Chalktoberfest returns to Historic Marietta Square October 10 and 11, bringing professional street artists, live music, vendors and a community chalk competition into the heart of downtown.

The main chalk festival is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Professional chalk artists from across the United States and abroad will create large-scale works directly on the streets around the Square.

Part of the appeal is watching the artwork develop in real time rather than arriving after the creative work is finished.

Marietta Square becomes both gallery and festival ground, with arts and crafts vendors, food and live entertainment surrounding the artists.

The weekend is presented by the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art and supports the museum’s arts mission.

Admission to the museum is also free during Chalktoberfest weekend.

Visitors should know that the free chalk festival and Saturday’s ticketed Craft Beer Festival are separate experiences.

The beer festival runs Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and requires a purchased ticket, while the surrounding chalk art festival remains free.

Sunday shifts some of the spotlight to local creativity with the Community Chalk Competition.

More than 80 professional chalk artists are expected, making the streets themselves the weekend’s most unusual attraction.

Local bands and performers add a steady soundtrack throughout both days, while food trucks and vendors give visitors reasons to linger.

Families can treat the event as an art outing, a downtown lunch stop or a full afternoon on the Square.

The temporary nature of chalk art gives the weekend a special urgency because these works are meant to be experienced in place and in the moment.

Photographers will find plenty to work with, but visitors should respect artist work zones while pieces are being created.

Pets are allowed in some festival areas but are excluded from the artist work areas and Craft Beer Festival.

October 10–11 will be a busy weekend around the Square, so parking and arrival time are worth considering in advance.

Coming early gives visitors a chance to see works in progress and then return later to see how dramatically they have changed.

That evolving streetscape is what separates Chalktoberfest from a conventional art fair.

Instead of art simply hanging on walls, the creative process unfolds underfoot across downtown Marietta.

For North Atlanta families, art lovers and anyone looking for a visually different fall festival, Chalktoberfest offers one of October’s standout weekends.

For another Marietta fall outing, Marietta HarvestFest returns to the Square on October 17.

Choose the right kind of admission

The organizer’s visitor guide confirms that a beer-festival ticket is needed only for Saturday’s tasting experience, not to watch chalk artists or enjoy the wider festival. Plan food and shopping separately from admission, and check the current ticket terms before purchasing. Families can enjoy the art without treating the tasting session as the centre of the day.

The participation page has the Community Chalk Competition information. Its published competition timing differs from the visitor page, which contains an apparent a.m./p.m. error, so competitors should confirm check-in and judging directly with the museum. Do not use the overall Sunday opening hours as a competition deadline.

For a second arts experience, our Paint the Town guide follows artists around Alpharetta October 20–24; the Marietta HarvestFest guide covers October 17. Facts were checked October 3, 2026. Return to the organizer’s pages for updates and keep pets outside the published artist and tasting exclusions.