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. 

::

Thursday

There Are Many Ways to Pray

The Atlanta Center for Photography will present this show curated by Anna Akpele, the gallery’s 2026 curator-in-residence. The show opens on September 10 with a reception from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Bringing together Caleb Jamel Brown, Mark Anthony Brown Jr. and Jarrett Christian, the works explore the ways personal narrative and collective history intersect.

Friday

Les Misérables

Often described as the world’s most popular musical, a new production of Les Misérables from City Springs Theatre Company, directed by Shuler Hensley, is on stage from September 11 through September 27. 

The Only Light in Reno

In Topher Payne’s play, it’s 1960 in Reno, and Hollywood has come to town for the glittering premiere of Marilyn Monroe’s latest movie. But a forest fire and a citywide blackout forces an unexpected fivesome — Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Actors Studio guru Paula Strasberg and suspected murderess Libby Holman — into one hotel room for the night. See it at Onstage Atlanta from September 11 through October 4.

Miya Bailey: Today and Tomorrow

Old Rabbit Gallery presents Today and Tomorrow, a solo art exhibition of new work by Miya Bailey, opening with a reception from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on September 11.

Saturday

Sandy Springs Fall Arts and Craft Festival

The Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces keeps the city’s outdoor art calendar packed with seven festivals spread across metro Atlanta parks and neighborhoods throughout the fall, and first up is the Sandy Springs Fall Arts and Craft Festival, taking place at Hammond Drive and Lake Forrest Drive on September 12 and September 13.

Romare Bearden: Prevalence of Ritual

Mason Fine Art will feature Romare Bearden’s “Prevalence of Ritual” series as part of a powerful fall exhibition opening September 12 with a reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The show also includes works by Hannah Ehrlich, Anna Carll, Ross Severson, Tyreek Morrison, Frank Morrison, Jeremy Hughes, Daniel Wingo and Jonathan Imafidor.

Jesús Castro-Balbi

At Kennesaw State University, cellist Jesús Castro-Balbi will perform the world premiere of Nicolás Gutiérrez’s Hilos for solo cello on September 12. This recital will also offer a rare opportunity to hear Esteban Benzecry’s 2002 Rapsodia Andina. Benzecry is one of the most widely recognized and performed Latin American composers today; Rapsodia Andina is a significant piece in the modern cello repertoire. Finally, the concert will include the Georgia premiere performance of Celso Garrido-Lecca’s Soliloquio II. Garrido-Lecca is a major Peruvian composer who recently passed away and who would have been 100 years old this year. This performance of an important piece in his catalog is a tribute to him.

Macbeth

Georgia Classic Theatre will present a contemporary production of Shakespeare’s Scottish play at the Conan Performing Arts Center at Oglethorpe University on September 12 and September 13.

Sunday

Collective Soul

Nostalgia seems to creep closer and closer to the present day, at least for those of us of a certain age. The ’90s are all the rage this coming fall. Atlanta’s own Collective Soul, which scored its biggest success in the ’90s, will play the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheatre in Peachtree City on September 13. Of course, they’ve rarely slowed down in the years since their heyday. The prolific, hardworking band released a documentary last year called Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story.

More things to do this weekend and beyond

Cat Eye Creative presents Janice Rago’s solo exhibition Tending the Wild, which opens September 12. This body of work reflects an ongoing tension between holding things together and allowing them to unfold — both in life and in the act of painting itself … Stone Mountain Park’s annual Yellow Daisy Festival welcomes more than 400 artists and crafters, plus craft demonstrations, vintage vendors, live music, a beer garden, food and more. The event takes place September 10 through September 13 … The DeKalb Symphony Orchestra’s season 62 opener happens at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts on September 15, with Gigout’s Grand Chœur Dialogué, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Albert Cano Smit … Violin superstar Joshua Bell returns to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for one night only to tackle Lalo’s paean to Spanish dance, Symphonie espagnole, on September 16. Conductor Michael Stern also leads the orchestra in Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 (Classical) … True Colors Theatre Company’s world premiere of Tank Stranger, written by Pulitzer-winning playwright James Ijames, is at the Southwest Arts Center with previews beginning on September 15, opening night on September 18 and continuing through October 4 … Atlanta-born musician Ken Carson is on a winning streak with his boundary-pushing and distinctive rap. His latest album, xperiment, was released in July, and it’s his second consecutive Top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart. He’ll headline State Farm Arena on September 13.