Annual Events & Festivals - Festivals And Events
Atlantans love any excuse to throw a party. On most weekends throughout the year, there are festivals and special events going on somewhere in the metro area.
Some of these affairs are cozy block parties where nearly everyone knows everyone else. Many of the city’s rejuvenated in-town neighborhoods hold festivals and tours of homes, inviting folks from all over to share in the community’s life. Religious groups and international clubs parade their cultures and customs for others to experience and enjoy. And periodically there are truly massive events— drawing 100,000 and more—that organizers work throughout the year to stage.
In a city where nearly everyone came from somewhere else, these events may also help newcomers find their way by bringing people of similar interests or backgrounds together. And they can remind us all just how kaleidoscopically varied are the people making their lives here.
Many festivals are held in parks. For specific information on Atlanta’s parks, see our Parks and Recreation chapter. Here’s a quick location guide to parks that serve as venues to many events throughout the year:
Piedmont Park is in Midtown; it’s bordered primarily by 10th Street, Monroe Drive, and Piedmont Avenue.
Grant Park is in southeast Atlanta; its main entrances are on Cherokee Avenue and on Boulevard. Zoo Atlanta and the Cyclorama occupy the southern portion; festivals take place in the park’s northern area.
Chastain Park is in northwest Atlanta; take Roswell Road north through Buckhead; turn left on West Wieuca Road and follow the signs.
To reach Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park, take US 78 (Ponce de Leon Avenue–Scott Boulevard–Lawrenceville Highway–Stone Mountain Parkway) east of Atlanta to the Stone Mountain Park exit. A per-vehicle admission is always charged here: It’s $10 per car. An annual pass is $35.
In this chapter we’ll tell you about some of the annual events that make life in Atlanta exciting.
1. King Week and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 526-8900
Address: 449 Auburn Ave. NE (and other
Description: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta on January 15, 1929. A national holiday was declared in his honor in 1986. Long before that, we Atlantans had been staging an annual celebration to laud our Nobel laureate. King Week, held the week preceding the Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday, includes many free performances, concerts, special religious services, and educational presentations. Check with the King Center for specific times and places of events.
2. Cathedral Antiques Show
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 365-1000
Address: 2744 Peachtree Rd.
Description: One of the premier antiques shows in the Southeast is held near the end of the month at this Buckhead cathedral. The show opens with a tour of several exclusive Buckhead homes and condominiums; tickets are usually around $15 (good for all three days). A Gala Preview Party ($125) gives guests a sneak peek at the antiques collected from around the country that are for sale. The event usually features a lecture with a noted historian or antiquities expert. Proceeds from the four-day event always benefit a worthy cause.
3. African-American History Month
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Atlanta, the center of the civil rights movement for years, marks African-American History Month with numerous educational and entertainment events. The commemoration lasts the entire month. Big Bethel AME Church, 220 Auburn Ave. near the King Center, hosts an assortment of musical performances, lectures, and programs that explore the African-American experience. The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System sponsors special lectures on African-American authors. The Fernbank Science Center takes a look at the skies over Africa with its program, African Astronomy. Check with individual locations for specific dates and times.
4. Groundhog Day
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 972-6643
Address: 4525 Highway 78
Description: There’s always a small crowd gathered in the chilly predawn air on February 2 to watch General Beauregard Lee emerge from his groundhog abode. But will he see his shadow? Find out in person for an $8 adult admission; $7 for kids 3 to 11.
5. The Best of Atlanta Party
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 527-5500
Description: Atlanta Magazine sponsors this annual showcase of readers’ selections for the city’s best restaurants. More than 60 chefs show off their award-winning dishes while jazz musicians entertain and local celebrities pass out door prizes. Tickets are $50; proceeds benefit Camp Twin Lakes for children with special needs.
6. Atlanta Fair Turner Field
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 740-1962
Address: 755 Hank Aaron Dr.
Description: This affordable annual fair is an old-fashioned fun time, with a midway, rides, food, and children’s activities. Held in the parking lot at Turner Field, tickets are $3 for adults, $2 for children.
