Suwanee Jolly Holly Days! 2025

Suwanee's Jolly Holly Days Festival – 2025 Artist Application Information

We’re excited to announce that Suwanee’s Jolly Holly Days Festival is returning for two days in 2025!

Join us for a festive weekend filled with holiday cheer, shopping, live entertainment, and thousands of visitors.

📍 Event Dates & Times

• Friday, December 5:
  
  

  • Load-in begins at 12:00 PM
    
    

  • City motorized gator assistance is available starting at 2:00 PM
    
    

  • Festival Hours: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    
    

  • Security on-site from 9:00 PM Friday – 9:00 AM Saturday
    
    

• Saturday, December 6:
  
  

  • Festival Hours: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
    
    

  • Load-out begins at 5:00 PM
    
    

  • Please note: A 5K begins at 9:00 AM; expect shoppers as early as 9:30 AM
    
    

Estimated attendance:

• Friday: 4,000 attendees
  
  

• Saturday: 5,000+ attendees
  
  

Festival highlights include:

• Live stage entertainment throughout both days
  
  

• Photos with Santa
  
  

• Official City of Suwanee Tree Lighting on Friday evening
  

🎨 Artist Applications

Artists working in all media are encouraged to apply.

Applicants may select up to three media categories:

• 2-D Art (painting, drawing, photography, etc.)
  

• 3-D Art (ceramics, sculpture, glass, woodwork, etc.)
  

• Jewelry

•  

• All artist submissions will be reviewed and juried. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by October 15, 2025 (or earlier).

Accepted Media Categories

• Painting: Oils, acrylics, watercolors, casein, tempera, etc.
  

• 2-D Mixed Media: Works combining more than one material (e.g., collage, papermaking, encaustic, ink, watercolor, pencil, photography)
  

• Ceramics: Hand-shaped and fired clay or porcelain. No factory or mass-produced items. Each piece must be signed if multiples of a design are presented.

• 
  Please Note:

• Factory-made, embellished, mass-produced, or machine-made works are strictly prohibited.
  
  

• Production work is not allowed.

Suwanee's Jolly Holly Days Festival is returning for 2 days in 2025!

The event will take place on Friday, December 5 & Saturday, December 6, 2025.

Friday load in begins at noon.  

The event hours are 5-9pm.

If you need assistance with Load in, the city gators will begin at 2pm on Friday. Security is on site Friday evening from 9pm - 9am Saturday morning.

Saturday hours are 10am -5pm. Load out begins at 5pm. Sunsets at 5:30 pm on Saturday.  

Please note there is a 5K beginning at 9am on Saturday, so runners will be shopping by 9:30 am.   Estimated attendance is 4,000 on Friday and 5,000 on Satuday.  Entertainment will be occuring on the stage the entire festival.  Photos with Santa are available.Friday evening is the official tree lighting for the City of Suwanee.  There are a limited number of food vendor spaces available for the show.

This is a two-day event. This application is for a Food Tent or Food/Beverage cart, size 10X10 space.  The Food Truck category is a separate application.  All Food Tent Vendors will be notified October 15, 2025 or prior for acceptance.   Food Tent Vendors will need to provide their own lights and 100 foot labeled extension cord.  The festival organizers will be providing electricity on Friday evening.

Application & Festival Fees

Application Fee - $35 (non-refundable)

Food/Beverage Cart - $150 per spot

Food Single 10X10 Booth space – $200 per spot

Vendor Rules:

1. No GREASE allowed in the park except in a self contained food trailer.
2. Vendors must provide their own means of display within a 10 x 10 space.
3. Each vendor will be responsible for collecting Georgia sales tax on sales made during the festival, which must be submitted to the Georgia Department of Revenue.
4. Your application is considered a commitment to show. NO REFUNDS WILL BE MADE FOR CANCELLATION BY THE VENDOR AFTER THE APPLICATIONS ARE JURIED.
5. Refunds will not be made for inclement weather or other acts of God over which the sponsors have no control, and the risk of loss from such an event shall be borne by the exhibitor. This is an outdoor show with no rain date.
6. NO glass bottles.
7. Suwanee Arts Center reserves the right to review all applications and limit vendors to avoid duplication of products offered.
8. Application submission does NOT guarantee acceptance.
9.  NO vendors may sell Hot Chocolate.  

