Free Waterfest at Cumming City Center spotlights Lake Lanier conservation

Free admission, free parking and a familiar venue at Cumming City Center will help draw Forsyth County families to Waterfest, but the bigger story is Lake Lanier itself. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s third annual festival on Saturday, May 9, will use live music and an environmental expo to connect residents with the work that helps protect drinking water, recreation and the lake’s long-term health.

The event will run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will be held rain or shine. Visitors can bring lawn chairs or blankets and park for free in the Cumming City Center multi-story deck and surface lots. The lineup will feature local acts Past Our Prime, The Jesse Williams Band and The Page Brothers Band, giving the fundraiser a distinctly North Georgia feel.

Chattahoochee Riverkeeper says Waterfest is a free annual fundraising event for its growing programs in the headwaters region, which stretches from Buford Dam to Helen. Proceeds will support water monitoring, cleanups and advocacy aimed at the river’s headwaters and Lake Lanier, an environmental asset that reaches deep into daily life in Forsyth County.

The conservation message comes at a time when water concerns are not abstract. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division declared Drought Response Level 1 on April 27, a reminder that stewardship around the watershed matters even during a community festival. Bailey Cuttle, the event organizer and CRK’s headwaters development specialist, framed Waterfest as both a celebration of the group’s mission and a signal that the work depends on community support, local organizations and businesses.

The expo floor is expected to be one of the strongest draws for families looking for practical ways to get involved. Exhibitors will include America’s Boating Club, Citizens Climate Lobby of NE Georgia, Forsyth County Water and Sewer, Keep Forsyth County Beautiful, Lake Lanier Association, Paddle4Tomorrow and the Georgia Wildlife Resource Division. That mix puts boating, water quality, litter reduction and wildlife conservation in one place, all tied to the same lake residents use for drinking water and weekend recreation.

The event also gives CRK a chance to show what its programs already produce. The group says it has engaged more than 70,000 students and teachers in education efforts. Its 2024 accomplishments report counted 5,600 Neighborhood Water Watch samples collected and tested, along with 51 tons of trash removed through cleanup work. Lake Lanier Association said the last Waterfest raised $24,500 for CRK’s water conservation and education initiatives in the headwaters region, a concrete benchmark for what Saturday’s free event is meant to support.