If you love music, you’ll have plenty of fun events to choose from this weekend in metro Atlanta. The annual grassroots music festivals Oakhurst Porchfest and the Wire + Wood Alpharetta Songwriters Festival both return to the calendar this weekend. And Panic! at the Disco, Smokey Robinson and Keith Urban are all coming to the area on their concert tours.
Check out the following 15 things to do this weekend in metro Atlanta:
Intown Atlanta
Atlanta Pride Festival and Parade
Saturday, Oct. 8 and Sunday, Sept. 9. Free, with VIP admission available for $75 and up. Piedmont Park, 1320 Monroe Drive NE, Atlanta. 404-382-7588.
Celebrate Atlanta Pride with live music and entertainment as well as Sunday’s Pride Parade on Peachtree Street.
2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9. 300 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. $45 plus fees.
Run or walk through midtown Atlanta to support and raise funds to help women in the manufacturing industry gain skills and knowledge.
7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. $29.50 and up. State Farm Arena, 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta. 404-878-3000.
Singer and guitarist Keith Urban’s “The Speed of Now” world tour stops at the State Farm Arena. The concert features Tyler Hubbard and Ingrid Andress.
Cobb
Smyrna’s 150th Birthday Celebration and Culture & Spirit Festival
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. Free admission. Downtown Smyrna. 770-434-6600.
Soak up Smyrna’s culture and spirit with food, drink, music, special street performances, fireworks and more.
Chalktoberfest Chalk and Beer Festival
Credit: From Chalktoberfest’s Facebook page
Credit: From Chalktoberfest’s Facebook page
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 and 11 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct 9. Free admission. Marietta Square, 99 S. Park Square NE, Marietta.
Marietta is combining its Chalk Art Festival and Craft Beer Festival into Chalktoberfest, with proceeds benefiting the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. You’ll get to sample craft beers, eat great food, listen to live music from local artists and watch professional artists chalk the streets.
Smokey Robinson Music & Memories
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7. $75 plus fees and up. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 770-916-2852,
Legendary singer-songwriter and co-founder of Motown Records Smokey Robinson will perform at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
DeKalb
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Noon-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. Free. Oakhurst neighborhood in the southwest corner of Decatur.
Make your way through Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood, where 200 bands will perform on porches and lawns as part of Porchfest, a grassroots music festival.
6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9. Free. Blackburn Park (in the greenspace near the pavilion), 3501 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Brookhaven. 678-879-4570.
Arrive a little early to lay down your mat and get ready for the new week by letting go of stress with a sunset yoga class.
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. $22.95-$24.95. Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta. 404-929-6300.
Visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History for a closer look into our solar system and beyond through science demonstrations, cosmic crafts, intergalactic exhibits and more.
North Fulton
Credit: From Festivals of Speed’s Facebook page
Credit: From Festivals of Speed’s Facebook page
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9. Free, with advance registration required and donation for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation suggested. The Boulevard at Avalon, 400 Avalon Blvd., Alpharetta.
See some of the world’s most exotic cars, motorcycles and luxury brands, including Lamborghini, Porsche, Ferrari, Aston-Martin and McLaren.
72nd Annual Frances McGahee Youth Day Celebration
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. Parade starts at Roswell First Baptist Church, 710 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell, followed by a celebration at Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill St., Roswell. 770-641-3727.
Watch the Youth Day parade and then head to Roswell City Hall for live entertainment, arts and crafts, food, a Touch-A Truck event, a petting zoo at Smith Plantation (within walking distance) and more.
Wire & Wood Alpharetta Songwriters Festival
5 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct 8. Free. Downtown Alpharetta.
Catch more than 30 live music performances throughout downtown Alpharetta, with artists sharing the stories behind their tunes. Food trucks will be onsite, or you can enjoy a meal from a local restaurant.
Gwinnett
7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7. $29.50 and up. Gas South Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. 770-813-7500 (office) 770-626-2464 (tickets).
Hear new music from frontman Brendon Urie and Panic! At the Disco on their “Viva Las Vengeance” tour with special guests MARINA and Jake Wesley Rodgers.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 and Sunday, Oct. 9. Free. Braselton Town Green, 9924 Davis St., Braselton. 706-654-1944.
Bring the family to learn about daily life, cooking, armor and more from the 11th Century Battle of Hastings to the start of the Tudors’ reign in the 15th Century. You’ll be able to see living history demonstrations, participate in hands-on activities and shop at vendors tables.
Suwanee Taste of BBQ & Music Festival
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. Free admission. Town Center Park, Buford Highway and Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, Suwanee. 770-945-8996.
Try some tasty barbecue at the festival, which also features live music, vendors, an artists’ market and a family fun zone. It’s a fundraiser for Project Green, a local children’s non-profit.
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