Arts & Events
Photos: Widespread Panic performs at the Fox Theatre
Widespread Panic closed out 2025 with three sold-out shows on December 29, 30, and 31 at the Fox Theatre. Here, check out the scenes photographer Perry Julien captured at the show.
Bella Issakova is releasing her first album after 30 years on stage
After nearly 30 years of performing, hosting house concerts, and teaching the traditional music of Ireland, Atlanta-based musician Bella Issakova is releasing her first album. Come in from the Rain, a collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Randy Clepper, offers a fresh take on Irish dance tunes. It largely features Issakova on the fiddle and Clepper on the Irish bouzouki.
CratesATL spins new life into South Downtown
A new record store has opened in the heart of downtown Atlanta. CratesATL — a new offering from Darryl Harris, owner of Moods Music in Little Five Points — on Mitchell Street’s Historic Hotel Row, opened its doors this past spring, adding a new rhythm to the area’s growing mix of local businesses. The shop joins a wave of revitalization efforts reshaping South Downtown, bringing music, culture, and community to one of the city’s most storied streets.
Photos: Portugal. The Man performs at the Eastern
Portugal. The Man played to a packed crowd at the Eastern on Tuesday evening. Here, check out the scenes photographer Perry Julien captured at the show.
Q&A: Atlanta native Priah Ferguson on the end of Stranger Things
As a child growing up in Atlanta, Priah Ferguson’s personality was so big and vivacious that she seemed destined to become an actor. Ferguson’s biggest role by far, though, has been as the assertive Erica Sinclair in the hit Netflix sci-fi fantasy series Stranger Things. To mark the release of the final season, Atlanta Magazine spoke to Ferguson about filming the show, her rise to TV stardom, and what’s next.
Photos: David Byrne performs at the Fox Theatre
David Byrne brought his Who is the Sky tour to the Fox Theatre on Tuesday evening for the first of two sold-out shows in support of his 11th studio album of the same name. Here, check out the scenes photographer Perry Julien captured at the show.
Photos: Katseye performs at the Coca-Cola Roxy
On November 26, global girl group Katseye took the stage at the Coca-Cola Roxy at the Battery, performing to a sold-out crowd as part of their debut headlining tour, Beautiful Chaos. Here, check out the scenes photographer Perry Julien captured at the show.
A former grocery cellar in Poncey-Highland is now one of Atlanta’s largest arts spaces
What was once the cellar of a 19th-century grocery store is now the home of one of Atlanta’s largest arts spaces. Willow Goldstein—a local artist and entrepreneur who also founded the arts nonprofit The Bakery—opened her newest venture, The Supermarket, which hosts exhibitions and performances, art workshops, and private rentals in a 12,500-square-foot space.
OutKast’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is bigger than them
OutKast’s official induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this past weekend is a milestone Antwan "Big Boi" Patton and André "André 3000" Benjamin both acknowledged as bigger than themselves during their acceptance speeches.
Things to do
Weekly, open-air food festival Smorgasburg launches in Atlanta October 18
When Smorgasburg first opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 2011, it was an under-the-radar food festival you had to be in-the-know to attend. Nowadays, it attracts thousands of visitors to set locations in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. On October 18, it will make its debut in Atlanta. Set in South Downtown, it will run on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine. Here's a sampling of what to expect.
Harry Potter takeover at Hamp & Harry’s embraces the magic of wizardry
The restaurant and bar, opened by the McCray’s Tavern team in Marietta Square in 2021, recently launched a Harry Potter takeover. This is no small spell—the restaurant has been decorated from floor to ceiling and its menus revamped in true the-Boy-Who-Lived style. Available through November 2, offerings include a drink for each house, Thursday night trivia, and a Mandrake Trifle.
Screaming, crying, perfect storm: Atlanta Swifties get ready for the Showgirl era at these album release parties
Taylor Swift is releasing her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, on October 3, and Atlanta is ready for it. Atlanta bars, shops, and even a salon are getting in on the moment with listening parties, complete with themed drinks, dress-up contests, and swag. Here's where you can celebrate.
