AthFest Music & Arts Festival
AthFest is an annual free, three-day festival that celebrates Athens, GA’s vibrant creative culture, featuring local and regional musicians and visual artists. Thousands of people flock to the streets of historic downtown Athens each AthFest to experience live music by artists from a variety of genres, enjoy local artwork, and soak up the vibe of one of America’s coolest cities. Locals mingle with out of towners while music fills the air and art, food and fun fill the streets.
The festival includes three free outdoor stages with live music performances, a block-long Artist Market with dozens of visual artists, artisans and makers, and a block-long KidsFest area to make sure even our youngest fans get in on the music and art fun!
After the free outdoor stages wrap up Friday and Saturday nights, the official AthFest Club Crawl kicks into gear. Music venues and clubs will host lineups filled with local music.
AthFest raises money for the nonprofit AthFest Educates, which awards grants to support music and arts education for K-12 students in Athens.
AthFest is June 26-28, 2026
AthFest 2025 raised over $50,000 to support Arts Education for K-12 students in Athens-Clarke County!
Custom Guitar Raffle
As part of our fundraising, AthFest is raffling off a beautifully hand-painted Fender Telecaster II guitar.
Volunteer
AthFest relies on volunteers to bring you an awesome experience. Come be part of the mission by volunteering for a shift. Earn a T-shirt that says you care about Athens (free parking too)!
KidsFest
KidsFest is a block-long area of the AthFest Music & Arts Festival with the KidsFest Stage hosting performances all weekend by and for young people. There are fun activities for kids with arts and crafts, games, bounce houses, and carnival rides. Activities and performances are free. The bounce houses and carnival rides are ticketed.
Artist Market
The juried Artist Market at the AthFest Music & Arts Festival focuses heavily on local artists, craftspeople and makers. Over 70 booths make up the Artist Market, with work for sale in most every artistic medium.
Gospel Stage at AthFest
Celebrate community, music, at the Gospel Stage at AthFest; a free event benefiting youth music and arts programs in Athens-Clarke County. Enjoy soulful live gospel performances from local talent during AthFest weekend.
Livestream
Can’t attend in person (ALL outdoor shows are free)? We partnered with JokerJokerTV to bring you livestream of all performances on the the Wicked Weed Brewing Stage.
And More
The block in front of the main stage features sponsor booths, retail vendors, the AthFest Merchandise Tent, all with a beer garden in between! Food is available in our Food Court at Union Fare, next to the Morton Theatre.
Affiliated Events extend the celebration of The Arts to include, poetry, comedy, film, literature, and yoga.
AthFest wouldn’t be possible without the support of local businesses. With great appreciation we recognize our Sponsors.
So much to experience. Start with the the Outdoor Lineup and Club Crawl Schedule. Our festival map will help you get oriented and the FAQ provides tips for an enjoyable weekend.
Past AthFests
Check out photos of AthFest 2025 at Deadly Designs, our official AthFest photographer.
