Historic Oakland Foundation held its 48th Sunday in the Park ft. Tunes from the Tombs festival at Oakland Cemetery on Sunday, September 27, 2026. The noon-to-7:30 p.m. event combined live music, guided tours, a vendor market, food trucks and children’s activities. Ticket proceeds support preservation of Atlanta’s oldest public burial ground.
Key Takeaways
- The 2026 festival marked the 48th year of Sunday in the Park at Oakland Cemetery.
- Sunday in the Park, which had been free in past years, is now merged with the ticketed Tunes from the Tombs music festival.
- Advance tickets were $20 for adults and $10 for ages 6 to 17. Children 5 and under got in free, and a 10-ticket bundle sold for $100.
- The festival coincided with the 50th anniversary of Historic Oakland Foundation, the nonprofit that manages the cemetery’s preservation.
- Oakland Cemetery was founded in 1850 on six acres and now covers 48 acres near downtown Atlanta.
- The cemetery is the resting place of more than 70,000 people, including Margaret Mitchell, Bobby Jones and Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first African American mayor.
Sunday in the Park Draws on a Victorian Tradition
Holding a music festival in a cemetery sounds unusual, but Sunday in the Park rests on an older custom. Historic Oakland Foundation describes the event as inspired by the Victorian tradition of spending a leisurely day in the cemetery. Before American cities built dedicated public parks, cemeteries often served as local green spaces where families picnicked, strolled and listened to music on weekend afternoons.
Oakland Cemetery was designed in that spirit. It is a classic Victorian-style garden cemetery, part of a movement that treated burial grounds as landscaped spaces for reflection and recreation. Its winding paths, mature oaks and magnolias, and ornate mausoleums were meant to be visited, not avoided. The Sunday in the Park festival brings that original purpose back to life each fall.
Tunes From the Tombs Merged With Sunday in the Park
The 2026 edition continued a format change. Sunday in the Park had long been a free community event. It now runs together with Tunes from the Tombs, the cemetery’s ticketed music festival, as a single all-day event.
Admission included main stage and mausoleum performances, the vendor market, food trucks, children’s activities and cemetery tours. Historic Oakland Foundation members received $5 off each ticket, and a costume contest invited visitors to dress in Victorian, steampunk or goth attire. The foundation states that ticket purchases support its mission to preserve, restore, enhance and share Oakland Cemetery.
The move from a free event to a paid one reflects the cost of maintaining a 176-year-old landscape. Historic Oakland Foundation has reported restoring 20 of Oakland’s 48 acres, which leaves most of the grounds still needing work. Events like Sunday in the Park fund that work directly.
Oakland Cemetery Holds 176 Years of Atlanta History
Oakland Cemetery opened in 1850 as Atlanta Cemetery on six acres southeast of the young city. It was renamed in 1872 for the oak and magnolia trees on the grounds. As Atlanta grew outward, the cemetery expanded to its current 48 acres, and today it sits close to downtown. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The original six acres rank among the oldest surviving historical ground in Atlanta, because much of the city burned in 1864. That survival gives the cemetery unusual weight as a historical record. Names on its headstones match the names of Atlanta streets, parks, buildings and neighborhoods. Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind, is buried there, as are golf great Bobby Jones and Maynard Jackson, the city’s first African American mayor.
Oakland is one of several sites across the region that make up the historic burial grounds that preserve Atlanta’s past. Its central location and year-round programming set it apart as a public destination rather than a quiet memorial ground.
Historic Oakland Foundation Marks 50 Years of Stewardship
The 48th Sunday in the Park arrived during a milestone year for Historic Oakland Foundation, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. The nonprofit now employs more than 20 full-time staff members, though the foundation says volunteer work remains at the heart of its operations.
The anniversary year has brought visible changes to the grounds. Work has begun on a major renovation of Oakland’s main entrance. The foundation’s 2026 calendar also includes illumine, an art experience curated with Cat Eye Creative that features Atlanta artists, and a free family Pumpkin Patch festival later in the fall. Together, these programs show how the foundation has turned a historic site into a regular community gathering place.
A Cemetery That Functions as a Public Park
Oakland Cemetery is open daily from dawn to dusk and is free to visit outside of ticketed events. The festival site is a short walk from MARTA’s King Memorial Station, and the foundation encourages visitors to arrive by transit, bike or rideshare because nearby parking is limited.
That accessibility is central to Oakland’s role in the city. In a city where development has repeatedly erased older landmarks, Oakland Cemetery keeps nearly two centuries of Atlanta history intact and open to the public. Sunday in the Park gives residents a yearly reason to spend an afternoon there.
FAQs
What is Sunday in the Park at Oakland Cemetery?
Sunday in the Park is an annual fall festival at Oakland Cemetery inspired by the Victorian tradition of spending a leisurely day in the cemetery. It now runs together with the Tunes from the Tombs music festival and includes live music, tours, a vendor market, food trucks and children’s activities.
When was the 2026 Tunes from the Tombs festival?
The 48th Sunday in the Park ft. Tunes from the Tombs took place on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from noon to 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Cemetery.
How much did tickets cost for Sunday in the Park 2026?
Advance tickets were $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 6 to 17, and children 5 and under were admitted free. A 10-ticket bundle was available for $100, and Historic Oakland Foundation members saved $5 per ticket.
Who is buried at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta?
Oakland Cemetery is the resting place of more than 70,000 people, including author Margaret Mitchell, golfer Bobby Jones and Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first African American mayor. Many early Atlanta settlers and several of the city’s mayors are also buried there.
Is Oakland Cemetery open to the public?
Oakland Cemetery is open daily from dawn to dusk and is free to visit outside of ticketed events. MARTA’s King Memorial Station is within walking distance of the main gate.