Theater
Lips Down on Dixie celebrates 25 years of Rocky Horror in Atlanta
The Rocky Horror Picture Show—the 50-year-old satirical horror film based on the 1973 musical—is not only a cult classic, but also a cultural phenomenon. For the past 25 years, Lips Down on Dixie, a nonprofit theater organization, has had a shadow cast acting in tandem with the film every Friday night. LDOD is the oldest shadow cast in Atlanta and one of the city’s few majority-queer theater casts, with 90 percent of the cast and crew identifying as LGBTQ+.
Atlanta arts organizations are running on empty
Nonprofit arts organizations in metro Atlanta are facing financial challenges as government grants, corporate sponsorships, and Covid-era relief funding have dried up while costs have risen and audience participation remains below pre-pandemic levels. In response, arts leaders have banded together through weekly meetings and the coalition Arts Capital | Atlanta, which seeks to raise $100 million to stabilize the sector and ensure smaller organizations in particular can survive.
The Creative Spark: 16 Atlanta artists on what ignites them
Creativity is one of life’s great mysteries. But artists of every genre recognize it when the moment of inspiration hits them. We spoke to 16 Atlanta artists about their creative processes—visual artists, dancers, musicians, actors, and more. What ignites their creativity? How do they turn an idea into art? How do they overcome a creative block? Their answers are illuminating, sometimes humorous and often profound.
Visual Arts
The Creative Spark: 16 Atlanta artists on what ignites them
Creativity is one of life’s great mysteries. But artists of every genre recognize it when the moment of inspiration hits them. We spoke to 16 Atlanta artists about their creative processes—visual artists, dancers, musicians, actors, and more. What ignites their creativity? How do they turn an idea into art? How do they overcome a creative block? Their answers are illuminating, sometimes humorous and often profound.
María Korol’s fantastical creatures come alive in her Athens exhibition
Trees with human faces; humanoid forest creatures; dancing cats; humans with fur and tails. This list may sound fantastical, but for artist María Korol, this cast of characters regularly appears in her paintings. These creatures will come alive in Korol’s solo exhibition, Playing Ball Without a Ball, at Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens (July 18–September 27).
Your 2025 Atlanta fall arts calendar
Atlanta’s arts season is bursting with creativity, from the High Museum’s landmark exhibition of Minnie Evans to bold new takes on Balanchine, Bram Stoker, and Tennessee Williams. Here's your 2025 fall arts calendar.
Music
Photos: Mike Geier performs his Elvis Royale show at Variety Playhouse
Mike Geier and his Kingsized band brought back his Elvis Royale show to the Variety Playhouse for a sold-out show on Saturday evening. Here, check out the scenes photographer Perry Julien captured at the show.
Photos: Widespread Panic performs at the Fox Theatre
Widespread Panic closed out 2025 with three sold-out shows on December 29, 30, and 31 at the Fox Theatre. Here, check out the scenes photographer Perry Julien captured at the show.
A love letter to Brent Hinds
On August 20, 2025, Brent Hinds, the original lead guitarist of Mastodon, died after his motorcycle collided with an SUV at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Boulevard. When Hinds passed away, Atlanta said goodbye to more than a legendary guitarist; we Gen Xers and elder millennials lost the mascot of our collective memories.
Film
Magic City marks 40 years with a five-part docuseries on Starz
The strip club Magic City’s lore looms large. Now, timed to the storied strip club’s 40th anniversary, Starz is releasing a five-part docuseries called Magic City: An American Fantasy. It is executive produced by Jami Gertz, a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks, and Jermaine Dupri. (Drake is also an executive producer.)
Dahlonega looks like a Hallmark holiday movie. Now, it’s hosting a convention inspired by them.
Dahlonega, a picturesque Georgia mountain town known for its Hallmark movie charm, is preparing to welcome the Christmas spirit in the heart of summer. A Small Town Christmas, a three-day convention featuring beloved holiday film stars and festive activities, will take place July 25-27.
Atlanta teen actress Mila Harris is suddenly on all our screens
Atlanta-born and -based Mila Harris was eight years old when she appeared on Nickelodeon’s hit series Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan. That role proved to be an absolute career catapult for the actress, who is now 14. In the years since, she has appeared in nearly a dozen feature films, including the upcoming films World Breaker and Coyote.
