Centennial Olympic Park will no longer host big events, administrators say

ATLANTA — Centennial Olympic Park will no longer host large music festivals because of all the wear and tear they cause to the park, administrators announced this week.

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Since 2015, thousands of people have descended on the park for events like Shaky Knees, Sweetwater 420 Fest and One Musicfest.

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“Around the time of the pandemic, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, which has overseen the park since it was built for the 1996 Olympics, had a change of heart,” Jennifer LeMaster, Chief Administrative Officer for the GWCC, said.

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LeMaster said it costs between $2 and $3 million a year to operate the 22-acre park. Costs include public safety, landscaping, maintenance and staffing.

After each big event, the park had to re-seed the grass, and “big portions of the park had to be closed off until the grass recuperated.”

“It became a question of access,” LeMaster said.

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