From the blooming trees to festivals galore, spring events are as plentiful as the unfortunate yellow coating of pollen. Check out some of the activities happening on campus (and beyond) in the coming weeks.
On Campus
Tech Arts Block Party – April 21
When: Friday, April 21, 6 p.m.
Where: Arts Plaza
The semester, and the Tech Arts Festival, comes to a close with a finale that will get you moving! DJ Unruely will spin all evening; GT Creatives will host an open mic; and Komansé Dance Theater will perform at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. All that creativity making you hungry? Slutty Vegan ATL will offer free boxed meals for the first 75 folks, and Chef Baker’s Place food truck will serve 75 free meals and then have their menu available for purchase.
Spring Semester Tree Tour – April 22
When: Saturday, April 22, 10:30 a.m.
Where: Einstein statue at Tech Green
Have you noticed all the lovely blooming trees, shrubs, and flowers on campus? Have you found yourself thinking, huh, I’d sure like to know that plant’s name? If so, come and join us for a walking tour of campus flora on Earth Day and learn about all the beautiful trees in our own backyard!
Musician’s Network 1000 Couches – April 22
When: Saturday, April 22, 2-11 p.m.
Where: Peters Parking Deck
GTMN’s semesterly music festival. Local bands and musicians will be performing on Peter’s Parking Deck all day! Come by for a day of live music, food, snacks, and good times!
Pop in the Willage – April 23
When: Sunday, April 23, 7-9 p.m.
Where: West Village, Room 175
The Georgia Tech Rock and Pop bands will perform a variety of new and original music on the West Village lawn! Bring food, drinks, and friends, and be prepared to dance!
Admission is free and open to the public.
Ivan Allen Prize: Fireside Chat with Christiane Amanpour – April 24
When: Monday, April 24, 9:30-11 a.m.
Where: Atlantic Theater, John Lewis Student Center
Georgia Tech is proud to honor the legacy of a great alumnus and civic leader, former Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. The Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage shines a light on those around the world who bravely act to improve the human condition, often in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.
The 2023 recipient is Christiane Amanpour.
The entire campus community is invited to attend a fireside chat on Monday, April 24, moderated by CNN correspondent Tom Foreman.
Ask questions prior to the event by emailing events@gatech.edu.
For more information and to RSVP, visit the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage webpage.
Inversion (with sky and chromatic clock): Opening Night Reception – April 25
When: Tuesday, April 25, 7-8:30 p.m.
Where: Cherry Street NW, near Harrison Square
Please join us for an opening reception to celebrate the installation of Micah and Whitney Stansell’s collaborative artwork, Inversion (with sky + chromatic clock). Installed outdoors on Cherry Street near Harrison Square, the work utilizes thousands of sheets of copy paper reclaimed from the Georgia Tech Library’s recycling bins to create a fluttering “kinetic screen” suspended between the trees lining Cherry Street, spanning the road. As night falls, projections of daytime skies with clouds illuminate the paper. The projections, recorded around campus at hourly intervals throughout the day, are separated and organized by moments of saturated color that correspond to the time at which each video segment was recorded.
Atlanta Conference on Science and Innovation Policy – May 24-26
When: May 24-26
Where: Georgia Tech Global Learning Center
Why: The 9th Biennial Atlanta Conference on Science and Innovation Policy will include plenary sessions reflecting different facets of the science and innovation system, presentations of well-developed research, and an early career poster session to allow young researchers to present their work.
Around Atlanta
Big Shanty Festival (Kennesaw) – April 22-23
When: Saturday April 22 & Sunday, April 23
Where: Downtown Kennesaw
The Big Shanty Festival is back with more than 150 Arts & Crafts vendors, food, live entertainment, a parade, children’s activities & a beer garden; there is something for the whole family!
A parade will kick off the festival at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 22. Crowds line the streets of downtown Kennesaw to cheer on the more than 2,000 kids that participate. These kids represent every sports association and school in the area. Local businesses, the winners of various beauty pageants, and Allatoona, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Harrison and North Cobb High School marching bands also add to the festivities.
Enjoy local performances and dance groups on two stages and acoustic music, featuring Scott Thompson throughout the day.
SweetWater 420 Fest – April 22-23
When: Saturday, April 22 & Sunday, April 23
Where: SweetWater Brewing Company, 195 Ottley Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
Atlanta Arts, Vegan, and Vegetarian Festival – April 22
When: Saturday, April 22, 12-7 p.m.
Where: Westside Park, 1660 Johnson Road NW, Atlanta
The free Atlanta Arts, Vegetarian, and Vegan Festival celebrates Earth Day. In the spirit of healthy living, family, and community we celebrate the Earth. Support local and international artists, crafters, chefs, and entrepreneurs.
