The Atlanta Summer Beer Fest is coming up in June! 150+ beers, live music on two stages, fun and games!

Details: Sat 6/22 4-9pm at Masquerade. $35+ ($45 on Sat)

One of the best things about summer in Atlanta is all the fun movie screening events! From blockbusters to classics, there are so many ways to get your movie fix - including the annual Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival at the historic Fox Theatre!

Beat the heat and enjoy gorgeous setting that is the Fox Theatre and screenings can be about a fun time with family, a date night or friends enjoying a night out. Come early for the sing-alongs with the famous “Mighty Mo” organ and enjoy a vintage cartoon before the show.

Details: $8.50 pre-sale for adult movie tix ($10 after 6/1), $7.50 for kids. Buy tix here.

2013 Movie schedule:

Friday, June 14th 7:30pm - Raiders of the Lost Ark

Saturday, June 15th 10am - Saturday Morning Cartoons

Saturday, June 15th 7:30pm - Oz, The Great and Powerful

Friday, June 21st 7:30pm - 42

Saturday, June 22nd 2pm (Matinee) - Finding Nemo

Saturday, June 22nd 7:30pm - Les Miserables

Sunday, June 23 4pm - The Birds (50th Anniversary)

Friday, July 26th 7:30pm - Django Unchained

Saturday July 27th 6pm - The Croods

Sunday July 28th 4pm - Lawrence of Arabia

Saturday August 17th 10am - Saturday Morning Cartoons

Sunday August 18th 4pm - Breakfast at Tiffany’s

You  haven’t seen a movie in Atlanta until you have seen one at The Fox Theatre!!

Another fun music event is coming up soon - Party in the Park! This one-day music event is being held in Centennial Olympic Park and will feature performances by Passion Pit, Ellie Goulding, GroupLove, The Electric Suns, and Yeasayer.

Details: Sat 5/18 3-11pm. $35+.

The event is being held rain or shine and attendees can bring blankets, Soft-backed collapsible chairs and personal umbrellas. No pets, coolers, alcohol, or bags - but you will be able to enjoy delicious eats and drinks from Googie Burger! Come on our and enjoy an afternoon (and evening!) in downtown Atlanta!

I love all the local festivals around Atlanta and one you shouldn’t miss is the Virginia-Highland Summerfest! This neighborhood in Atlanta is home to some of my favorite restaurants and shops in town. Add to the mix great live music, artist booths and a kids area - you have a party!

Details: Saturday, June 1st & Sunday, June 2nd 10am start. FREE!!

If you are a fan of the area or have never been before, this is the weekend for you! Summerfest features live music both days. Music line-up TBD

The artists market will have more than 200 vendors from across the country will be featured and is not to be missed! Dad’s day is coming up, or just get some early Christmas shopping done!

For the fit and families, there is a 5K run/walk on Saturday at 8am ($30 reg) and afterwards a Tot Trot ($10) for kids to walk/crawl/run/waddle their way to the finish at Inman Middle School. Advance registration required, sign up here.

There will also be a KidsFest at John Howell Park on Sat (10am-5pm) and Sun (noon-5pm). Lots of fun music and art activities - the theme this year is ‘Wild Animal Safari’.

Note: Parking is already tough in the VaHi area, so if you can take MARTA, that would be great, or be on the lookout for paid lots or approved street parking.

This event is a great excuse to explore the Virginia Highlands area - so mark the dates on your calendar for a fun, free, family friendly festival in the heart of Atlanta!

Atlanta is a town filled with amazing chefs, great restaurants and an abundance of fantastic locally grown ingredients including - tomatoes! In celebration of local farmers and their ties to local dining, JCT.Kitchen and Bar hosts their Fifth Annual Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival this July!

Details: Sun 7/21 1-5pm at JCT Kitchen. $55+.

This annual event has a rock star line-up of local chefs and mixologists who are paired up with local farmers to create amazing dishes and signature drinks to benefit a great cause - Georgia Organics.

The festivities this year also will include food writer, stylist and photographer Angie Mosier and registered dietician, author and food journalist Carolyn O’Neil as co-masters of ceremonies, as well as live entertainment from The Spazmatics and local chef band Five Bone Rack.

So be sure to get your tickets now for this event. There are only 1,400 available and sell out quickly! All ticket prices will increase to $70 per person starting Monday, July 1.

One of my favorite weekend escapes in Atlanta has to be a trip to Oakland Cemetery paired with friends, food and some tasty brews. Not just any cemetery, Oakland is a gorgeous historical space with lush landscaping and a great way to dive head first into Atlanta’s history. One of their new signature events is coming up that you will want to check out - Oakland’s 3nd Annual Tunes From The Tombs!

Details: Saturday, June 8. 1pm-8pm. $10+. Get tix here.

This special one-day event features two main stages that will host amplified artists, while buskers will perform on distinct vignette stages throughout the cemetery. All genres of music will be represented; rock, folk, Americana, jazz, classical, and everything in between. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and stretch out under the gorgeous trees in the park while you enjoy this special outdoor concert experience.

