School might be back but summer's not over. From cosplay and dames to soul food and German beer, look no further than these 11 festivals for endless summer fun.
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AJC Decatur Book Festival
5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Aug. 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Aug. 31, 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., Sept. 1. Downtown Decatur, 101 E Court Square, Decatur.
The AJC Decatur Book Festival celebrates its 14th year over Labor Day weekend. The biggest book festival in Atlanta and one of the biggest in the country, the event will bring hundreds of authors to downtown Decatur and will attract up to 80,000 attendees seeking a literary experience.
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16th Annual German Bierfest
2-7 p.m., Aug. 24, Woodruff Park, 70 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta.
You don't have to be German to have fun at the 16th Annual German Bierfest. This festival will have tons of authentic German beer, yummy foods like bratwurst and schnitzel from Atlanta area German restaurants, live music, plenty of outdoor activities and more. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 day of the event.
ATL Wine + Spirits Fest
6-10 p.m., Aug. 24, The Promenade at Piedmont Park, 1320 Monroe Drive NE, Atlanta.
The best wines are the ones we drink with friends, so round-up yours for the ATL Wine + Spirits Fest at Piedmont Park. Your ticket not only gets you unlimited access to over 100 wine, beer, and spirits, live music and a souvenir glass, but it also will give a donation to the Piedmont Park Conservancy.
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Summer Shade Festival
10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Aug. 24, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Aug. 25, Grant Park, 840 Cherokee Ave. SE, Atlanta.
This two-day festival in Grant Park, which celebrates the final hurrah of summer, has been going on for more than a decade. It kicks off Saturday morning with the 5K Run for the Park, and throughout the two days features delicious food trucks, craft beer, a kids zone and live music.
Pro tip: if parking sounds like a hassle (it is), you can opt to ride your bike to the festival and park it for free with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Bike Valet.
Springer Mountain Farms Southern Wing Showdown
1-5 p.m., Aug. 25, The Fairmont, 1429 Fairmont Ave. NW, Atlanta.
Sponsored by Springer Mountain Farms and Big Green Egg, and produced by Taste of Atlanta, the Southern Wing Showdown will feature Springer Mountain Farms wings and sides from dozens of prominent Southeastern chefs. Guests of the festival can also enjoy beer and cocktails as the chefs battle it out for the title of Best Wing. The Showdown offers attendees two ticket options -- a General Admission pass that comes with all-you-can-eat wings, sides, beer and cocktails, and a VIP First Taster ticket that grants guests early entry. Tickets are $65 and $75 respectively and are online now at southernwingshowdown.com.
Festival Peachtree Latino
10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Aug. 25, Piedmont Park, 400 Park Drive NE, Atlanta.
Head to Piedmont Park for Festival Peachtree Latino, the largest multicultural event in the state of Georgia since 2000. This family-friendly event features fun activities, sporting events, exhibitions, crafts, delicious food from around the world, music and much more.
Pub Crawl on the BeltLine
Noon to 4 p.m., Aug. 10, Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, 10th Street and Monroe Drive, Atlanta.
The Eastside BeltLine trail is busting at its seams with electric scooters, Insta-photographers and trendy restaurants. From tacos, beer, ice cream and more, come crawl along and indulge in a good time. Tickets are $38 and include five complimentary beverages along the BeltLine along with food and drink specials at each participating location.
Dames and Dregs Beer Festival
1-6 p.m, Aug. 10, Masquerade Atlanta-Kenny's Alley, 92 Pryor St. SW, Atlanta.
The Dames and Dregs Beer Festival is an Atlanta-based, one-of-a-kind festival built to empower the community by celebrating and supporting female contributions in brewing, as well as female-led businesses and local non-profit organizations. Each ticket includes unlimited 4-oz. pours of beer and spirits, a swanky branded cup and access to all the fun festivities.
Piedmont Park Arts Festival
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Aug. 17, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Aug. 18, Piedmont Park, 1071 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta.
Calling all art enthusiasts - there will be up to 250 painters, glassblowers, sculptors, and crafters taking over Piedmont Park mid-August for the annual Piedmont Park Arts Festival. Atlanta's most celebrated green space will not only be full of art but will have food, live acoustic music, artist demonstrations, a children's play area and so much more.
Credit: Avery Newmark
Credit: Avery Newmark
Dragon Con
Various times, Aug. 29-Sept. 2, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Ave. NE, Atlanta.
Every Labor Day weekend, since 1987, one of the largest cosplay extravaganzas takes place in Downtown Atlanta. This year 85,000 attendees are expected to take over the five host hotels and the AmericasMart buildings No. 1 and No. 2. The weekend-long festivities include the famed parade, panels, vendors, gaming and so much more. Buy a pass to experience the full effect, or check out one of these seven places to people watch for a sneak peek of Atlanta's largest and longest-running con.
Taste of Soul Festival Atlanta
Noon to 9 p.m., Aug. 31-Sept. 1, Atlanta's West Downtown, 10 Northside Drive & N. MLK Jr. Drive, Atlanta.
In the heart of the nation's Soul Food capital, Taste of Soul offers delicious Southern food, live music, kid-friendly activities, art and so much more. The two-day experience is free, but if you want to make the most of it you can purchase tickets to the Soul in the City Concert on the festival's main stage. There are also ticket options for BrunchTOSA and VinoTOSA events.
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