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 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Immerse yourself in the lush and richly hued sounds of Brahms and Wagner when Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann cues the next installment in Brahms Revealed. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra injects explosive energy into Brahms’ tumultuous Third Symphony. Stutzmann contrasts Brahms with the Romantic opulence of Wagner, with excerpts from three operas, including the ecstatic “Prelude” and “Liebestod” from Tristan und Isolde. Performances are on October 8 and October 10.

Like Father

The fascination with breaking down the details of horrific violence forms the bedrock of this world premiere musical opening at the Alliance Theatre on October 8 and running through November 15. It tells the story of Chris, a 17-year-old whose deep-buried family secrets come to light after her father’s arrest draws the attention of a true-crime podcast.

Friday

Photography as a Way of Life: Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan

The High Museum of Art continues its busy fall schedule with the opening of this new exhibition on October 9. It examines three photographers who redefined the medium in the mid-20th century and will be on view through February 7.

Atlanta Master Chorale

The ensemble opens its season with Serenity and Joy on October 9 and October 10. The program will include the a cappella Mass for Double Choir by Swiss composer Frank Martin.

Other Paths to God

Horizon Theatre’s fall season features a newly commissioned work by Kelundra Smith, a longtime ArtsATL contributor and editor-at-large whose years of arts journalism have documented Atlanta’s cultural landscape. As a playwright, Smith is best known in Atlanta for her historical drama The Wash, which had its 2024 world premiere at Synchronicity Theatre and Impact Theatre Atlanta. In her new show, running October  9 through November 8 at Horizon, Smith turns her attention to present-day healthcare workers. Set over the course of a week in the intensive care unit of an Atlanta hospital, the play follows five nurses whose demanding lives are further complicated when millions of dollars go missing and suspicion falls on their unit.

Saturday

Georgia Symphony Orchestra 

The orchestra will celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary with a program titled American Tapestry at Kennesaw State University’s Bailey Performance Center on October 10. Works include Joan Tower’s Made in America, Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait and William Grant Still’s Festive Overture.

Chalktoberfest

The Marietta Cobb Museum of Art presents this combination of its annual Chalk Art Festival and Craft Beer Festival. More than 80 national and international artists will create chalk pictures on the streets of Marietta, and the public will get a chance to join the fun in the Community Chalk Competition on Sunday. The event will take place in the square in Marietta on October 10 and October 11.

Atlanta Pride Festival and Parade

It’s the Southeast’s largest pride celebration and will take place on October 10 and October 11 in Piedmont Park. The annual parade is always a highlight, stepping off at the Civic Center MARTA station and wrapping up at Piedmont Park on October 11.

Sunday

Emily – No Prisoner Be 

Spivey Hall has a stellar lineup for the 2026-27 season, and one of the major highlights is sure to be mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and genre-defying string trio Time for Three bringing composer Kevin Puts’ new Emily – No Prisoner Be to local audiences for the first time at 3 p.m. October 11. They released the debut recording of this setting of 24 poems by Emily Dickinson in early August. Check out our preview of the performance, including interviews with Puts and DiDonato.

More things to do this weekend and beyond

Oakhurst Porchfest is a great way to enjoy a wide variety of music in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. You’ll likely get some exercise, too, as you walk from porch to porch. It’s happening on October 10 this year … Free outdoor Shakespeare returns to Avondale Estates Town Green this fall with Shakespeare at Sunset. With the new format comes family-friendly programming, music and a partnership with Georgia Classic Theatre. The series is free and open to the public and begins at 6 p.m. on October 10 with The Taming of the Shrew, followed by The Merchant of Venice on November 14 … Two of Atlanta’s many great contemporary music ensembles, Bent Frequency and ensemble vim, join forces for the Atlanta premiere of Raven Chacon’s Voiceless Mass on October 12 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Chacon became the first Native American to win a Pulitzer Prize for music when this work was honored in 2022. Read our preview of the performance, including interviews with the performers and the composer … Music Milton will open its second season with Mozart in Milton at 7:30 p.m. on October 10. The evening of chamber music will feature the internationally acclaimed Vega Quartet, celebrated pianist William Ransom and renowned clarinetist Laura Ardan. The concert will highlight three of Mozart’s most expressive works: the G Minor Piano Quartet, the Duo for Violin and Viola and the Clarinet Quintet, widely regarded as one of the crown jewels of the chamber music repertoire … The Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces (AFFPS) keeps the city’s outdoor art calendar packed with seven festivals spread across metro Atlanta parks and neighborhoods throughout the fall, including the Fall Festival on Ponce, October 10 and October 11 … The Ghastly Dreadfuls’ deadly ensemble of musicians, dancers and puppeteers rises from the dead to lead audiences into a world beyond this mortal plane, delivering a cavalcade of creepy stories, frightful songs and devilish dances unearthed from near and far. See it at the Center for Puppetry Arts from October 7 through October 31 … Catching Mangoes Dance, led by Filipina American Jacque Pritz, presents an excerpt of a new original dance work by Hiroko Kelly, My Daughter, My Karma, at the Rampant Gallery at Goat Farm Arts Center on October 10.