Oh how sweet it is that every year Atlanta gets a dose of sugar and spice at the annual Sweet Auburn SpringFest 2012. Taking place in the history rich Auburn Avenue district, this year’s event promises more activities, entertainment, food and surprises than ever before.
Visitors come from all over the globe to not only take in the atmosphere of the hallowed streets once traveled by the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mayor Maynard Jackson, but also to peruse the artist market, explore the business and technology expo and to shop for both local and national works in the literary marketplace. This year there’s also a senior citizen pavilion, a sports carnival, a bike and car show, a children's activity area and a women's expo.
With eight featured stages, live performances spotlight jazz, gospel, dance, hip-hop, world music, R&B and more. Gritz & Jelly Butter are just one of the acts performing on Friday night. Claudette King, daughter of the legendary B.B. King, graces the stage on Sunday, Mother’s Day. The Sideways Dance Company will perform and Congressman John Lewis will speak the same day.
And don’t forget the food – row after row of it. Sample the finest soul food and Southern cooking known to man, or have a heaping helping of exotic Greek fare or a spicy hot taco. Name a cuisine and it will be represented on this weekend. Whatever you do, save room for a slice of legendary sweet potato pie.
“We want people to not only experience the Sweet Auburn district on this exciting weekend, but to know it as a great Atlanta destination every day,” said Deneen Johnson-Jordan, one of the festival planners. “It’s like no other place in the city or in the world, for that matter, and we want you to come on down.”
Take MARTA to the MLK station and you're there.
Sweet Auburn SpringFest 2012
5 p.m. – 10 p.m. Free. May 11; 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. May 12; 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. May 13. Auburn Avenue and Bell Street, Atlanta. 678-683-5647, www.sweetauburn.com.
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