Free things to do in Brookhaven: parks, festivals and drop-ins

Last checked Oct. 5, 2026. Every item comes from the City of Brookhaven or the organizer’s own page, linked. “Free” means the organizer says so; where we could not confirm an event is free, we leave it off this page.

Brookhaven’s best free days out are in its parks: two fenced dog parks, a paved creekside greenway, a 135-acre lake park and what Explore Brookhaven calls the country’s tallest playground. The city adds free drop-in sports and two free-admission festivals a year.

Who to call

• Parks and drop-ins: Brookhaven Parks and Recreation, City Hall 404-637-0500
• Closures and rainouts: 470-704-4774 (option 3)

Parks and trails

• Peachtree Creek Greenway: a 1.3-mile paved trail with three free-parking trailheads, per the city.
• Murphey Candler Park, 1551 West Nancy Creek Drive: 135 acres around a lake, with trails and a playground.
• Brookhaven Park, 4158 Peachtree Road: what Explore Brookhaven, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, calls the tallest playground in the United States, and a fenced dog park of about 5 acres.
• Blackburn Park, 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Road: 50 acres with a paved trail and boardwalk.

Details are in our walking and biking trails and dog-friendly guides.

Free drop-in sports and play

The city’s drop-in activities are free, supervised and need no long-term sign-up; participants sign in at the front desk, per its drop-in page. They include Walk and Talk, Tot Play Time, youth and adult basketball and adult pickleball. Pickleball runs at Lynwood Park, 3360 Osborne Road, Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:45 to 8:45 p.m., and Briarwood Park, 1496 Briarwood Road, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m., the city announced. Gym schedules change monthly.

Free festivals

• Brookhaven International Festival, Oct. 17-18, 2026, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Brookhaven Park: admission and parking are free, per Explore Brookhaven, with free shuttles from Apple Valley Road behind the MARTA lot, per the city.
• Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival, Saturday and Sunday, March 20-21, 2027, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: “Admission is FREE,” says the city’s festival page.

Art, books and tastings

• Make Art and Take Art boxes: small public exchange boxes where you leave a piece of art and take one home, at Lynwood Park, Woodley Plaza, Langford Park and the Peachtree Creek Greenway, per the city.
• Brookhaven Library, 1242 N. Druid Hills Road: open Monday to Saturday; hours on the branch page.
• Brookhaven Wines, 1418 Dresden Drive: complimentary tastings on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:30 p.m., per its website.
• Yoga on Town Green: a free class at Town Brookhaven, 9 to 10 a.m. on Oct. 10, Oct. 24 and Nov. 7, 2026, per its events calendar.

Free in December

The Tinsel Trail of community-decorated trees is on display in Blackburn Park, Skyland Park, Langford Park and along the Peachtree Creek Greenway; trees are installed by Dec. 1. In 2025 the skating sessions at the city’s Rudolph’s Rink were free with online registration, per the city. See our holiday lights and Christmas events page.

Frequently asked questions

What is free to do in Brookhaven? City parks, trails and dog parks, the city’s drop-in pickleball and open gym sessions, the Cherry Blossom and International festivals and Brookhaven Wines’ weekend tastings.

Is the Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival free? Yes. The 2027 festival is March 20-21, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free admission.

Where can I play pickleball for free in Brookhaven? Lynwood Park on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Briarwood Park on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Is the International Festival free? Yes. Admission and parking are free.

What this means for you

• Go to the International Festival on Oct. 17-18; it costs nothing to get in or park.
• Try the free pickleball drop-ins this fall.
• Leave a drawing in a Make Art and Take Art box.

Related: kids’ activities, things to do this weekend and Halloween events.