Free and Open to All: CCSD Festival of the Arts Takes Over Downtown Woodstock April 17-19

Free three-day event spreads student artwork and live performances across multiple downtown venues

The Cherokee County School District will transform downtown Woodstock into a showcase for student creativity April 17-19, 2026, spreading artwork, live music, theatre, and digital art performances across multiple venues over three days. Admission is free throughout the entire festival.

The celebration opens Friday, April 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. — an evening kickoff well-suited for families coming straight from school and work. Saturday, April 18, runs the longest stretch, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., giving visitors the full day to move between venues at their own pace. The festival closes Sunday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Rather than concentrating everything in one spot, the festival uses three distinct downtown locations, each matched to a different part of the program. Elementary and middle school student artwork will be displayed under a tent on the Reeves House Lawn at 734 Reeves Street. The Reeves House is one of downtown Woodstock's most recognizable historic landmarks, and its grounds give the younger students' work a setting that feels like more than just a school display. High school artwork moves indoors to The Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main Street — a polished gallery-style venue that reflects the more advanced work on display.

Live performances — band, chorus, orchestra, theatre, and digital art presentations from across the district — will take place on the Woodstock Arts Event Green Stage at 113 Elm Street. The Event Green is downtown's dedicated outdoor performance space, tucked just off Main Street, and it regularly draws community crowds for concerts and public programming throughout the year. A full performance schedule is posted at cherokeek12.net.

Visitors heading downtown Saturday should plan around a familiar complication: Market Street will be closed to traffic from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for the weekly Woodstock Farmers Market. Both free and paid parking options are available throughout the downtown area, and the festival flyer includes a detailed map marking parking locations. Scanning the QR code on the flyer pulls up Google Maps directions directly to the venues.

The festival is presented in partnership with three organizations that are woven into Woodstock's creative fabric: Woodstock Arts, the city's nonprofit arts organization that operates City Center and has long supported arts education and public programming in Cherokee County; Menagerie on Main, a beloved downtown fixture known for its eclectic mix of art and gifts; and Local Color Art Studio, which has built a loyal following offering art classes and community workshops in the area.

For a county that has grown as rapidly as Cherokee, events like this one serve a purpose beyond entertainment — they give thousands of students a public stage and give residents a reason to gather around something made right here at home.