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
The 2026 edition of the Festival returns to Atlanta area theaters through March 3 and will be streaming March 6 through March 15.
Emory University is celebrating sports and soccer culture with new exhibitions in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, coming to Atlanta this summer. Footwork: Celebrating Soccer, Culture, & Community gets things started on February 19 at the Woodruff Library’s Schatten Gallery. Drawing on Emory’s academic expertise, rich collections and global partnerships (think sneaker culture influencers and community collaborators), the exhibition explores Atlanta’s interconnected stories of soccer, civil rights and globalism from 1968 to today. A curator conversation will be held in conjunction with the exhibition opening at 6 p.m. on February 19, in the Woodruff Library’s Jones Room. At the Michael C. Carlos Museum beginning February 26, Footwork: Where We Gather joins traditional sports photography with contemporary works by photographer Sheila Pree Bright, whose new series celebrates Atlanta sports culture and uplifts the community that sports engenders.
Pianist Sergei Babayan joins the orchestra and conductor Robert Treviño for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4. The concert opens with “En otra noche, en otro mundo,” an atmospheric work by Puerto Rican composer Angélica Negrón. Concerts are at 8 p.m. on February 19 and February 21.
Friday
A three-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee as well as a Writers Guild Award and NAACP Award nominee for her work on Saturday Night Live, Jones has also been honored as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. She’ll perform at City Winery at 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on February 20 and February 21.
Merely Players Presents will stage Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, a powerful and deeply human story about chasing the American dream. See it at the company’s new space in Doraville from February 20 through March 8.
For 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet — David Harrington (violin), Gabriela Díaz (violin), Ayane Kozasa (viola) and Paul Wiancko (cello) — has challenged and re-imagined what a string quartet can be. The innovative ensemble comes to Kennesaw State University’s Bailey Performance Center at 8 p.m. on February 20.
Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream
Synchronicity Theatre’s latest production is a blues-infused musical that tells the spirited story of a young Black girl who grew up to become Toni Stone, the first woman to play for an all-male professional baseball team. It opens February 20 and continues through March 15.
Saturday
Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra
Join the Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra for The Uncommon Woman at Lassiter Concert Hall at 7 p.m. on February 21. The program features Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman,” Jennifer Higdon’s “Blue Cathedral,” Dvorak’s Violin Concerto in A Minor, performed by Martha Gardner, and William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1.
Atlanta Chinatown Year of the Horse Celebration
Atlanta Chinatown will bring in the Chinese New Year with a two-day celebration of the Year of the Fire Horse, featuring more than 50 vendors, food, music and dance performances. Festivities will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 21 and February 22.
More things to do this weekend and beyond
The Sun ATL will partner with the Rialto Center for the Arts by presenting quarterly exhibitions of works by gallery artists at the Rialto. The first is Jazz through the Lens, which features photography by Atlanta’s own Jim Alexander and Sue Ross, and England-born, Chicago-based Michael Jackson, curated by Shawn Vinson. The show opens with a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on February 19 … Booker T. Washington and American Leadership offers a dramatic interpretation of the life of Booker T. Washington at 11 a.m. February 21 at the Roswell Adult Recreation Center … Stephane Wrembel is one of the most highly regarded guitarists in the world, specializing in the style of legendary composer/guitarist Django Reinhardt. Wrembel brings his quartet to Atlanta, performing at Eddie’s Attic at 7 p.m. on February 23 … BAM! A celebration of Black artists in music features Grammy Award–nominated and Broadway sensation Avery Wilson, Tony Award nominee Amber Iman and SCAD alumna and American Idol winner Candice Glover. They’ll be joined by the SCAD’s student performers, including members of The Bee Sharps, for an uplifting concert celebrating Black music and its global influence. The concert takes place at SCADshow at 7 p.m. on February 23 … William Green will be performing songs from his new album titled Good To Go, as well as paying musical tribute to jazz and pop keyboardist and producer George Duke. It happens at 8 p.m. on February 20 at the Red Light Cafe … Grammy-winning guitarist Norman Brown has collaborated with George Benson, as well as countless others, including Dave Koz, Brian McKnight, Jeff Lorber, Gerald Albright, Peabo Bryson and Chanté Moore. He’ll perform at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on February 22 at City Winery … In contemporary New York City, members of a dysfunctional family of vampires are trying to come to terms with each other in the wake of their father’s death in Michael Almereyda’s Nadja. Meanwhile, they are being hunted by Dr. Van Helsing and his hapless nephew. See it at 9 p.m. on February 19 at The Plaza Theatre … Mama Koku and Chetter Galloway share folklore and culture, from the tricks and tales of Anansi and Brer Rabbit to the rhythms of the talking drum in African American Folktales at Aurora Theatre from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on February 21 … Enjoy a cultural double feature at the High Museum of Art’s Friday Jazz series, where you’ll experience live music and explore the museum’s galleries. On February 20, Friday Jazz features vocalist Lori Williams … The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang features candid photos of John Lennon and friends coinciding with the digital release of the feature film documentary on May Pang and John Lennon’s relationship, The Lost Weekend – A Love Story. Presented by the Ann Jackson Gallery at the Mimms Museum of Technology and Art in Roswell from noon until 7 p.m. February 24 and February 25 … Featuring more than 30 local and international artists, ABV Gallery’s Nostalgia is a group exhibition that presents blasts from the past. Artwork will include themes of individual or collective memories, including pop culture, historical events, historical figures, physical places and more. There’s an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on February 21
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