North Georgia residents will have their senses filled with different sights, sounds and tastes  during the Dahlonega Arts and Wine Festival in Lumpkin County.

Formerly known as the Mountain Flower Art Festival, this year’s events are focusing on high quality arts and crafts, as well as fine local and regional wines in the Wine Garden. Plus, Hancock Park will feature live jazz groups to entertain visitors.

“Combining the arts and Dahlonega’s renown as a destination for wine lovers is a natural, and this approach can only enhance the experience for our visitors,” said David Zunker, director of tourism for the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber and Visitors Bureau. “Fine arts and fine wine ... it makes perfect sense.” 

Festival hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 20, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 21, in downtown Dahlonega. The Wine Garden will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 12:30-5 p.m. Sunday. Jazz will play from noon to 6 Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Visitors may browse artist booths and select from paintings in oil, acrylics, watercolors and mixed media, carved paintings and paintings on glass and metal. Other two-dimensional work includes creative photography. Quality juried crafts include ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, turned wood items, leather arts, fused and stained glass, fiber arts, handcrafted knives, folded book arts and unique handmade furniture pieces.

Inside the Wine Garden, wine lovers may taste wines from award-winning vineyards such as Montaluce Winery, Habersham Winery, Crane CreekVineyards, Tiger Mountain Vineyards and Frogtown Cellars. Wine tasters will receive a commemorative wine glass with the tickets for tastings. Wine also will be sold by the glass and bottle.

When not browsing through art vendors or tasting wine, festival attendees may hear Brookwood Split, a 10-piece R&B and jazz/rock group on Saturday afternoon. Regional musical ensemble, Retro Gumbo with vocalist Carolyn Ross, will also perform. On Sunday, the well-known Atlanta group, Tommie Macon & the Gentle Men of Jazz, will play jazz and rhythm and blues.

Curtis Jones, renowned guitarist and his Trio Insonnia, will rock the park with their versatile selections in jazz, bluegrass, flamenco and more. Rick Harris and Little Big Band Atlanta will perform both days and close the festival Sunday. 

An addition to the festival is an art raffle of donated original, handcrafted art work by members of Chestatee Artists, a nonprofit art group. Raffle tickets are $5 for one, $10 for three and $20 for seven. The fundraising raffle will benefit the art group to increase its community outreach in Lumpkin County.

For more information, visit www.chestateeartists.org and click on the tab for Arts and Wine Festival or visit the Dahlonega Arts and Wine Festival Facebook page.