The City of Sugar Hill says it again: “The biggest weekend of the year in Downtown Sugar Hill is back.” The Sugar Rush Arts Festival returns Saturday and Sunday, October 17–18, 2026, taking over the 5029 West Broad Street corridor with vendor booths, live art demonstrations, performances, and a juried show from the Sugar Hill Arts Commission.
Festival hours run 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, according to the city's official event listing. The weekend actually starts a day early: a free Kick-Off Concert takes the stage at The Bowl at Sugar Hill on Friday, October 16, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and organizers suggesting attendees bring a chair or blanket.
What's new this year
Beyond the vendor booths and live demonstrations that have made Sugar Rush a fixture on Broad Street, this year's festival leans into family programming with a dedicated Kids Zone. The city's listing names performances from On The Stage Children's Theatre and All Stars Performing Arts Academy, gem mining run by the Sugar Hill Historic Preservation Society, a petting zoo, inflatables, and food trucks. The Sugar Hill Arts Commission's Juried Art Show runs alongside the festival, giving working artists a formal showcase instead of just booth space.
The city's page notes that “more details will be announced soon” and points residents to sugarrushartsfestival.com for festival updates as the date gets closer.
More free things to do in Gwinnett this week
Sugar Rush isn't the only reason to get out of the house. Gwinnett County's own fall activities guide, published by the Department of Community Services, lists a run of free or low-cost programs across county parks the same week:
Night Market on the Square — Thursday, October 15, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse in Lawrenceville. Free admission to browse artisan vendors, food, music, and exhibits on the courthouse square.
Fall Nature Scavenger Hunt — October 17 through 25 at Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville. Registration is required and free; clues are emailed to participants once they sign up, making it a self-paced option for families who can't make a single scheduled event.
Both programs, like the rest of the county's fall lineup, register through GwinnettParks.com or GwinnettCommunityServices.com. Parks & Recreation activities carry a standard $1 processing fee, and non-Gwinnett residents pay double the activity fee, capped at $20 per program.
Between a signature downtown arts festival and a week of free county programming, it's a good stretch to get out and see a different corner of Gwinnett — whether that's Sugar Hill's Broad Street or the courthouse square in Lawrenceville.