There are a limited number of food vendor spaces available for the show.

This is a two-day event.  All Food Vendors will be notified the week of October 15, 2025.   

Application Fee is $35

Food Truck - $500 

Vendor Rules:

1. No GREASE allowed in the park except in a self contained food trailer.
2. Vendors must provide their own means of display.
3. Each vendor will be responsible for collecting Georgia sales tax on sales made during the festival, which must be submitted to the Georgia Department of Revenue
4. Your application is considered a commitment to show. NO REFUNDS WILL BE MADE FOR CANCELLATION BY THE VENDOR AFTER THE APPLICATIONS ARE JURIED.
5. Refunds will not be made for inclement weather or other acts of God over which the sponsors have no control, and the risk of loss from such an event shall be borne by the exhibitor. This is an outdoor show with no rain date.
6. NO glass bottles.
7. Suwanee Arts Center reserves the right to review all applications and limit vendors to avoid duplication of products offered.
8. Application submission does NOT guarantee acceptance.
9. Electricity is a paid amenity.
10. No Food Vendors are allowed to sell Hot Chocolate.  

Suwanee presents Jolly Holly Days on December 5 & 6, 2025 in beautiful Suwanee Town Center! 

Please note this is a 2 day festival. 

Friday, December 5 will have the local elementary school chorus performances along with the Tree Lighting & the arrival of Santa.  Estimated attendance is 4,000 ... because when the local elementary school chorus sings, the entire family attends! 

Saturday, December 6 will begin with a 5K at 9am and festival entertainment from 10am to 5pm on the stage.  We estimate attendance over 5,000.   We will also have local school groups performing.  

A marketplace (abit smaller but similar to SuwaneeFest and the Suwanee Arts Festival) will be added for Friday evening & Saturday.  

This application is for a business to apply for a 10X10 space.  We ask you to provide your own tent and lights for the tent.  We will provide electricity, so just bring a 100 foot labeled extension cord.   You are allowed to hand out - give out anything you wish.  We will have all sponsors/businesses on the website, along with signage throughtout the event.  We will send the emcee to your booth during the festival.  

The cost for a local business to have a space is $500 for both days.  If you need a little bit more room, no problem, just let us know.   Setup is Friday, December 5 beginning at noon.  

Please upload logo when applying so we may use for promotional purposes.  

Thank you.  

Welcome to Jolly Holly!  

PLEASE NOTE THIS APPLICATION IS FOR JOLLY HOLLY, HELD DECEMBER 5 - 6, 2025. 

A high note of the Jolly Holly Festival is the outstanding talent that performs in Town Center Park. On the stage and throughout the park, you will find solo artists, musicians, and other exhibition groups with diverse backgrounds. Up-and-coming performers, as well as established favorites, entertain and delight audiences of all ages during this two-day event.

Applicants will be considered for scheduled entertainment slots on Friday, December 5, 2025 and Saturday, December 6, 2025.  

Performances will be scheduled in one hour slots- in various designated locations on the Festival grounds.  

Friday Slots:  5-9 pm 

Saturday Slots:  10am - 5pm

Performance Details & Busking Opportunity

• Scheduled Performances: Most performance times will be scheduled for one-hour durations (or more if requested and available). The City of Suwanee and Jolly Holly Festival committee have the right to limit the number of performers and backstage personnel.

• Busking Performances: Artists are welcome to perform as buskers in designated areas throughout the festival grounds. Buskers may collect tips and keep 100% of what they earn. These performances do not require stage scheduling but must adhere to festival guidelines.

• Family-Friendly Content: All performances should be appropriate for audiences of all ages.

• Logistics & Equipment: Festival plots and other special needs must be coordinated with the Jolly Holly Festival performance manager before the event. Performers are responsible for their own equipment unless otherwise arranged.

• Rain or Shine Event: Be prepared for all weather conditions, as the festival will proceed rain or shinel or snow.

Please note that Jolly Holly is a free community event, and entertainers are generally not paid to perform. However, artists and musicians are encouraged to engage with audiences and take advantage of tip opportunities.

If you are interested in performing, apply today to showcase your talent at this vibrant community celebration!