If you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend in metro Atlanta, you’ll find lots of St. Patrick’s Day events on the calendar. From Smyrna’s annual festival to Midtown Atlanta’s historic parade that travels down Peachtree Street, it’s easy for the entire family to wear their green attire and be Irish for a day.
Check out the following 15 things to do in metro Atlanta this weekend:
Intown Atlanta
Atlanta Science Festival at Georgia Aquarium
10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 16. $10 plus aquarium ticket price of $44.99 in advance or $52.99 the day of your visit, and $20 parking. Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St. NW, Atlanta. 404-581-4000.
Experience firsthand what it’s like to be a marine conservationist through interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities that highlight the aquarium’s conservation efforts.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Noon-1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16. Free. Parade travels through Midtown on Peachtree Street. 770-805-8015.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a parade that includes floats, bands, bagpipe and drum corps, clowns, dancers, drill teams and more.
Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade 5K Run/Walk
9:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 16. $40. Starts and finishes in front of Fado’s Pub Midtown, 933 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta.
Join parade revelers and runners in a route that starts and finishes on Peachtree Road, winding through Midtown and Piedmont Park before finishing on the parade route. After your run or walk, head back to Fado’s for a free beer (if you’re 21 and over) and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
Cobb
Smyrna St. Patrick’s Day Festival
Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17. Saturday $15 presale and $20 at the door; Sunday $12 presale and $15 at the door. Atkins Park, 2840 Atlanta Road, Smyrna.
Get your Irish on at Smyrna’s 21st annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival with live music, cornhole ATL, drink specials and games for kids. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s team in training.
5-7 p.m. Sunday, March 17. $16.10-$28.10, including fees. Dr. Bobbie Bailey & Family Performance Center, 488 Prillaman Way, Kennesaw. 770-615-2908.
Listen to a performance of Robert Ray’s powerful “Gospel Mass,” featuring the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, GSO Chorus, GSO Chamber Singers and the Marietta High School Chorus.
1-3 p.m. Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17. Free. Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Sope Creek Unit, 3760 Paper Mill Road, Marietta.
As you’re guided by National Park Service staff, discover the strange, weird and amazing creatures that live in Sibley Pond.
DeKalb
Noon-3 p.m. Sunday, March 17. Free. Letitia Pate Evans Hall at Agnes Scott College, 141 East College Ave., Decatur.
Check out more than 75 summer day camps, overnight camps, specialty camps and more while you experience games and activities, get brochures and videos, participate in raffles and drawings, and let the kids play games, get prizes and join in activities.
Noon-5 p.m. Saturday, March 16. Free admission, ticketed games and attractions. Decatur Square, 101 E. Court Square, Decatur. 404-370-4100.
Gather for fun at the inaugural Fair on the Square and listen to live music, buy food from food trucks and enjoy festivities like riding a mechanical bull and throwing at a dunk tank target to get local celebrities wet.
How Do Astronauts Stay Healthy in Space?
5:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, March 15, and 11 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 16. Free. Fernbank Science Center, 156 Heaton Park Drive, Atlanta. 678-874-7102.
Find out how astronauts sleep in space, what they eat, how microgravity changes their eyes and hearts, and more. Award-winning children’s STEM author Jennifer Swanson will explore what it’s like to live in space, and autographed copies of her book will be for sale.
North Fulton
Water Drop Dash 5K and Fun Run
7-10 a.m. Saturday, March 16. 5K $45 in advance, $50 day of race. Fun Run $15 in advance, $20 day of race. Both include free admission to CNC on race day. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. 770-992-2055.
Run a fast and flat course along the banks of the Chattahoochee River in this qualifier for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, and stay for an awards ceremony and family water festival.
St. Patrick’s Day with Atlanta Concert Band
4 p.m. Sunday, March 17. General admission $20, seniors 62 and older and children under 12 $15. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. 770-641-3727.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with music from the Emerald Isle performed by the Atlanta Concert Band.
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 16. $32-$42 per person. Painting with a Twist, 11770 Haynes Bridge Road No. 801, Alpharetta. 470-294-0051.
Bring your child or grandchild age 7 and older to create a cute two-panel painting depicting a big panda with a cub.
Gwinnett
1-5 p.m. general admission Saturday, March 16. $70 in advance, $75 day of event. Town Center Park, 330 Town Center Ave., Suwanee.
If you’re 21 or older, head to the Suwanee Beer Fest for your choice of more than 400 craft beers from around the country, live music, food trucks, local artists and vendors, and festival games such as cornhole, giant Jenga and mobile axe throwing.
Gardening 101 and Volunteer Workday
10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Sept. 16. Free. Community Garden, 205 Dacula Road, Dacula. 678-277-0890.
Give back to your community and hone your gardening skills by working in a raised bed in Dacula’s community garden. Harvest Gwinnett staff will be on hand to provide insight and best practices.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Noon-3 p.m., with 12:15 p.m. parade start. Saturday, March 16. Inflatables $15 unlimited play, face painting $5 and up. City Park in front of the band shell, 76 Main St., Lilburn. 770-921-2210.
Dress in your most festive St. Patrick’s Day, decorate your bike, stroller, wagon or other non-motorized parade and join in a walking parade around Lilburn City Park. Then stay for DJ Matt playing dance tunes, kids’ activities, food trucks and a Lilburchaun costume contest.
