Metro Atlanta residents looking for weekend plans have no shortage of options. The coming days bring a Diwali celebration in Dunwoody, a farewell homecoming for a beloved Little Five Points music venue, chili by the spoonful in Cabbagetown and markets selling everything from vinyl to pre-loved designer fashion. Here are 15 ways to spend the weekend.
Dunwoody hosts several of the highlights. Diwali in Dunwoody takes over the Dunwoody Nature Center from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday with sweet treats, hot tea and enactments of the story of Diwali at 5:15 and 6:45 p.m. Children can try rangoli chalk art, make clay lamps and decorate masks to join the play. Tickets are $30. Earlier that day, the Veterans Day Benefit Car Show runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dunwoody Village Shopping Center, where spectators get in free and can vote on their favorite cars alongside military, police and fire vehicles. Entry benefits VFW-aligned nonprofits, and showing a car costs $25.
On Sunday, Brook Run Park in Dunwoody hosts the Atlanta Miles for Melanoma 5K, with opening ceremonies at 8:30 a.m., the race at 9 a.m. and closing ceremonies at 10 a.m. Registration is $45 for runners and $40 for walkers, and Forefront Dermatology will offer free skin screenings on event day.
In Little Five Points, the Star Community Bar, which recently announced it will close at the end of the year, is going out with a bang. Its Starbar Homecoming brings back local mainstays from the 1990s and early 2000s, including the Moto-Litas and the Woggles, plus reuniting acts such as the Lost Continentals, the Lizardmen, Sonoramic Commando and the Jitney Rays. Shows run 7 p.m. to midnight Friday and 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday, with tickets at $25 for one night or $40 for both.
Cabbagetown's Chomp & Stomp returns Saturday with more than 100 chilis to sample, bluegrass performances, a market and the Romp 5K. The 5K starts at 8 a.m. and the cookoff and festival run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. along Wylie Street SE. Admission is free, tasting spoons are $12 in advance and higher at the event, and 5K registration is $45.
Art lovers can catch Sam Taylor-Johnson's exhibition She Was I at Jackson Fine Art, which traces the British artist, photographer and filmmaker's explorations of the self through portraiture. The show spans early black-and-white photos she took as a student in London in the 1990s through her newest series, Self Portrait in Dark Water, presented to U.S. audiences for the first time. It runs Tuesdays through Saturdays until Jan. 23, 2027.
Outdoor options include a free Tree Tour of the Virginia Highland Neighborhood Arboretum from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, led by Jim Long, a certified Trees Atlanta volunteer, with registration required. In Roswell, Wilderness Inquiry Community Day offers free entry to the Chattahoochee Nature Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, featuring partner exhibits and a brief river paddle aboard a 10-person canoemobile, with advance registration required.
Food and drink events round out Saturday. Taste of Kennesaw runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. along Main Street downtown, with free admission, samples from more than 35 restaurants priced from $1 to $10 and a Beer Garden, all supporting five local charities. The annual Decatur Wine Festival pours more than 350 wines at 70 tables from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Decatur Square, with local vendors, a DJ and dancing for guests 21 and older. Tickets are $65 in advance and $75 the day of.
Shoppers can browse Closet Confidential from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at Dress for Success Georgia, with VIP early access at 10 a.m. The sale features more than 1,200 pieces from over 70 designers in sizes 00 to 2X, benefiting the organization's work helping women across the state move forward in their careers and lives. General admission is $15 and VIP is $25. The Atlanta Punk Flea Market runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Yaarab Shrine Temple, selling vintage clothes, vinyl, original art, comic books, handmade jewelry and oddities. Admission is $10 and good for both days, free for kids 12 and under.
The weekend also brings the Concert for the Planet at the Coca-Cola Roxy, celebrating the Captain Planet Foundation's 35th anniversary with a Wallflowers concert and a DJ dance party set by Yola from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, with tickets from $38.75 and proceeds supporting young environmental change-makers. Comics fans have Infinite Realities Comicopia at the Tucker Recreation Center on Saturday and Sunday, with creators, original comic art, cosplay, vendors and collectibles; passes are $30.16 for one day or $52.76 for both. On Sunday at 2 p.m., National Geographic LIVE presents Wild Cats Revealed at the Lawrenceville Arts Center, where photographer and filmmaker Sandesh Kadur highlights India's lesser-known wild cats, including the tiny, grumpy-faced Pallas' cat and the elusive clouded leopard, in a 70-minute talk followed by a 20-minute Q&A. Tickets start at $44.60.
