From seafood fests to football, 7 great things to do this weekend

Cheers Atlanta—If you missed the barrage of festivals earlier this summer, you can catch up this weekend with at least two big fests—and enough music to satisfy just about every type of fan. Plus, NFL football finally returns. If all that isn’t enough, you could always just hit the bars.

Cats
The Lyric Theatre’s first show of the new season promises musical numbers of fantastic feline purrportions. Sorry, we couldn’t resist. Friday through August 24. atlantalyrictheatre.com

Atlanta Seafood and Craft Beer Festival
This Piedmont Park celebration features several local brewers, including Monday Night, SweetWater, and Red Hare, along with a wide assortment of food options. We just hope King of Pops doesn’t show up with a shrimp popsicle. Saturday, 12 p.m. atlantaseafoodandcraftbeer.com

Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden
The rock masters play Aaron’s Amphitheatre. But before you start moshing, just remember you’re not as young as you were in 1994. Friday, 7 p.m. livenation.com

Sweet Auburn Music Fest
The two-day free event features live R&B, hip-hop, and gospel music. Saturday and Sunday. There will be plenty of vendors on hand and lots of great food (if last year’s fest is any indicator, expect some good BBQ and potent frozen drinks.) Plus, check out the completed Atlanta Streetcar track and stops and pop into one some of the Auburn Ave. pop-up shops. sweetauburnmusicfest.com

12th Annual Neighborhood Awards
An enormous expo surrounds this Steve Harvey-hosted award ceremony celebrating small businesses, leaders, churches, and schools, featuring performances from India.Arie, Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke, and Chrisette Michele. Expo: Friday-Sunday; Award show at Philips Arena: Saturday, 7 p.m. neighborhoodawards.com

Falcons v. Dolphins
Breathe a sigh of relief and grab the nachos and beer—football season is finally back. Celebrate with the Atlanta’s preseason home opener against Miami. Friday, 7 p.m. atlantafalcons.com

Real Hens of Atlanta
File this one under utterly bizarre yet cool. Showcase School of Photography will display artful photos of chickens and pigs with sassy attitudes, as showcased through the captions posted on the artists’ blog. Bonus: The barnyard pals have names like “Snoop Hoggy Hogg” and “Piccata di Fluffembottom.” Opening night reception: Friday, 6 p.m. theshowcasescool.com