ATLANTA — Piedmont Park was busy in 2023. In the last six weeks alone, it's hosted Music Midtown, Atlanta Pride Festival and ONE Musicfest.
While it may be good news for music and festival fans, residents near the park and those who use it on a regular basis see the pros and cons to the park's busy schedule.
"We have mixed feelings, of course. [The festivals] are very loud and they cause a lot of disruption to the park, but overall, it's a good idea," said Kenneth Minneman, who frequents the park. "It really makes [the park] valuable to everybody, not just lucky people who live very close."
Mary Jane Pongasi told 11Alive she shares those mixed feelings — especially with the quick turnaround between events.
"I know that it will help the park a lot raising funds, and I understand that because the park needs to be maintained and they're doing a great job for that," Pongasi told 11Alive. "It depends how often they do music festivals here."
The Piedmont Park Conservancy said it is actively monitoring the overall "festival footprint" in Piedmont Park as moveout and cleanup from ONE Musicfest begins.
The City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation told 11Alive most event organizers hire a contractor to manage the area -- a three-block radius surrounding the park, including the park grounds -- during and after the event.
The parks department said it works after festivals wrap to ensure "restorative practices" in the upkeep of the lawn are followed "for the continued use and enjoyment of our patrons following each event. "
Just last month, the park had to be rehabilitated after heavy rains ahead of this year's Music Midtown festival left a muddy mess in the days after the event. The Conservancy said it and City of Atlanta experts both work to determine how much event organizers will have to pay for repairs, if they are needed.
Last week, ONE Musicfests' founder, J. Carter, told 11Alive it's a cost they budgeted for from the start.
"That was in a budget sheet as we went into planning," Carter explained. "We definitely plan to beautify the park, make it look a little bit better than we received it."
PHOTOS | Before and after Music Midtown in Piedmont Park
Meanwhile, cleanup from ONE Musicfest continues, and, according to the parks department, "Hundreds of crew members are working tirelessly around the clock to safely dismantle the festival and restore the park grounds," a statement from the department read.
According to the parks department, nearly 40,000 people attended ONE Musicfest -- the first time the festival was held in Piedmont Park -- this past weekend. The Conservancy said initial assessments of the impact on the Park is "consistent with anticipated traffic." It added it would work with the City of Atlanta to continue to uphold their roles of being "stewards of this cultural landmark."