Atlanta hosts festivals for every taste imaginable – from energetic dance parties to quiet jazz performances on the lawn – offering something for every interest and interest group. Additionally, art markets, music markets, food truck rallies, nature walks, and family-friendly events provide great options. Some of the best festivals in Atlanta are presented below
Oakland Cemetery can be explored on weekly tours or by attending Ilumine – an annual festival that provides visitors with a different viewpoint of this historical site. Other recurring festivals in Atlanta include:
Fall Festival on Ponce
The 10th Annual Fall Festival on Ponce will take place October 9th-10th in Atlanta, GA, and feature over 125 displays of fine art, folk, and outsider art in Olmsted Linear Park – designed by one of America’s acclaimed landscape architects and carefully restored by Olmsted Linear Park Alliance. Visitors to this two-day event will also enjoy its beautiful landscape created by Olmsted himself and carefully maintained by Olmsted Linear Park Alliance.
Attractions at this festival in Atlanta for chili tasting (known as Chomping) include its low-key atmosphere and breathtaking fall colors, making this an excellent location. Tickets come in spoons; each allows access to unlimited samples from participating artisan booths; be sure to get there early as spoons sell out fast!
Fashion Week
Fashion Week ATL provides an unforgettable and groundbreaking platform for established and emerging designers alike to display their collections, connecting designers with industry professionals and celebrity buyers from around the globe.
Honor Roll Clothing, a local Black-owned clothing shop, collaborated with the Atlanta Hawks Shop last October to offer limited edition apparel featuring inspirational phrases and images designed to strengthen community spirit.
Organizing a fashion event in Atlanta is no simple task. Numerous considerations must be made, from venue selection to sponsorship opportunities. One way of overcoming this difficulty is working with an experienced event planner like Molly McKinley Designs – there are multiple such companies located throughout Atlanta offering this service.
Book Festival
The AJC Decatur Book Festival is one of the country’s largest independent book festivals and an invaluable event for Atlanta book lovers. Over Labor Day weekend in downtown Decatur, world-class authors showcased at this festival will delight readers.
This year’s event will feature as its keynote speaker former presidential photographer Pete Souza and will showcase authors with new fall publications across fifteen sessions in adult fiction, adult non-fiction, and children & youth categories.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Book Festival was one of the major events taking place over Labor Day weekend alongside Dragon Con. Unfortunately, attendance dropped significantly as a result and so the event has since been postponed until the first weekend in October 2022.
Oktoberfest
Beginning September 24 in Helen Festhalle and running through October 30 with parades, keg tapping ceremonies, chicken dances, and plenty of beer offerings on tap, this month-long festival promises an experience to remember!
Iron Hill Brewery kicks off Oktoberfest at both their Berkeley Park and West End locations with special menu items and drinks offers such as pretzels topped with beer cheese made with Max Lager craft beer and Wurst Sandwiches made with beer cheese from their craft beer Max Lager as well as special release Oktoberfest beers and merchandise.
Are you ready to raise a toast without breaking a sweat? Atlanta Bar Tours presents its annual Oktoberfest bus trip, complete with coach bus transportation and beers!
Ilumine
This annual fall festival is an immensely popular convention featuring science fiction, fantasy, gaming, comics, art, and music. Tickets can be purchased for single days, five-day passes, or lifetime membership.
This family-friendly event includes tours of historic Victorian homes decorated for the holidays. Furthermore, food vendors, live entertainment, and a 5K race will be on-hand to add extra enjoyment and fun.
Oakland Cemetery’s magnificent landscaping is enhanced even further during Illumine, an after-dark light show featuring lanterns, light boxes, and other devices to illuminate headstones and mausoleums at nightfall. Each night features new displays; tickets for 2022 events are now on sale! Don’t miss it!
Georgia State Fair
Featuring carnival foods, live music, country, rap, and soul performances, and much more at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, this event promises an enjoyable time with family.
Plan ahead by packing sunglasses and a refillable water bottle into your personal bag before heading to a fair. Children may become easily distracted and wander off; ensure they remain close to older family members at all times.
Once the fair is over, head back to your RV in Henry County. Campsites tend to be busy; however, knowledgeable traffic and parking staff can assist in finding an available spot.
Old Fourth Ward Fest
The Old Fourth Ward Arts Fest is a two-day festival designed to foster community spirit in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. Open to people of all ages, races, customs and interests – giving artists an opportunity to exhibit their works in public.
This festival features 150 fine painters, photographers, sculptors, leather and metal craft artists as well as glass blowers and jewelers as part of an Emerging Artist Pavilion. Additionally, local food and beverage concessions and live acoustic entertainment will also be provided during this celebration.
For this event to take place for free, take the North Avenue or Inman Park MARTA stations and walk or cycle along BeltLine Eastside Trail until you arrive at the event site.
Juneteenth
Celebrate Juneteenth with a parade, music festival, food, entertainment, and more! This free event will include Black history dramatizations, family-friendly activities, and an exhibition market to promote local Black-owned businesses. Register to attend today – it’s FREE to attend!
Donald Glover plays Ivy League dropout Earn, while Zazie Beetz plays Van (his ex). At an acquaintance’s house, they attend a Juneteenth party where all guests wear period attire while a cappella group sings dour spirituals in full harmony.
Check out local, Black-owned vendors, sample craft beer from Black breweries, enjoy live music performances, and have an afternoon picnic!
