Arts Agenda: Summer festivals

Each week, ArtsATL delivers a critic’s short list of the shows, exhibitions, concerts and events we recommend for the coming weeks within one area in the kaleidoscope of Atlanta arts and culture. This week, we offer a look at some of the festivals taking place this summer in and around Atlanta.

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Through June 1

Take a trip back in time at the Georgia Renaissance Festival, which continues through June 1 with jousting, an artisan marketplace, food, jugglers, jesters and more anachronistic fun.

May 23-26

For jazz fans in Atlanta, Memorial Day brings an opportunity to enjoy their favorite music in the great outdoors with tens of thousands of fellow enthusiasts at the free city-sponsored Atlanta Jazz Festival. This year’s special events include a pre-festival concert on May 23 at Atlanta Symphony Hall featuring Robert Glasper and Baby Rose. The lineup for the three-day Festival at Piedmont Park features local, national and international artists representing an array of jazz flavors from straight ahead, swing and soul to big band and contemporary.

May 28-June 8

With more than 60 artist groups, new and returning venues across the metro and the return of the Audio Fringe series, Atlanta Fringe Festival 2025 offers two full weeks of high-energy performances that promise to live up to the Fringe mission: providing a platform for adventurous artists and entertaining Atlanta with diverse voices and unique perspectives.

May 31-June 1

Just off the Atlanta Beltline, The Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival brings fine arts and crafts, a children’s play area, local food and beverage concessions, live acoustic entertainment on the lawn and more at one of the city’s most beautiful parks.

June 6-8

Local artists take center stage at the annual Virginia Highland Summerfest, which showcases their works and features a music stage in John Howell Park, along with other family-friendly activities. It’s also a chance to explore the shops and restaurants of the historic Virginia-Highland district. There’s a kick-off party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June 6.

June 7-8

Experience the beauty of nature at the annual Flying Colors Butterfly Festival at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell. The “Butterfly Encounter,”  an up-close guided experience with hundreds of native butterflies, is always a highlight. You’ll also find live music, photography and entomology exhibits, arts and crafts and face painting.

June 14-15

Celebrate the country’s newest federal holiday at the Juneteenth Atlanta Parade & Music Festival on June 14 and June 15. The holiday marks the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas in 1865. There will be live music on two stages, craft vendors, food, a car show, a 5K run and more. The parade starts near The King Center on Auburn Avenue and ends at Piedmont Park.

June 21-22

The 16th annual Atlanta Shortsfest offers compact doses of comedy, drama, animation, horror, documentary and experimental work, featuring work by both emerging and established filmmakers at Limelight Theater in downtown Atlanta.

June 23-29

Southern Fried Queer Pride prepares to take over Little Five Points for its 11th annual celebration. Organizers promise the fest’s largest artist market yet, with expanded events and programming and a grand opening gallery exhibition. Check their website for more details on all the related events.

July 25-26

The Afrikan Djeli Cultural Institute presents the Atlanta African Dance & Drum Festival at Tri-Cities High School in East Point on July 25 and July 26. In addition to the African dance and drum performances, there will be a marketplace and classes focused on both the music and dance of West Africa and the Caribbean.

July 26

There’s no better way to beat the summer heat in Atlanta than with a cold scoop of ice cream, and you’ll find plenty of that at the annual Atlanta Ice Cream Festival on July 26. Chill out in Piedmont Park with both local vendors and national favorites. In addition to the sweet treats, there will be live music and dance performances throughout the day. Go ahead and grab seconds (and thirds), but don’t forget fitness activities are available as well.

July 31-August 3

A collaboration between Long Shot Productions, East Coast Talent Agency, Cobb Travel & Tourism and The Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, the annual Cobb International Film Festival accepts feature-length films, short films and documentary films of all lengths from filmmakers at all different levels. It’s happening at the Strand Theatre July 31 through August 3.

August 15-16

Competition barbecue and music come together at Kennesaw’s Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival on Main Street and at the United Bankshares Amphitheater. The event got its start with a blues concert and a handful of amateurs back in 2000, and it’s grown into a Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned event that attracts an estimated 60,000 people annually.

August 16-17

The Piedmont Park Arts Festival brings nearly 250 painters, photographers, sculptors, leather and metalworkers, glass blowers, jewelers and crafters to Piedmont Park on August 16 and August 17. You’ll also find artist demonstrations, live acoustic music, a children’s play area and more at this free annual festival.

August 23-24

The heat will likely still be in full force, and summer won’t officially end until September, but Grant Park’s Summer Shade Festival offers a chance to say goodbye to summer on the last weekend before Labor Day. A family-friendly day of music, art and food, the Festival also serves as a fundraiser for Atlanta’s oldest park.