Atlanta and Park Pride Launch Love Your Park 2026 to Mobilize 1,000 Volunteers Citywide

A monthlong effort to support park upkeep across Atlanta

The City of Atlanta and Park Pride have launched Love Your Park 2026, a citywide volunteer initiative scheduled to run throughout February 2026. Organizers say the campaign is designed to mobilize 1,000 volunteers across 33 group projects in parks and greenspaces around the city.

The effort is being delivered in partnership with the Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation, Park Pride, Hands On Atlanta and Trees Atlanta. Events are planned and hosted by a mix of community partners, nonprofits, park conservancies and Friends of the Park groups, with volunteer days distributed across the month.

Why the city is leaning on volunteers

Atlanta’s parks system includes more than 300 parks, while the city’s parks department employs about 500 full-time workers. City officials have framed Love Your Park as a way to supplement routine maintenance by focusing volunteer labor on discrete, hands-on tasks that can be completed during scheduled service days.

Planners have emphasized broad participation, describing the volunteer days as open to the public and designed to be accessible across a range of ages and abilities. The initiative also positions winter service work as preparation for heavier springtime park use, when foot traffic typically increases.

What volunteers will do during Love Your Park 2026

Projects vary by site and host organization, but are generally oriented toward stewardship and basic maintenance. Organizers have identified work that includes trail building; removal of invasive plants such as kudzu, ivy and privet; mulching and spreading bark around trees; litter collection; and other landscaping and cleanup tasks.

• Invasive species removal in natural areas and wooded sections of parks

• Mulching, weeding and litter pickup around playgrounds, paths and lawns

• Habitat and tree-care work such as planting bare-root trees in designated areas

• Light maintenance tasks, including cleaning select park fixtures and signage

Sites and scheduling across February 2026

The Love Your Park schedule includes volunteer days at a range of prominent and neighborhood sites. Listed locations include Oakland Cemetery; Historic Fourth Ward Park; Piedmont Park; Whittier Mill Park; and Morningside/Lenox Park, where a tree-planting event is planned. Additional end-of-month projects include activities at Atlanta Memorial Park, Blue Heron Nature Preserve, Brownwood Park and Confluence Park.

Organizers have described Love Your Park as a citywide approach: multiple sites, multiple hosts, and projects that match local park needs.

How organizers define success

The stated benchmark for the 2026 campaign is volunteer participation: reaching 1,000 people across the 33 projects. Beyond attendance, the initiative is structured to deliver measurable on-the-ground outcomes—cleared invasive growth, refreshed mulched areas, improved trail conditions and reduced litter—while supporting ongoing relationships among residents, park groups and stewardship organizations.

With events spread across the month, organizers are aiming to create repeated opportunities for residents to engage close to home, while directing volunteer capacity to parks with scheduled needs and prepared project scopes.