By Alisa Chambers
The Grant Park Conservancy (GPC) is excited to announce that on Saturday, August 22, we will what is affectionately being called the Summer Shade unFestival. Due to concerns for our visitors as well as financial realities caused by COVID-19, the 18th annual festival will not be returning in its traditional format this year. We still plan to come together safely as a community and celebrate the things that make Summer Shade special—cold beverages, art, food, music, friends and families, and Grant Park—but do so without holding a large festival where so many people gather close together. We will have a virtual artist market, food vendors and tastings, and streaming content such as studio tours and live music, and more. Throughout the month of August, we will be showcasing artists, food vendors, sponsors, and community partners on the Summer Shade website and social media.
This has been a very hard decision on many levels. Summer Shade is a community tradition that we take great pride in providing each year. We love bringing individuals and families from all over metro Atlanta together to enjoy the beauty of Grant Park and the best free local music and arts festival around. In addition to the joy the festival brings, it generates over a third of the Conservancy’s annual operating funds.
Our focus is still to raise funds for the continued care of historic Grant Park, which is such an important resource to our community during this global health crisis. Your support of our virtual efforts this year will help bring back the Summer Shade Festival in 2021 and make it better than ever.
Make sure to follow us on social media or visit our website (www.gpconservancy.org) and sign up for our newsletter so you can find out when to purchase the special Summer Shade brew from Eventide Brewing, a Summer Shade limited edition ASW Fiddler Heartwood bourbon at My Friend’s Bottle Shop, a collection of wines from 3 Parks Wine Shop, T-shirts designed by local artist R. Land, and much more, all to benefit the GPC. You can also sign up for the Adams Run for the Park Virtual 5K, with proceeds benefitting Grant Park.
Visit the Summer Shade unFestival website (www.summershadefestival.org) for more information on how you can support the Grant Park Conservancy from the comfort of your front porch.
Comments are closed.