Crabapple Fest Parking, Shuttles and Road Closures: What the City Published

Crabapple Fest 2026 was held Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Crabapple Road in downtown Crabapple, Milton, Georgia. The City of Milton ran free parking at four church and school lots on Birmingham Highway with a free shuttle, closed Crabapple Road from 10 a.m. the Friday before, and banned parking on neighborhood streets. The 2027 date has not been posted.

What the City published for 2026

The City of Milton describes Crabapple Fest as Milton’s annual art and antique festival, held the first Saturday of October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Crabapple Road. It is free, it runs rain or shine, and in 2026 it drew about 20,000 people, according to the City’s recap. With that many people on one state route through a small village, parking and closures decide how your day goes.

The 2026 footprint

The festival ran along Crabapple Road from the Crabapple/Heritage Walk roundabout to the Birmingham Highway/Broadwell Road intersection. Activities also spilled onto the Crabapple Market property, including the Green, and into the City Hall parking lot, which means that lot was not available for parking. In 2026, for the first time, a temporary music stage stood near the roundabout end of Crabapple Road, and the KidZone and Children’s Entrepreneur Market sat behind the Green, per the City’s festival preview.

Free parking and the shuttle

The City listed four free event lots, all on Birmingham Highway north of the crossroads (City of Milton, archived Oct 3, 2026):

Walking times are measured along OpenStreetMap streets and paths at about 3 mph, from each lot’s map point to the Green; they are not timed on foot. A free shuttle picked up and dropped off at the church and school lots. These are church and school lots used for the festival, not public parking on other days.

Two details in the City’s text do not agree, so we show both. One block of the festival page says the shuttle runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. about every 20 minutes, and both that block and the City’s 2026 preview say it drops off at the “Alpharetta Government Center” at the Broadwell and Crabapple roads intersection. A newer block on the festival page names the Crabapple Government Center instead. Treat the frequency and the drop-off name as unconfirmed until the City’s next notice.

Accessible parking

This is where the sources split most. The festival page lists handicap parking at the Crabapple Government Center, 12624 Broadwell Road (across from Broadwell Pavilion), and at the Shell station at the Broadwell/Crabapple/Birmingham Highway intersection. The City’s 2026 preview article listed handicapped parking behind the Goddard School, 12665 Crabapple Road. If you need accessible parking, check the City’s notice for that year and call City Hall at 678-242-2500 before you go.

For 2026 the City's preview article listed handicapped parking behind the Goddard School (12665 Crabapple Road); this differs from the festival page, so check the City's notice each year. (City of Milton, checked Oct 18, 2026)

From the Crabapple Government Center to the Green is about 3 minutes on foot, measured along OpenStreetMap streets and paths at about 3 mph.

Road closures and detours

For 2026, Crabapple Road closed between the Heritage Walk/Crabapple Chase Drive roundabout and the Mayfield/Broadwell/Birmingham Highway intersection from 10 a.m. Friday, October 2, per the City’s road-closure notice. The festival page says the road reopens around 10 p.m. on festival night. Lecoma Trace also closed between Heritage Walk and the south end of the Crabapple Market Green for set-up.

• Main detour: Heritage Walk.
• Other options: Broadwell Road toward Rucker Road, or Birmingham Highway toward Dorris and New Providence roads.

Crabapple Road and Birmingham Highway through the district are both State Route 372, and the City already warns that SR 372 near the three schools backs up on weekday mornings and mid-afternoons (City of Milton). The closure starts at 10 a.m. on a Friday, so allow extra time if you drive through that afternoon.

Neighborhood streets and towing

On festival day, parking on neighborhood streets is strictly prohibited and violators risk being towed at the owner’s expense. When Milton Police have a vehicle towed, it goes to the contracted United Towing Service at 1160 Tidwell Road in Alpharetta, 770.751.0581, per the Milton Police page.

On the grounds

• The City’s 2026 festival map marked restrooms, the shuttle point, food zones, the KidZone and first aid.
• There is no ATM on site; many vendors take cards, Venmo, Zelle or cash.
• Leashed pets are welcome; bring water and clean up after them.

A plan that worked in 2026

Put the City’s notices together and a festival day looks like this. Park free at one of the four Birmingham Highway lots and ride the shuttle, or walk from Crabapple Crossing Elementary or Milton Community Church, the two closest at about 9 and 10 minutes. Do not plan on the City Hall lot, which holds festival activities, and do not park on a neighborhood street. Bring a card or a payment app as well as cash, since there is no ATM. Bring water if your dog comes along. And go even if it rains, because the City runs the festival rain or shine.

If you only want dinner nearby that evening, remember that Crabapple Road stays closed to through traffic until around 10 p.m., so check our restaurants page for places you can reach from Heritage Walk or Broadwell Road.

What is known about 2027

The City says the next Crabapple Fest will be in October 2027. As of October 18, 2026, the exact 2027 date had not been posted, and neither had a 2027 parking plan. We will not guess at either. When the City posts them, we will update this page and the events calendar.

The City says the next Crabapple Fest will be in October 2027; the exact 2027 date had not been posted as of October 18, 2026. (City of Milton, checked Oct 18, 2026)

For the rest of the year, see the Crabapple Fest guide, everyday parking in Crabapple, the visit planner and walking times around Crabapple.

Questions people ask

Written by the Downtown Crabapple Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.