Welcome to April!
It’s festival season, pollen season, baseball season, and spring flower season. Are you looking for things to do in April around metro Atlanta? This is your monthly guide to free and cheap fun in the month of April.
Below is an overview of annual April celebrations, plus events and activities that FREE, cheap, or discounted. Sometimes, we throw in a splurge alert item that we think is especially notable.
REMINDER:
Before making plans for a restaurant, special exhibit, concert, trampoline, or spa treatment, make sure to check Groupon for a deal! You can often save 50% or more.
• The High Museum also hosts its FREE Access For All program on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 — you need to register in advance for this one.
• The Museums On Us program offers FREE admission to Bank of America cardholders at four metro-area museums on April 4th & 5th. This includes the High Museum and Atlanta History Center.
Details on Museums On Us
• The Marietta History Center hosts its FREE monthly Family Fun Dayon Saturday, April 18, 2026.
The High has added a new FREE admission day on 3rd Wednesdays. (Deposit Photos)
Free craft and DIY workshops
Take advantage of one of these FREE crafting events — just click through for details and to register.
In most cases, supplies are provided.
A Stripers game is an affordable outing for families, and a perfect cheap date — with tickets starting at just $9 and special promotion days that bring added value. Everything about the experience is less expensive than a Braves game at Truist Field. Plus, you’re sitting much closer to the action.
More info
Egg hunts & photos with the Easter Bunny
Easter 2026 is a hopping affair! There are plenty of family-friendly events, including egg hunts, photo opps with the Easter Bunny, petting zoos, craft fairs, and spring carnivals.
We have a rolling list of Easter-themed events and egg hunts all over metro Atlanta.
You can view it here
Image: 123RF
FREE outdoor spring concerts
The outdoor concert season starts in April!
No matter where you are in metro Atlanta, you can find FREE music around town, on every weekend.
For your convenience, we have a rolling, day-by-day list of upcoming FREE concerts that starts on today’s date and continues for the next 60 days.
Find a FREE concert near you
Atlanta Dogwood Festival
April 10 – 12, 2026
Piedmont Park, midtown Atlanta $5 to $10 entry fee
The Dogwood Festival is the queen of all Atlanta festivals, now in its 90th year! This iconic spring event is the third oldest fine arts festival in the country and the longest running festival in Atlanta. There is so much to do — music, live performances, food, a fine art market, midway rides, and more.
Admission is now ticketed, in an effort to save the festival and keep it running.
Atlanta Dogwood Festival details
Image courtesy of Atlanta Dogwood Festival
Inman Park Festival
April 25 – 26, 2026
Along Edgewood Ave, in Inman Park
It’s been called Atlanta’s “most spirited and eclectic” street festival, and it’s our personal favorite here at Atlanta On The Cheap.
The Inman Park Festival & Tour of Homes takes place each year during the last weekend of April. It includes a street parade, artist market, food, three stages of live music, a tour of the historic neighborhood homes, and some of the best people-watching in town! Festival admission, the parade, and the live entertainment is FREE but there is a charge for home tour tickets.
Details for the Inman Park Festival & Tour of Homes
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Peachtree Street Downtown & midtown Atlanta
On these Sundays, streets are are temporarily closed to traffic for four hours — so you can come out to walk, run, stroll, bike, scoot, roll, and just have fun. It’s the ultimate “open streets” event in metro Atlanta, and it’s a heckuva good time.
The April event will use the Peachtree Street route — which stretches from Mitchell Street to 14th Street. It’s easy to get there on MARTA!
Details for Streets Alive
Dino Fest at Stone Mountain Park
Through April 19, 2026
This is a brand new attraction at Stone Mountain Park! It features a lighted dinosaur parade and a special dino light and drone show, plus displays of life-size dinosaurs.
More info on Dino Fest and available discounts
Thanks to a limited-time offer from Groupon, you can buy a daily Attractions Pass at HALF OFF — that’s just $19.99, for both children and adults. (The regular price is $39.99 for adults, and $34.99 for kids.)
Azaleas, dogwoods, tulips, and more spring flowers on display
You’ll see flowers everywhere in April!
If you just want to wander through a gorgeous garden on your own, check out our huge list of great places to see spring flowers around Atlanta –– including parks, public gardens, wildflower trails, and more. Some are even FREE!
Georgia Renaissance Festival
Weekends from April 11 to May 31, 2026
Plus Memorial Day Monday
Fairburn, GA
Well worth the drive! Travel back in time to days of yesteryear and yore, with this popular themed festival. There are multiple discounts and ways to save on the price of admission, including a BOGO deal for opening weekend.
Get the details and view the discounts
Photo courtesy of GaRenFest
Illumine light show at Oakland Cemetery
April 16 – 19 AND 23 – 26, 2026 Oakland Cemetery
Illumine is a self-guided experience spread across the Oakland Cemetery grounds, using light, shadow, sound, and projections to create an experience and tell a story.
You’ll see dozens of artistic displays throughout the cemetery, including lanterns, light-boxes, illuminated headstones and mausoleums, and projections of archival images and film. The cemetery’s gardens and oldest trees become part of the light show as well.
Illumine will also feature live music, craft cocktails at pop-up bars, and an Oakland pop-up shop.
More info on Illumine
Atlanta Fair
Through April 12th
This is Georgia’s only urban fair, taking place downtown in the GRAY LOT of the stadium at Old Turner Field. It features plenty of exciting rides and your favorite carnival cuisine. There’s also nightly entertainment, like concerts and dance troupes.
Details for Atlanta Fair
Photo courtesy of Atlanta Fair
Lemonade Days Festival
April 22 – 26, 2026
Brook Run Park
Dunwoody
This charming local festival features carnival rides, live music, petting zoo, antique car show, arts and crafts vendors, food, and the annual Dunwoody Idol talent contest.
Details on Lemonade Days
Strawberry festivals and you-pick fields
Fresh, local strawberries are a sign of spring in Georgia! It’s the perfect time to plan a pick-your-own outing or enjoy a strawberry festival at a Georgia farm.
We’ve put together a list of strawberry festivals and you-pick farms that are within an hour drive from downtown Atlanta.
Find a strawberry festival or farm
Deposit Photos
Spring walks and easy hikes
The April weather is pleasant in Atlanta, and there are plenty of days suitable for walking or hiking — just dress appropriately.
• Just a Walk in the Parkevents are guided walks on select Wednesdays in April and May at various Tucker parks. The walks alternate weeks between morning and evening. Just click through for the complete schedule, including park locations and times.
Walks are scheduled for April 8 and 22, 2026.
• Here’s a short list of some of our favorite spring walks to do on your own:
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations around metro Atlanta.
These are live performances in intimate venues, lit by flickering candles. The concerts range from iconic classical music to tributes to pop artists like Adele and Queen.
More info and tickets
Upcoming April events:
This is a rolling list. That means events fall off the list as their date is passed. You’ll only see April events from today forward.
Free museum days in April