Creative Loafing Lion Square Stage
6:15pm - Blair Crimmins and the Hookers – New Orleans roots/Americana/swing
5pm – 4th Ward Afro Klezmer Orchestra – jazz
4pm - The Bonaventure Quartet (featuring Amy Pike) – jazz/swing
3pm – Bird City Revolutionaries – reggae
2pm – The Breeze Kings - blues
1pm - Caroline and the Ramblers – rockabilly

Scoutmob North Public Grounds Stage
6:30pm – Rod Hamdallah – blues/rockabilly
5:30pm – Slim Chance and the Convicts – Americana/alt.country
4:30pm – The Deadfields - Americana
3:30pm – Rolling Nowhere – Americana/alt.country/roots rock
2:30pm - Little Country Giants – folk/Americana
1:30pm – Spanky and the Love Handles – New Orleans delta blues

Other performances throughout Oakland on smaller vignette stages:
Wasted Potential Brass Band – jazz / standards / busking & stage
6pm - Atlanta Sacred Harp Singers – shape note singing

Tunes From The Tombs will feature bands and musicians from Atlanta, Georgia and beyond, just not the ‘great beyond’.

After the show, wander over the local fave Six Feet Under and indulge in some of their fantastic food and brews! Other great spots around there include Ria’s Bluebird for a killer breakfast, Mi Barrio for a tasty Mexican lunch/dinner and Octane + Little Tart Bakery for coffee and decadent pastries.

A fantastic way to enjoy some amazing music, learn about Atlanta’s history and all proceeds benefit the upkeep of this important historical landmark.

A great way to kick off a spring and summer filled with fun theater and musical events in Atlanta has to be Broadway Atlanta’s production this week of Sister Act at the Fox Theatre!

Details: 4/23-28 at the Fox Theatre. $59+.

Based on the ‘90s cult film starring Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg, ‘Sister Act’ follows Deloris Van Cartier, a wannabe singer who after witnessing a crime, has had her life turned upside down. From her glamorous and high-rolling ways as a club diva, she was forced to embrace a life of piety, prayer, asceticism and worship. Though it seemed like she had a hard time fitting in at first, her newly gained sister friends, including the initially suspicious Mother Superior, gave her plenty of reasons to turn her sister act into more than a mere disguise, but as a way of seeing and doing things differently and this time, with a higher and better purpose.

Plan a fun night out with friends or as a date night in Midtown. Dinner and a show never goes out of style, especially with all the great restaurants in the area like The Livingston, Proof & Provision, Baraonda and more. Amen!

I love all the neighborhood festivals, but for some reason I can’t miss the Inman Park Fest each year. It’s on my list of must attend events and I always leave with a smile on my face.

Details: Fri-Sun 4/26-28. FREE! Tour of Homes tix: $20.

This annual festival and neighborhood has a rich history - the land it sits on was the site of the Battle of Atlanta during the Civil War. After the smoke had cleared, it became Atlanta’s first planned neighborhood and saw many ups and downs since the 1880s. Today it’s one of Atlanta’s most vibrant communities with gorgeous houses, tree-lined streets and local stores and restaurants.

The festival itself features over 150 artists, live music on Sat/Sun on multiple stages, food and drinks, 5k race and 1 mile run for all ages, kids zone and a Tour of Homes. Also a must-do is the Parade that is happening on Sat at 2pm - rain or shine! If you’re not grinning ear-to-ear after watching this colorful campaign make it’s way across Inman Park, I’ll be shocked.

The spirit of community is alive and thriving in Inman Park. Come to the area and join in the fun!

I’m really excited to be participating again in this year’s Atlanta Bake Sale, which benefits Share Our Strength! Whether you are a baker who is contributing goods to sell or you just love eating decadent desserts, this is an event not to be missed!!!

Date/Time: Saturday, May 4th 9am -1pm (or until we are out of treats!)

Location: The Cooks Warehouse - Ansley Mall

Reprising her role as our fearless leader is well-known ATL food blogger Tami from Running With Tweezers! We’ve been one of the top earning bake sales in the country the last couple years and want to keep it going! This year Duncan Hines will be donating $10,000 to add to the total of the bake sale that raises the most money and our eye is on the prize!

Some of the best bakers, food bloggers and food enthusiasts (like me!) in Atlanta will be on hand to sell delicious treats that go toward an amazing cause - ending childhood hunger!

Be sure not to miss the delectable desserts from the lovely Christina of Mele Cotte! Definitely one of the best bakers out there, her blog has tons of great recipes for any occasion.

IF you can’t make to the event on Sat 5/4, please consider making a donation on our ATL Team/Fundraising page! $1 can provide a child with 10 healthy meals, so please support this great cause!!

So come on out and buy some of the best baked goods in Atlanta and support an amazing cause to end childhood hunger.

Another fantastic neighborhood festival is happening the weekend of 4/27 - Smyrna’s Spring Jonquil Festival! This free festival actually takes place twice a year, in the spring and fall in the Smyrna Village Green.

What is a Jonquil? It’s a flower that looks a lot like a daffodil and being a local favorite, Smyrna also calls itself ‘Jonquil City’. The 2-day festival features 175+ arts and crafts booths, food court, live music, puppets shows by Peter Hart, a book sale benefiting the Smyrna Public Library (great place to get cheap paperbacks for summer reading), and a huge area of kids activities.

The Jonquil Jog 5K Run/Walk takes place on Saturday 4/27 at 8am and Registration is free for tots 5 and under and up to $25 for timed racers/$20 for untimed adult racers.

While you’re at the fest, you can also wander over to the Marketplace where the Smyrna location of Atkins Park is hosting their 11th Annual Crawfish Festival! Starting at 1pm on Sat 4/27 - enjoy live music, a corn hole tournament, lots of Abita beer, and great Cajun food all day long! $5+ admission, which benefits Team in Training.

So head OTP and enjoy a fun local festival in the heart of Jonquil City!