Atlanta Film Festival – thru April 30
When: April 20-30
Where: Plaza Theatre, Dad’s Garage, The Carter Center
The Atlanta Film Festival, now in its sixth decade, is an Academy Award-qualifying festival and one of the region’s largest and longest-running preeminent celebrations of cinema in the Southeast United States. More than 28,000 festival attendees are expected to enjoy independent, animated, documentary, and short films selected from more than 9,000 submissions from 30 countries at the 2023 event.
Decatur Arts Festival – May 5-7
When: Friday, May 5 – Sunday, May 7
Where: Downtown Decatur
The free Decatur Arts Festival brings the community together through a multi-day offering of live music, dance, comedy, theatrical performances, kids’ fest, exhibitions, and an expansive and diverse artists’ market.
Kennesaw Beer and Wine Festival – May 6
When: Saturday, May 6, 1-5 p.m.
Where: Depot Park, 2829 Cherokee St NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144
The Kennesaw Beer and Wine Festival features live music as well as over 100 beers, including local Georgia breweries as well as select breweries from all over the country. Also available at the event are tastings from a variety of ciders, spirits, and more than 25 different wines.
Yellow Pollen Street Festival (Hampton) – May 13
When: Saturday, May 13, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Historic Downtown Hampton
The Hampton Business and Merchants Association is announcing its annual Yellow Pollen Street Festival. This event has become the premier spring event for artisans and craftsmen in the state, with food trucks, concessions, live music, and more.
Sweet Auburn Springfest (Atlanta) – May 13 & 14
When: Saturday, May 13 & Sunday, May 14
Where: Historic Sweet Auburn District, 230 John Wesley Dobbs, Atlanta, Georgia
REVIVED … RECHARGED … RENEWED. Welcomes the largest family reunion in the world with music, food, vendors, and kids’ zone, and more. The purpose of the Sweet Auburn Festival is to bring awareness to the Historic Sweet Auburn District in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dunwoody Art Festival – May 13 & 14
When: Saturday, May 13 & Sunday, May 14
Where: Dunwoody Village Parkway and the Dunwoody Village Shopping Center, 1317 Dunwoody Village Parkway, Dunwoody, Georgia
This Mother’s Day tradition will be bigger than ever, with over 130 artisans, a large Kidz Zone and lots of festival cuisine. Sunday is usually the most crowded day, so for the easiest shopping start on Saturday morning. Take a break in the Food Court and finish it all off in the afternoon. The show is Rain or Shine.
Chastain Park Arts Festival (Atlanta) – May 13 & 14
When: Saturday, May 13 & Sunday, May 14
Where: Chastain Park, 4469 Stella Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30327
Named as one of the nation’s Top 100 (67) Arts Festival Nationwide by Sunshine Artist Magazine the Chastain Park Arts Festival will host its 13th annual event at Chastain Park along Park Drive for approximately 175 artists and artisans.
Visitors will enjoy fine art and crafts, a children’s area, and local food and beverage concessions including gourmet food trucks. Local acoustic musicians will enliven the atmosphere. This event is organized by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces and volunteer artists. Best of all, it’s entirely free to attend!
Atlanta Cycling Festival – May 13-20
When: Saturday, May 13 – Saturday, May 20
Where: Various
We are back with rides and events all over Atlanta! Join us May 13-20 as we explore ATL on two wheels.
The event schedule will be going up soon and we have some great rides planned like…
- Intercontinental Cocktail Ride
- Mash2Brash
- Donut Ride
- The Queer Ride
- Opening and Closing Bash
- And of course the One Ride!
MomoCon – May 25-28
When: Thursday, May 25 – Sunday, May 28
Where: Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta
MomoCon brings together fans of Japanese Anime, American Animation, Comics, Video Games, and Tabletop Games to celebrate their passion by costuming / cosplay, browsing the huge exhibitors hall, meeting celebrity voice talent, designers, and writers behind their favorite shows, games, and comics and much much more over this 4 day event.
Atlanta Jazz Festival – May 27-29
When: Saturday, May 27 – Monday, May 29
Where: Piedmont Park, Atlanta
Atlanta Jazz Festival is regarded as one of the largest FREE jazz festivals in the country. An annual celebration of the music, culture and art of jazz begins in April and culminates each Memorial Day weekend, with an outdoor festival featuring jazz artists from all over the world.
The mission of the Atlanta Jazz Festival is to expose and entertain a diverse audience of Jazz aficionados, young Jazz enthusiasts and aspiring musicians to the rich heritage and variety of Jazz as an authentic form of American music.
Atlanta Jazz Festival is produced by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (www.ocaatlanta.com).