at https://www.splashfestivals.com/events-festivals/alpharetta-arts-streetfest/
The Wills Park Pool Complex opens May 29 for the 2021 Season, which will conclude September 6. The complex features a leisure pool with zero-depth entry, interactive play stations and a water slide, plus a 10-lane competition pool with depths from 4 feet to 12.5 feet, and two diving boards (1-meter and 3-meter). For pool hours, admission costs and other information, please visit https://bit.ly/3vuMoQP
The Georgia Special Olympics 2021 State Horse Show is being held at the Wills Park Equestrian Center May 28 and 29, with 60 athletes and unified partners, 30 coaches and horse handlers, and 200 volunteers participating throughout the weekend. Athletes will be competing in multiple events featuring: Working Trail, Unified Drill Team, Dressage, Western Riding, and Showmanship throughout the two days of competition. For more information on this event, please visit https://bit.ly/3c1latA