This book festival isn’t just about reading.

There will be a variety of music, dance, theater performances and visual art installations throughout the three days of the 2016 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival, which takes place Labor Day weekend.

Curated by the non-profit ArtsATL organization, the events will draw on the artists and the culture of Decatur and Atlanta.

Coming up at the festival:

• Members of the Atlanta Opera will perform 2:30 Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Decatur Presbyterian Sanctuary Stage, 205 Sycamore Street.

Girls Rock Camp alumna Laurie Ray will open the Teen Stage, at 101 West Ponce Plaza) at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Ray, a Decatur-based singer-songwriter, volunteers each summer at Girls Rock Camp, which encourages independence, music and celebration.

Serenbe Playhouse will perform pop-up segments from "Charlotte's Web" throughout the weekend. In addition, at 3:45 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, the Serenbe players will conduct a session at the Marriott Conference Center B, 130 Clairemont Avenue, called "Behind the Scenes of Serenbe Playhouse," revealing how they create their outdoor magic.

• At various sites throughout the festival, Atlanta multimedia artist Meg Mitchell will create sidewalk chalk art on featured books: “The Great Santini,” “Captain Underpants” and “All the Single Ladies.” Mitchell studied graphic and furniture design at Georgia Tech, and found her true passion painting custom signs and menus.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical is the largest independent book festival in the country.

Find more top events at the Decatur Book Festival

About the Author

Keep Reading

Fireworks will be set off at dusk at Alpharetta’s Independence Day event at Wills Park. The photo shows a view of a previous year’s fireworks from the nearby Walk of Memories at American Legion Post 201. (Courtesy of Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau/Jack Tuszynski)

Credit: Jack Tuszynski/PhotoJack.net

Featured

The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC