The free Dogwood Festival, which draws about 200,000 people a year to Piedmont Park for three days each, is in a financial bind.

The nonprofit organization has been running in deficit mode since the beginning of the pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the 2020 festival. On Tuesday, it began seeking an additional $250,000 on its website, dogwood.org , from individuals, corporate sponsors and foundations. If it doesn’t raise that amount by Nov. 1, the long-running festival will shutter.

“We used to make a profit every year,” said Brian Hill, executive director since 2008. “But since COVID, costs have gone up 25-30%. That’s labor, security, rentals, staging, all the infrastructure. Festivals are failing around the world.”

Board chairman David Shipley noted the event, which feature

See Full Page