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
Hopeton St. Clair Hibbert Jr.: The Weight and the Witness
This body of work brings together sculpture and photography to explore the tension between labor and identity — how material carries memory, and how we navigate what is seen and what is felt. The exhibition opens with a reception from 5:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m. on June 18 and will be up through August 22 at Chastain Arts Center & Gallery.
Friday
Friday is Juneteenth, the annual commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. In Atlanta, the biggest event takes place June 19 through June 21 at Piedmont Park, with a parade, live performances and other cultural activities. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on June 20 near the King Center and will travel down Boulevard and Monroe Drive to Piedmont Park. This year’s event honors the late Juneteenth Atlanta Executive Board Member and Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. For more Juneteenth events, check out this week’s Arts Agenda.
The Human League, Soft Cell and Alison Moyet
Take a trip back to the ’80s at the Fox Theatre on June 19 with a show headlined by the Human League. The lineup also includes Alison Moyet, best known as the vocalist for the duo known as Yaz in the U.S. (but Yazoo in the rest of the world), and Soft Cell with Marc Almond. Sadly, this is Soft Cell’s first tour without founder Dave Ball, who died last year.
Australia’s The Church, which began its career back in 1980, comes to Center Stage on June 19. The tour is called The Singles: 1980-2025 and will include many of their most beloved songs, such as “Under the Milky Way” and “Reptile” from their 1988 album Starfish.
The Cinema Life Film Festival Collective, a grassroots, all-women-led indie festival platform, presents the Georgia Shorts Film Festival from June 19 through June 21. On opening night, the Festival will honor Juneteenth, launching with a celebration of Black cinema, bold storytelling and emerging filmmakers of color. With 84 short films officially selected, all screenings will take place at 7 stages in Little Five Points.
The queens of alt3r will guide brave souls through the streets of Little 5 Points for Queens of the Crypt, a ghost tour unlike anything you’ve experienced before. Part history tour, part drag performance and part paranormal adventure, this walking tour uncovers the legends, mysteries and colorful characters that have made Little 5 Points one of Atlanta’s most iconic neighborhoods. It runs Fridays and Saturdays from June 19 through July 18.
Saturday
Catch a performance by Georgia’s own Empress of Soul, who will perform at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater in Peachtree City on June 20. The 82-year-old Atlanta-born legend has had a remarkably long career, with her first recordings with the Pips released in the late 1950s.
As Atlanta prepares to welcome visitors from around the world for one of the summer’s most anticipated global sporting moments, the Atlanta Beltline will bring the city together with a free two-day celebration of culture, community, music, food and soccer, happening June 20 and June 21. Held at Pittsburgh Yards along the Beltline’s newly opened Southside Trail, the Beltline Fest will feature live match screenings throughout the weekend, including a featured watch party on June 21 for the Atlanta-based Spain vs. Saudi Arabia match. The Festival will conclude each day with headline performances by acclaimed artists Tobe Nwigwe on June 20 and Busta Rhymes on June 21.
Sunday
Classical Remix Festival: Bridgerton & Mendelssohn
The Classical Remix Festival, which began on June 13 and continues through June 28, presents Bridgerton & Mendelssohn at Autrey Mill Nature Preserve on June 21. This concert features members of the Atlanta Symphony and Atlanta Opera orchestras performing selections from the Bridgerton soundtrack live. For the second half of the program, they’ll be joined by students of the William Pu Music Academy and William Pu himself to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20. Read more about the Festival here.
More things to do this weekend and beyond
Atlanta’s main Pride event takes place in October, largely because it’s really hot here in the summer, and a long walk down Peachtree Street in late June is a sweaty slog. However, because June is the traditional month of Pride around the world, you’ll find plenty of Pride-themed events this month, too. Southern Fried Queer Pride is a multiday festival in Little 5 Points from June 22 through June 28, featuring an artist market, gallery exhibitions, intergenerational dinners and the Peach Pit Pageant at 7 Stages Theatre. Now in its 12th year, the theme for 2026 is Seeds of Resistance … Enjoy after-hours zoo access, keeper talks and live entertainment at Zoo Atlanta Pride Night at 6 p.m. on June 20 … It’s Giving Edgewood: O4W Pride Bar Crawl takes place at some of Old Fourth Ward’s coolest bars, like Lore Atlanta; Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium; and Joystick Gamebar; and includes an art show at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company. A portion of all bar sales will benefit Atlanta Pride. Join in from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on June 21 … Perry native Mike Walton pays tribute to one of the greatest jazz musicians of the 20th century with Mike Walton presents A Love Supreme, in honor of John Coltrane’s 100th birthday. Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926, in North Carolina. Catch it at 7 p.m. on June 18 at Eddie’s Attic.
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