7. Atlanta Passion Play
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 234-8400
Address: 395 Piedmont Ave.
Description: Since 1977, the First Baptist Church of Atlanta has annually presented this pageant portraying Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Its reputation is so widespread, it now draws people from around the country. Each year’s production varies slightly with different focuses on the story line and different music. The elaborately staged and costumed play is the work of more than 500 people, including a chorus and full orchestra. Due to the three-hour length, the sacred nature of the performance, and the graphic portrayal of Christ’s death, children younger than 6 are not admitted. The play is performed the final three weekends of Lent, not including Easter weekend. Tickets range from $10 to $25.
8. Conyers Cherry Blossom Festival
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 602-2606
Address: 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy.
Description: In 1980 Hitachi Maxell’s president donated 500 cherry trees to the city of Conyers, 30 minutes east of Atlanta on I-20, home to Maxell Corp. of America. The Conyers Cherry Blossom Festival has greeted spring here since 1982. The monthlong calendar of events includes art exhibits, a road race, other sporting tournaments, a beauty pageant, music, and more. Most of the events are free, but there is a $5 parking fee (or $8 for both days). The Festival Day is usually held on the third or fourth Saturday at the Georgia International Horse Park on the edge of town.
9. Southeastern Flower Show
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 955-8000
Address: 2 Galleria Pkwy.
Description: This show, held over a weekend early in the month, benefits the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It features a wide range of garden-related events including displays, demonstrations, workshops, and children’s activities. Adults usually pay $20 on the days of the show or $30 for an advance two-day ticket.
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
11. Sheep to Shawl Day
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 814-4004
Address: 130 West Paces Ferry Rd.
Description: For city dwellers who don’t get down to the farm too often, here’s a day to experience nature—particularly sheep. Held the first Saturday of the month, the event features demonstrations in the art of sheep shearing, followed by the entire process required to turn it into something wearable. Spectators observe the fresh wool through the washing, spinning, dyeing, and weaving cycles. The completed process produces a new shawl. Displays are ongoing throughout the day. The center is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the day of the event. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for those over age 65, $10 for kids ages 3 to 17, and free to children under 3.
12. Easter Sunrise Services
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 498-5633
Description: In the predawn darkness on Easter Sunday morning, the faithful gather atop Stone Mountain to await the sunrise on the holiest day of the Christian year. As morning breaks, local ministers lead an ecumenical worship service. This inspiring celebration is a long-standing Atlanta tradition. The weather is often windy and cold, so you might need to bring a blanket. The service is free, but you’ll pay $10 per car to be admitted into the park.
13. Atlanta Dogwood Festival
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 817-6642
Description: For a few precious weeks each spring, Atlanta is bathed in a brilliant floral finery. The Dogwood Festival pays homage to the city’s legendary botanical beauty; its highlights include a colorful hot-air balloon race, concerts, children’s parades, and the dog Frisbee championships. Most events are free. NOTE: Atlanta’s dogwoods and azaleas bloom on a schedule all their own, and their peak does not always coincide with this festival that is held on a weekend in mid-April.
14. Bear on the Square Mountain Festival
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (800) 231-5543
Description: One of the first in a series of festivals in the nearby north Georgia mountain communities, this one is devoted to a celebration of bluegrass and “old-time” music (it used to be called “hillbilly” music and was featured in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?). Typical for Dahlonega festivals, the square is filled up with booths selling anything from the finest of fine art to the lowest of folk art crafts, with stages scattered about hosting clog dancers, storytellers, jam sessions, and, of course, some of the best Appalachian music makers in the area. Most activities are free, including parking and the concert, and the festival is always scheduled for the third weekend in April.
15. Druid Hills Home and Garden Tour
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: With an overall landscape plan by the world-renowned Olmsted firm and stunning homes designed by famous architects such as Neil Reid and Walter T. Downing, the elegant Druid Hills neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This weekend event in late April affords you a rare opportunity to tour selected homes and gardens in the $300,000 to million-dollar range. Tickets are available for the entire tour or for individual homes and are $17 in advance and $20 on the tour day for the entire tour, and $15 for each individual home.