If you’re looking for fun things to do in and around Sugarloaf, Georgia, consider a festival! It’s a terrific way to gather with friends and family. Whether you’re looking for the ultimate holiday celebration or the excitement of a race, there’s plenty to choose from right here. Here is a list of must-attend annual events in the Duluth area.

Duluth Fall Festival

The Duluth Fall Festival has been a late-September family favorite for nearly 40 years. It’s one of the area’s most successful events, with up to 100,000 attendees. Enjoy a concert, a carnival with many rides and yummy snacks, a parade, and a worship service on the Town Green. If you’re looking for a great way to get the kids moving, then sign up for the Donut Dash 5K race, which supports Wellroot Family Services and their foster care efforts.

All proceeds raised at the Fall Festival benefit Historic Downtown Duluth. In 2019, funds raised went to improving the Town Green’s landscaping. Taylor Park also got new playground equipment, an updated gazebo, and a gravel parking lot in 2018, thanks to this fantastic event.

Neon Deon Lewis Memorial 5K

Usually held at the end of September, the annual Neon Deon Lewis Memorial 5K is a family-friendly event that’s a terrific experience for all fitness levels. Run or walk through charming Downtown Duluth and help support H.O.P.E, Inc. (Helping Other People be Empowered). This nonprofit organization serves our community’s single parents who are working to earn a college degree and break the cycle of poverty.

Whether it’s your first 5K or you’re training to improve your pace, why not sign up for this race? There will be face painting, balloon artists, performances, and a hot breakfast awaiting your whole family on race day. Plus, you score some goodies to take home, like a T-shirt or the grand prize!

Howl on the Green

Two infant siblings, in monster costumes, sitting on a front porch.

Image via Flickr by amboo who?

Celebrate Halloween on Duluth Town Green at this free event hosted each October. Howl on the Green features delicious eats from a variety of food trucks, trick-or-treating for the kids, costume contests, spooky craft projects, and out-of-this-world live entertainment.

The night turns to fright at this spine-chilling event. Catch a glimpse of the fire dancers in the crowd and the aerialists doing tricks high above the stage. You may even see mystical creatures emerge from the dark and dancing fairytale creatures light up the night. Bring your tots and furry, four-legged friends for a night filled with surprises that everyone will enjoy.

Cookies and Cocoa with Santa

Join Santa Claus and his elves at the Duluth Festival Center for cookies and cocoa, held every year in mid-December. Have your young ones meet the big man in red before he heads back to the North Pole to get ready for delivering presents. They can even bring their letters right to him so he knows exactly what they’re wishing for this year. In addition to seeing Santa, kiddos can also enjoy holiday-themed arts and crafts to really get in the spirit.

Muddbuggs and Music

Come enjoy bottomless plates of fresh crawfish, live music, and the adults-only beer garden at the Muddbuggs and Music Festival. Hosted on the Duluth Town Green every March, this family-friendly event is thanks to the City of Duluth as well as New Country 101-FIVE, and Rock 100.5 radio stations. Kids of all ages will love to chow down on the exotic flavors of the crawfish boil straight from the Louisiana Atchafalaya Basin. Once you and the kids have had your fill, sample the barbeque, boiled peanuts, and soft pretzels, then indulge your sweet tooth with frozen yogurt treats.

Other family-approved entertainment includes plenty of lawn and carnival games. The kids will love the complimentary face painting and balloon sculpting, plus unlimited access to the jump house. Children 12 years old and younger get into this annual event for free with a parent. 

Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival

Head to nearby Brookhaven for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival each March. This popular music and arts extravaganza benefits Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and invites all ages and skill levels to participate in a 5K run/walk that winds through beautiful Blackburn Park. Use the free shuttle service from the parking area to the starting line to see all of the action.

If you’re not there for the race, stop by the Kidz Zone, then browse the artist market. The award-winning creatives’ work at this event is known for its exciting textures and bold color combinations. While your there, fill up on something yummy from one of the food vendors and remember, the Cherry Blossom Festival is pet-friendly, too.

Peachtree Corners Festival

For a decade, Duluth residents have flocked to the Peachtree Corners Festival in nearby Peachtree Corners, Georgia. There’s an arts and crafts bazaar, live music, a performance car show, tasty food, and plenty of free parking. Held in June at the Peachtree Corners Town Green, this event showcases the area’s best new and veteran performers and plenty of local merchants. For the kiddos, there’s bounce houses, clowns, face painting, balloons, and cotton candy.

Duluth Springs Arts Festival

With an emphasis on visual arts and family-oriented fun, this two-day outdoor event takes place in August and is for art lovers of all ages. Presented by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces, Duluth Springs Arts Festival takes place annually in our very own vibrant, culturally diverse community. Many locals consider this city as one of the largest and most enthusiastic art-loving communities in metro Atlanta.

See and experience the works of dozens of painters, photographers, and sculptors. You’ll discover leather and metalwork, glass blowers, and jewelers, too. Catch a live artist demonstration while you listen to strolling acoustic musicians. There’s also a children’s play area, plus festival food with a variety of healthy choices.

Here at Crèmè de la Crèmè of Sugarloaf, we love helping local families find fun and educational activities for everyone in the family to enjoy. Let us know if we missed one of your favorite annual events in and around Duluth, and we might add it to our list!