Free things to do in Lawrenceville: parks, concerts, festivals

Free things to do in Lawrenceville: festivals and concerts on the Lawn, the Heritage Trail, Freeman's Mill, dog parks, trails and story times.

Last checked Oct. 6, 2026. Every event and place below comes from the City of Lawrenceville or Gwinnett County, linked. Where an event is marked free, the organizer says so.

A lot of Lawrenceville costs nothing. Many of the city’s downtown festivals and Lawn concerts are free, downtown parking is free, and Gwinnett County’s parks and trails surround the city.

Who to call

City of Lawrenceville events: 678-407-6670

Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation: 770-822-8840

Gwinnett County trails hotline: 770-978-5270

Free city festivals and concerts

From the city’s events pages, with 2026 dates; check for 2027:

Event	When (2026)	Where
The Lawrenceville Boogie, a free multi-stage music, art and car festival	April 11	Downtown square
LIVE in the DTL, a free four-concert series	May 29, June 12, Aug. 14, Sept. 25	Lawrenceville Lawn
Lawrenceville Movie Club, free outdoor movies	May to August	Lawrenceville Lawn
BOO Fest, the free Halloween festival	Oct. 23	Lawrenceville Lawn

The city’s Beats on the Streets DJ nights play on Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m., spring through July, at the public Crogan Street Plaza beside the arts center.

Free county events downtown

Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation’s fall 2026 guide lists these free events in Lawrenceville:

Night Market on the Square, Thursday, Oct. 15, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Gwinnett Historic Courthouse: food, artisan vendors, music and exhibits.
Fall Nature Scavenger Hunt, Oct. 17-25, Rhodes Jordan Park (registration required).
Holiday Jubilee, Saturday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bethesda Park: more than 50 local merchants and photos with Santa.
Lighting of the Tree, Thursday, Nov. 26, 5:30 to 8 p.m., Gwinnett Historic Courthouse.

The county’s Music on the Square jazz evenings at the courthouse are free, with VIP seating for a fee; one was held Oct. 2, 2026.

History you can walk into

Heritage Trail: a downtown walk past medallions honoring people who shaped the city, from the Fallen Heroes Memorial to Rhodes Jordan Park, with a 1.31-mile loop (city page).
Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial, Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive: 13 granite markers with about 700 names of Gwinnett residents who died in military or public safety service. The county invites visitors year-round (memorial page).
Freeman’s Mill Park, 1401 Alcovy Road: a gristmill built between 1868 and 1879 by brothers John Griffin and Levi J. Loveless, one of the last operating gristmills in Gwinnett and on the National Register of Historic Places, with a playground and a half-mile trail (park page).
Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, 185 W. Crogan St.: open for self-guided walking tours, with seasonal art exhibits in its Gallery Hall (county page).

Parks, trails and dog parks

Tribble Mill Park, 2125 Tribble Mill Parkway: a 3.4-mile paved trail and the 5.7-mile Harris Greenway.
Alexander Park, 800 Old Snellville Highway: an 18-hole disc golf course and a 1.7-mile paved trail.
Rhodes Jordan Park, 100 E. Crogan St.: playgrounds, a fishing lake and a 1.9-mile trail.
HYRO Park, the city’s dog park on the Lawrenceville Lawn, open dawn to dusk.

Distances and trailheads are in our trails guide; dog parks are in our dog-friendly guide.

Library

The Gwinnett County Public Library’s Lawrenceville Hooper-Renwick, Collins Hill and Five Forks branches run story times, a kids’ reading club and seasonal programs, listed on the events calendar. Branch hours are on the library’s site. Times are in our kids’ activities guide.

Parking

Downtown parking is free: more than 1,200 spaces in the city’s decks and lots, such as the Purple Deck, 147 E. Crogan St. (city parking page).

Frequently asked questions

What free events does Lawrenceville hold? The city’s free events include BOO Fest in October, the Lawrenceville Boogie in April, and the LIVE in the DTL concerts and Lawrenceville Movie Club screenings on the Lawrenceville Lawn.

Is Freeman’s Mill free to visit? Freeman’s Mill Park, 1401 Alcovy Road, is a Gwinnett County park open sunrise to sunset, with a restored gristmill on the National Register of Historic Places, a playground and a half-mile paved trail.

Is downtown Lawrenceville parking free? Yes. The city’s EZ-2 Park program has more than 1,200 free public spaces in decks and lots downtown.

Are there free concerts in Lawrenceville? Yes. LIVE in the DTL is a free concert series on the Lawrenceville Lawn, and the county’s Music on the Square jazz nights at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse are free, with paid VIP seating.

What this means for you

The big free nights are on the Lawn; bring chairs or a blanket.
Pair a Heritage Trail walk with the courthouse and the history museum.
Check the city’s events pages each spring for the new season’s dates.