9 essential Atlanta arts events this weekend

Each week, ArtsATL curates a selection of the most exciting arts and culture events happening in Atlanta this weekend, highlighting nine must-see experiences. 

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Thursday

Dragon Con

It’s time for Dragon Con, Atlanta’s beloved pop culture convention. It’s one of the country’s most well-attended events of its kind, and, as always, the annual parade is likely to be a highlight. It should come as no surprise that the Star Trek universe will be well-represented among the featured guests. The seemingly eternal William Shatner will be there along with actors from later iterations of the show, including Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, Robert Duncan McNeill, Tim Russ and Garrett Wang. Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast members are a notable presence, too, with David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Marc Blucas and Emma Caulfield all appearing. It’s not all about the actors, though. They’ll have comic book artists and illustrators, authors, puppeteers, screenwriters, musicians, podcasters and more. Dragon Con takes over downtown Atlanta August 28 through September 1, with the parade happening along Peachtree Street beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, August 30. Check out our look at some of the convention’s highlights.

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is wrapping up nearly six decades of touring with All the Good Times: The Farewell Tour. The band is probably best known for the hit 1970 cover of Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles,” but they also scored big 10 years later with the Rodney Crowell song “An American Dream.” The band’s project, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, found the band collaborating with country and bluegrass legends such as Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff and Doc Watson. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, which still includes founding members Jeff Hanna and Jimmie Fadden, comes to Symphony Hall on August 28.

Atlanta Black Theatre Festival

For more than a decade, this annual Festival has served as a hub for playwrights, actors, directors, visual artists and creative professionals to showcase their work, collaborate and amplify the voices of marginalized communities. It’s held in conjunction with the Creative Arts Conference, where there will be workshops, panels, film screenings, staged readings and more. Events take place at two locations: Spelman College’s LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson Performing Arts Center and the Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel August 28 through August 30. Read more about the festival here.

DL Hughley

One of the original Kings of Comedy, Hughley has also starred in and produced his namesake television show, The Hughleys, which ran for four seasons on ABC and UPN in the late ’90s and early 2000s. He’ll be at City Winery for a four-day run August 28 through August 31.

Xernona Clayton: Legacy in Bloom

Head to downtown Atlanta’s Hardy Ivy Park on August 28 to celebrate an Atlanta Civil Rights icon with an all-women art show. It’s part of Clayton’s 95th birthday celebration, and the work will transform the park into a living tribute through nature-inspired installations. The event happens from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 28.

Friday

Michael Blaustein

Blaustein is an internationally touring headlining comedian and co-hosts the very popular podcast Stiff Socks with comedian Trevor Wallace. He can be seen on the Amazon Prime original series Inside Jokes and was a cast member on the last season of MTV’s Punk’d. He’ll perform five shows at Helium Comedy Club in Alpharetta from August 29 through August 31.

Saturday

Marietta Art in the Park

Now in its 39th year, Marietta Art in the Park offers two days of outdoor family fun during Labor Day weekend with an artist market that showcases works by 220 artists from all over the country. It takes place in Marietta Square’s Glover Park on August 30 and September 1.

MOCA GA openings

MOCA GA will mark the opening of two shows with a reception from noon until 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 30. Studio Apprentices: From the 2023/2024 Working Artist Project includes work by Horacio Arias-Rodriguez, Chase Chamberlain, Brayan Enriquez, Camden Hunt, Lucy Luckovich, Erin Palovick and Noah Reyez. Ayana Ross: Saving Our Sacred Selves features work by Savannah-born Ross that draws on the work of Black women writers and thinkers, most notably Alice Walker, Octavia Butler and Toni Morrison.

Sunday

House in the Park

On Sunday, August 31, this annual gathering will fill Grant Park with house music from a host of legendary DJs, including  Ramon “Rawsoul” Guyton and Kai Alce, the founders of the festival, which began back in 2005. House in the Park takes place from noon until 8 p.m. on August 31. Get your tickets in advance, because they’re just $20, but the price goes up to $25 at the gate.

Additional events from WABE’s The City Lights Collective and more things to do this weekend

On The City Lights Collective on WABE, ArtsAtl’s Shane Harrison offers a list of best bets, airing in the 1 p.m. hour every Wednesday. This week, in addition to some of the events listed above, he discusses performances by TK Kirkland, a businessman, comedian and podcast host who grew up in Compton, California. His first taste of stardom came touring with N.W.A (and he appeared in some of their videos). Since then, he’s been known as the “Gangsta of Comedy” and has shared the stage with musicians such as Eminem, Jay-Z, Keyshia Cole and Lil Wayne. He’ll be at the Atlanta Comedy Theater for five shows from August 28 through August 31.