Fall Arts Guide 2026: Don’t miss these top 10 fall events
Now that the kids are back in school and the sweltering days of summer are numbered, it’s time to turn our thoughts to cool weather pursuits. This is the time when arts organizations launch a slew of new productions and festival season gears up to celebrate everything from culinary treats to literary delights. With that in mind, here are 10 don’t-miss events taking place in Atlanta this fall.
‘Purpose’ at Alliance Theatre
Atlanta’s premier theater company kicks off its new season with the regional debut of “Purpose,” a Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning drama about an influential, multigenerational Black family in Chicago that has gathered for a celebratory dinner. The occasion is firstborn son Junior’s release from prison. The former state senator was sentenced to two years for embezzling funds. When younger brother Naz arrives with an unexpected guest in tow, tensions simmer, eventually boiling over into violence as the family’s dirty secrets are revealed. This darkly funny drama by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins explores themes of legacy, faith and the disparity between how we view ourselves and who we actually are.
Aug. 28-Sept. 20. $35 and up. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-733-4600, alliancetheatre.org.
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival
The four-day annual event features hundreds of chefs, mixologists, sommeliers and other culinary professionals sharing and demonstrating an array of sweet and savory delights. Andrew Zimmern, Kardea Brown and the AJC’s own Monti Carlo are among the featured guests. In addition to all-you-can-eat tasting tents featuring daily themes, there are special events highlighting burgers and fried chicken, plus Whiskey and Fire, which pairs whiskey tastings with an array of foods cooked over an open flame.
Sept. 10-13. $109 and up. The Home Depot Backyard, 1 Backyard Way, Atlanta. Guardian Works, 775 Echo St. NW, Atlanta. atlfoodandwinefestival.com
Shaky Knees Festival
Performing an eclectic blend of hip-hop, rock, electronica and world sounds, virtual Brit band Gorillaz brings its yearlong world tour to town for the closing night of this three-day music festival returning to Piedmont Park in September. The lineup also includes The Strokes, Geese, Twenty One Pilots, Pavement, The Prodigy, LCD Soundsystem and Wu-Tang Clan, among others. In addition to the main stage performances, a series of late-night shows are scheduled on Friday and Saturday at venues around town, including Jimmy Eat World at Masquerade — Heaven, Peach Pit at Terminal West and Modest Mouse at Center Stage Theater.
Sept. 18-20. $175 and up. Piedmont Park, 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue, Atlanta. shakykneesfestival.com
‘Passion and Pride’ with Atlanta Ballet
Commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary, the company’s “Passion and Pride” program at Cobb Energy centre features “Stars and Stripes,” a rousing performance of George Balanchine choreography set to John Philip Sousa marches. Also on the program is Remi Wörtmeyer’s “Significant Others,” set to music by Fanny Mendelssohn and Sonia Delaunay, and the world premiere of Melissa Hough’s “Plagued Houses,” inspired by “Romeo and Juliet” and set to music by Tchaikovsky.
Sept. 18-20. $40 and up. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 404-892-3303, atlantaballet.com
Out On Film
One of the country’s premier LGBTQ film festivals, Out On Film had the distinction of being the qualifying presenter of the 2026 Oscar-winning short film “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” This year’s fest takes place Sept. 24-Oct. 4, with streaming access available through Oct. 11. The opening night film is “Before I Do,” a romantic comedy directed by Gary Jaffe about a chaotic turn of events that takes place during a lakeside bachelor party weekend. Also on tap is “Love, Patrick: Nothing is Impossible,” a documentary by Atlanta filmmakers the Horne Brothers about influential fashion designer Patrick Kelly, who began his career in Atlanta in the mid-’70s and found international fame and success in Paris, where he died from AIDS in 1990.
Sept. 24-Oct. 4. $15 and up. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta. outonfilm.org
‘Martin Puryear: Nexus’ at High Museum
The High is the exclusive Southeastern venue for this comprehensive exhibition of works by sculptor Martin Puryear co-organized with The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Cleveland Museum of Art. “Martin Puryear: Nexus” contains more than 70 pieces spanning 40 years, including sculptures made from wood, wire, metal and stone, as well as drawings made in Sierra Leone in the ‘70s when the artist served in the Peace Corps.
Sept. 25-Jan. 17. $23.50. High Museum, 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-733-4400, high.org
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The season opener led by music director Nathalie Stutzmann in October kicks off the symphony’s season-long tribute to Johannes Brahms. The program features the German composer’s Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 1, as well as Handel’s Overture to “Music for the Royal Fireworks.” Other fall highlights include a free al fresco concert in Piedmont Park on Sept. 9, featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastorale” and Vivaldi’s “Summer” from “The Four Seasons,” and a performance with violin superstar Joshua Bell on Sept. 16, featuring Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1, “Classical” and Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole.
Season opener, Oct. 1-4. $56.75 and up. Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-733-4800, aso.org
Decatur Book Festival and the Book Festival of the MJCCA
Kicking off the Decatur Book Festival this year is Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Brian Goldstone, who delivers the keynote address. Goldstone’s nonfiction book, “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America,” is a devastating look at the affordable housing crisis that focuses on five Atlanta families struggling to keep a shelter over their heads. Other festivities include a street fair and author events featuring “Kin” author Tayari Jones, young adult horror writer Ryan Douglass and Pedro Martín, author of the graphic memoir “Mexikid,” among others.
Oct. 2-3. Free. First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairemont Ave., Decatur, and other venues. decaturbookfestival.com
The Book Festival of the MJCCA returns Nov. 1-22 with appearances by dozens of authors spanning all genres, including former first lady Jill Biden, promoting her new memoir “View from the East Wing,” and Harry Connick Jr., who talks about his new book “Babe: Elaboratio, A Tribute to My Mother.” In a lead-up to the festival, New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben gives a Countdown to Kickoff talk about his memoir “Plot Twist” on Sept. 10.
Nov. 1-22. $20 and up. Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. 678-812-4000, atlantajcc.org
Usher and Chris Brown
They have 10 Grammy Awards between them, and concertgoers can expect all that star power to be in full force on “The R&B Tour,” a three-hour show featuring dazzling dance numbers, surprise guest performances and more than 50 songs spanning both their careers. According to Billboard magazine, Usher and Brown deliver “viral gold with their nostalgic efforts, thrilling performances and racy escapades.” They bring their tour to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for five shows in November.
Nov. 5-6, 8, 10-11. $82 and up. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 1 AMB Drive NW, Atlanta. mercedesbenzstadium.com
Olivia Rodrigo
It’s been a big year for the California pop singer. Her third album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,” debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The first single, “Drop Dead,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. She did double duty as the host and musical guest on “Saturday Night Live,” and she launched Daisy Chain Fields, a charitable, all-female music festival taking place in Irvine, California, Aug. 29. She brings “The Unraveled Tour” to State Farm Arena for two shows in November.
Nov. 11-12. Sold out, tickets available on resale sites. State Farm Arena, 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta. statefarmarena.com