FRIDAY
Festival: This is one of the tastiest weekends of the year as the beloved annual Atlanta Greek Festival surrounds the Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Clairmont Road. Don’t miss the lovely syrup-soaked pastry known as baklava, the beautiful church or the fest’s many energetic dancers. It’s happening daily through Oct 2.
Festival: The third annual Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival at Atlantic Station promises a taste of barbecue styles from all over the South, from Texas to the Carolinas, and Memphis to Kentucky. The festival takes place Sept. 30-Oct. 1.
Film: Out on Film is one of the oldest LGBT film festivals in the country, and most of the screenings take place at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema in Atlanta Sept. 29 through Oct. 6. Check out our guide to some of the festival’s highlights.
Stage: “Motherhood, the Musical” takes a tuneful and loving look at the blessings and perils of being a mom. The show continues through Nov. 20 at the 14th Street Playhouse.
Fair: The ride-packed midway is calling as the North Georgia State Fair takes over Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta. And don’t miss the concerts, which include Josh Kelley on Sept. 24 and the Band Perry on Sept. 29.The fair continues through Oct. 2.
Stage: “All Blues” tells the true story of Ray Sprigle, a white journalist who sets out to report on the black experience in the 1948 Jim Crow South first-hand, by disguising himself as a black man for 30 days. The show runs through Oct. 9 at 7 Stages Theater in Little Five Points.
Stage: Get the story behind the witches of Oz in the tuneful musical “Wicked.” The touring show returns to Atlanta for a four-week run, playing at the Fox Theatre through Oct. 9. Check out our interview with Mark Jacoby, the Tennessee native and one-time Atlantan who plays the Wizard.
Stage: Atlanta Lyric Theatre presents “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” a musical trip back to the 1920s. The show continues through Oct. 2 at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta.
Stage: The Atlanta Shakespeare Company is doing all of Shakespeare’s comedies in the order in which they were written, and “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” is up first. Sept. 30 is the final night for “Two Gentlemen” at the New American Shakespeare Tavern. “The Taming of the Shrew,” the second of Shakespeare’s comedies, wraps up its run on Oct. 1. “The Comedy of Errors,” which rounds out the first trio of comedies, completes the initial three-show repertory with a final show on Oct. 2.
SATURDAY
Music: Young country-pop sweetheart Taylor Swift will perform her hits at Philips Arena. The show begins at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2.
Music: Get a whole day of great music from international, national, local and regional artists at the Peachtree Music Festival. The show begins at 11 a.m. Oct. 1 and continues through 11 p.m. near the intersection of 8th and Spring streets.
Music: You know just what you’re getting when you hear the title “Jazz, Jazz and More Jazz.” Myrna Clayton and the 24 piece West Side Winds Jazz Orchestra are joined by the Infinite Sound Family beginning at 7 p.m. Oct. 1 at Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre in Mableton.
Music, comedy: The long-serving king of musical parody, Weird Al Yankovic, brings his memorably mangled hits to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre at 8 p.m. Oct. 1.
Music: The Georgia Symphony Orchestra welcomes violinist Helen Kim as soloist for Barber’s Violin Concerto. The orchestra also performs “Peachtree Street” from Jennifer Higdon’s “City Scape” and Brahms Symphony No. 1. Performances are at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 and 3 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Murray Arts Center in Kennesaw.
Festival: Celebrate one of Atlanta’s great historic neighborhoods as arts, music, food and much more fill the streets at the Sweet Auburn Fall Festival from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2-9 p.m. Oct. 2 at Auburn Avenue and Jesse Hill Jr. Drive in Atlanta.
Festival: The Alpharetta Brew Moon Fest brings together food, beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages for sale, a performance by the Old School Horn Band from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and headliners Banks and Shane from 9-11 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1. It’s happening in Downtown Alpharetta on Old Milton Avenue.
Festival, pets: If you’re a dachshund fan (and who isn’t), don’t miss the Howl-O-Weenie Dachshund Festival, which gets under way at 10 a.m. Oct. 1 at Liane Levetan Park at Brook Run in Dunwoody.
Festival, kids and family: Kidsfest includes four areas: performing arts, visual arts, sports and fitness and food and nutrition. The Avondale Estates event begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 1 at the intersection of Pine and Franklin streets.
SUNDAY
Fesitval, food: The Field of Greens Festival features 30 of Atlanta and Athens’ best farm to table chefs, along with an interactive Kid’s Village, local music, festival market and craft demonstrations. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 2 at Whippoorwill Hollow Organic Farm in Covington.
Pets: The man with the miraculous powers of canine persuasion, Cesar Millan (also known as “The Dog Whisperer”) shares tips and techniques at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre at 7 p.m. Oct. 2. Check out our interview with Millan.