16. WalkAmerica
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 352-WALK, (404) 350-9800
Description: Benefiting the March of Dimes, this walkathon annually attracts some 20,000 participants who sign up pledge donors and walk one of eight routes throughout the metro area. The minimum donation is usually $30. The proceeds help fight birth defects and infant mortality. The event is held on a Saturday in late April.
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
18. Georgia Renaissance Festival
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 964-8575
Description: Forsooth, this rollicking re-creation of the English Renaissance features more than 100 performances daily on 10 stages scattered across the 93-acre festival grounds. Strolling musicians, minstrels, magicians, and other costumed characters are all part of the fun, along with knights in armor jousting on horseback. The festival is open seven consecutive weekends (Saturday and Sunday only) beginning in late April and lasting through the end of May or early June. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $9 for kids ages 6 to 12. There is no admission charge for children younger than 6.
19. frontier days
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 498-5633
Description: Journey through hundreds of years of Georgia history from the time of Native Americans, to the Spanish explorer DeSoto, the Civil War, and more. Held in early May, this living history festival will help you experience frontier survival skills, cooking, and music. Admission to the park requires a $10 parking permit. The event itself is free, but be sure to bring a few bucks if you plan on doing a little taste-testing.
20. Sweet Auburn Spring Fest
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 886-0986
Description: Held during the first weekend of May, this family-oriented, free, and alcohol-free event is sponsored by the Friends of Sweet Auburn. With more than 500,000 attendees a year, it is billed as the largest multicultural street festival in the Southeast. For more than 20 years, it has offered several days of music, a kids’ fun zone, a health fair, a parade, food, and an international marketplace.
21. National Historic Preservation Month
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 688-3350
Description: More than 20 Atlanta area historic sites and homes take part in marking their heritage and encourage visitors to learn more about them. Also, for one week in the middle of the month, the Atlanta Preservation Center offers its walking tours of historic Atlanta districts free of charge. The APC’s tours are fun and highly informative; take advantage of this annual opportunity to enjoy them and save some money.
22. Lasershow
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 498-5633
Description: Seven nights a week from early May into August, the sky over Stone Mountain explodes with a rainbow of laser light. To stirring musical accompaniment, lasers are projected on the mountain’s north face, which becomes a natural million-square-foot screen. Bring a blanket and relax under the stars. The show is free with admission to the park—$10 per car.
23. Atlanta Celtic Festival
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 572-8045
Address: 11130 State Bridge Rd.
Description: Don your kilts, laddies, and head for this two-day event, held the third weekend of the month, that celebrates the history and cultural heritage of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. International, national, and local musicians, dancers, and speakers are on hand, along with Celtic crafts, foods, and merchandise. There are free lessons in Scottish country dancing, children’s games, and sheepdog demonstrations. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, students, and children 6 to 12.
24. Marietta Bluegrass Festival
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 528-8875
Address: 2245 Callaway Rd.
Description: Door prizes, 20 bands, and a footstompin’ good time are on tap at this two-day festival of bluegrass music sponsored by the Georgia Bluegrass Association. Tickets to the Friday evening performances are $9; admission to the Saturday lineup starting in the early afternoon is $12. The fun happens on the third weekend of the month, then again on the second weekend of November.
25. Atlanta Jazz Festival
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 817-6851
Description: Sponsored by the City of Atlanta, this showcase of local and national jazz talent, which began in 1977, is one of the largest of its kind in the city. Many events on the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of Memorial Day weekend are free and run from 1 to 10 p.m. Prior to the event, various jazz artists give free brown-bag lunchtime concerts in Woodruff Park, at Marietta and Peachtree Streets downtown.
26. Decatur Arts Festival & Garden Tour
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 371-9583
Description: The city of Decatur, 6 miles east of Downtown, hosts this popular free festival that attracts about 40,000 people each year. The event kicks off on Memorial Day weekend with an Art Walk that winds through the city’s art galleries and stores. Among the other activities on tap are art exhibits, a children’s festival, storytellers, jugglers, magicians, pony rides, international music and dance, a garden tour, and literary events.
27. Virginia-Highland Summerfest
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 222-8244
Description: Founded in 1916 in what was originally known as North Boulevard Park, the Virginia-Highland neighborhood annually throws this popular, free party featuring an artists’ market, bands, food from area restaurants, and lots of fun for the kids. It’s held the first full weekend in June.
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 4484 Peachtree Rd.
29. Atlanta Pride Weekend
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 929-0071
Address: 20 Executive Park Dr. NE
Description: Pride Weekend, the third weekend of June, is the Southeast’s largest gay and lesbian celebration. More than 300,000 participants from across the region and other parts of the country and overseas converge on Piedmont Park and other areas of Midtown to show their gay pride. Events include seminars, live entertainment, two mammoth Peachtree Street parades, crafts, food vendors, and camaraderie.
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals