Atlanta is buzzing with a vibrant mass of music festivals that keep tourists and locals on their toes throughout the year. So, if you are scouring the United States in hopes of uncovering the best music festivals in Atlanta, this is the list for you.
1. Atlanta Hip Hop Day
“The Annual Atlanta Hip Hop Day Festival is a free family festival that pays tribute to the four elements of Hip Hop and Atlanta’s contribution to Hip-Hop as a whole. The annual festival is held owntown Atlanta at Robert Woodruff Park. The four sides of the park are dedicated to the four elements of Hip Hop displaying B-Boy & B-Girl exhibits, Emcee Battles, Turntablism and Graffiti artists.”
2. Atlanta Pride Festival
“The Atlanta Pride Festival celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Atlanta and the Southeast. The two-day event includes live performances, exhibits, civic and learning programs, the famous Pride Parade and the Pride Marketplace with over 200 vendors from the LGBT community.”
3. Shaky Beats Festival
“Hosted at the center of the 1996 Olympics at Centennial Park in Atlanta,Georgia – Shaky Beats Festival was created as an EDM shoot off of its sister alt-rock festival ‘Shaky Knees.’ F eaturing dance music and top tier artists, Shaky Beats fills the prior void of Southern EDM festivals.”
4. Candler Park Fall Test
“Hosted annually by the Candler Park neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, the Candler Park Fall Fest celebrates the glory of the autumn season. The two-day festival features more than 100 booths showcasing locals artists and craftsmen, live performances by local bands, local food vendors, family events and a 5k race, with the proceeds benefiting programs throughout the community.”
5. Afropunk Music Festival
“AFROPUNK is one of the best music concerts in Atlanta that started as an underground urban indie-rock/punk/hardcore scene, inspired a documentary, became an online community, grew into a live-performance series, and is now an international event chronicling what it calls “the other black experience.
In a 2014 New York Times article, Cooper elaborated, “If you were to define AFROPUNK in one word, it’s ‘freedom.’ People of color don’t necessarily feel that in their day-to-day lives. AFROPUNK is a space that creates that, whether it’s online or at the festival.”
6. Music Midtown, Sept. 18-19, 2021
As one of the state’s largest music fests, Music Midtown draws fans to Atlanta every September. The long list of acts in the weekend lineup covers many musical genres and features some of the industry’s biggest names. The fest, held outdoors in Piedmont Park in September, will feature Maroon 5, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, 21 Savage, Dababy, Megan Thee Stallion, Machine Gun Kelly and many more.
7. Tunes from the Tombs
Nationally recognized singer-songwriters gather in October for Alpharetta’s Wire and Wood Songwriters Festival. Fans get a behind-the-scenes look at the stories that inspired country, rock, blues, Americana and bluegrass songs. Featuring veteran songsmiths and local up-and-coming talent, the festival converts the streets of downtown Alpharetta into concert stages.
9. ONE Musicfest
ONE Musicfest attracts more than 50,000 music fans to Centennial Olympic Park to hear hip hop, EDM, reggae, funk, trap, house, alternative rock and soul music. The eclectic mashup of urban artists have included Gucci Mane, Wu-Tang Clan, Three 6 Mafia, Outkast, Kendrick Lamar, Lauryn Hill, T.I, Jill Scott, Janelle Monae and many more.
10. A3C Festival & Conference
