Atlanta Events

A fun event is coming up that offers a great chance to buy some local gifts for friends and family for the holidays. Because, who doesn’t love yummy artisan food? Celebrate Urban Cannibal’s 2nd Anniversary and shop some of the best ATL has to offer!

Details: Urban Cannibals - 12/1 & 12/2 6-9pm. FREE!

Some great local vendors will be on hand, including Phickles Pickles, Sugar Coated Radical Chocolates, Just Add Honey Tea Co., Emily G’s Jams of Love, Sweet Georgia Grains Granola, Hidden Springs Farms Honey, Logan Turnpike Grits and more.

Also, they will have Ice Milk Aprons and Mama Soaps + Body products available for sale, as well as autographed copies of cookbook from celeb chef Hugh Acheson of Empire State South & Top Chef Austin and local southern favorite Virginia Willis.

Talk about one-stop shopping and don’t forget these items make great hostess gifts too and stand out more than the typical bottle of wine!

Fall is setting in and as the temperatures drop, retail pulls out all the stops to get people into the holiday spirit! Atlanta has a ton of amazing annual and new events this year to inspire kids from one to 92!

I hope you all have an amazing holiday season!

The Pink Pig - Macy’s Lenox Mall. Now thru 1/1/2012. $3 a ride, purchase tickets on-site! An Atlanta family tradition and a portion of the ticket sales goes to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  Read important tips from ATL Mommy Blogger Sue Rodman here to prepare for your trip!

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Center for Puppetry Arts. 11/3 - 12/31. $16.50. The classic holiday show gets a puppetry make-over! They sold out every performance of this show last year, so do not wait to get your tickets!

Stone Mountain Christmas 11/12 - 1/2/2012. $27+pp/Family 4 packs from $127. Christmas parade, Santa, Sleigh Ride Musical Revue, Snow Mountain shopping & more! FREE admission to all active and retired military personnel with valid ID during the opening weekend of Stone Mountain Christmas - 11/12-13.

Winter Wonderland - Fernbank Museum. 11/16-1/8/2012. Free for members/$17.50 adults/$15.50 kids. Enjoy trees and other displays decorated by local cultural partners that recognize celebrations including Christmas, Hanukkah and the Festival of Lights, as well as traditions and practices like origami, indigenous art and national symbols.

Centennial Olympic Park Ice Skating - 11/19 - 1/29/2012. $7 admissions, $2 skate rental for 90 mins of skate time. No credit cards accepted at the rink, but you can purchase group tix online with CC’s. We had a fun tweet-up last year! To get a feel for what kind of fun you can have, read this!

Magical Night of Lights - Lake Lanier. 11/18-1/1/2012. $40+/car. 7 miles of lights, holiday village, Santa, Petting Zoo, Carnival Rides, big screen nativity show, more!

Garden Lights - Atlanta Botanical Gardens. 11/19-1/7 5-10pm. $12.95+. Over 1 million lights and 200 show-stopping color changing topiaries! Be amazed at the gorgeous combination of lights and nature!

Fantasy in Lights - Callaway Gardens. 11/18 - 12/30. $8+ child/$16+ adult. Holiday tradition, light and sound show!

Indie Craft Experience - Ambient Plus. 11/19-20. $5. 100+ indie crafters show off their wares for the holidays! Read all about last year’s event here. You do not want to miss this amazing holiday shopping experience!

Lights of Life - Life University. 11/21 - 12/31. $5 per car. Drive through a fantastic display of holiday lights! Santa, train rides, petting zoo, more!

The Rink at Park Tavern. 11/24 - 2/14/2012. $15+. A modern take on a holiday classic! Great food, sassy cocktails and more! An adult winter wonderland.

The Santaland Diaries - Horizon Theatre. 11/25 - 1/1/2012. $25+. Hilarious David Sedaris holiday play about the life of a department store elf.

A Christmas Carol - Alliance Theatre. 11/25 - 12/24. $17.50+ kids/$25+ adults. A classic Christmas tale wonderfully performed! Create a new tradition for your family

Cookies with Santa - Zoo Atlanta. 11/26-27. 8:30am-2:30. $10+. Tix sell out fast, 4 time slots each day. Kids can meet Santa, enjoy cookies and hot cocoa!

How The Grinch Stole Christmas - The Musical - The Fox Theatre. 11/29-12/4. $28+. The holiday cartoon classic becomes a musical! You’re a mean one….Mr. Grinch!

Annual Christmas Tree Lighting - Vinings Jubilee. 12/1 6-8pm. FREE! Train and pony rides for kids, sleigh rides, treats, photos with Santa ($10), shopping, and more!

Pike Nurseries Christmas Extravaganza - All Locations! 12/1 5-8pm. Free! Store-wide discounts, free drinks (champagne/cider), free seminar on decorating your mantle (5:30pm) and creating a Williamsburg Wreath ($30 for supplies).

The Whiskey Gentry Merry Y’all-Tide Celebration - Variety Playhouse. 12/2 7:30pm. $15+. The band is joined by The Packway Handle Band, Shovels and Rope.

Nikolaustag - Der Biergarten. 12/8 5-7:30pm. Celebrate the holidays German-style with music, complimentary apps, 50% off your check for Stein Club members, $5 liters of beer, adult ‘Reindeer games’ and more!

Madeline’s Christmas - Horizon Theatre. 12/10- 1/1/2012. $12+. The little girl from Paris embarks on a holiday adventure! Family friendly.

Photos by Charlie McCullers, Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet.

The Nutcracker by The Atlanta Ballet - The Fox Theatre. 12/8-12/24. $20+. Classic holiday ballet that is a must see every season!

Larry, Carols & Mo! - The Fox Theatre. 12/12 7-10:30pm. $1+. Mighty Mo Sing-A-Long, Apple Cider, movie screening: Muppet Christmas Carol, Snow on Peachtree (and inside the Fox!) and Santa! I am so going to this event! Tix on sale Monday, 11/14.

Have a holiday event to add to the list? Drop me a note and Happy Holidays in advance!

Running from mall to mall can be a hectic way to get your holiday shopping done, so here’s an alternative - The Elegant Elf! This local holiday marketplace being put on by the Sandy Springs Society features 65 unique and high-end vendors from around the world!

The best part? 100% of the proceeds benefit charities in Sandy Springs!

Details: Elegant Elf Marketplace - Sandy Springs United Methodist Church. 11/11-12. 9am-7pm. $5 admission.

Vendors will be on hand with an assortment of great holiday gift options - including antique silver, children’s clothing, fine art, pottery, and gourmet foods.

There are also cool events happening inside to be on the lookout for at The Elegant Elf on Saturday. Bring the kids for ‘Breakfast with the Elves’ at 8:30am and get the opportunity to take pics with some important North Pole residents. Foodies can hit a fun afternoon activity with Empire State South’s Chef Hugh Acheson will be on hand for a book signing at the Marketplace on Saturday from 11am-1pm. He’s also the newest judge on Top Chef Austin!

The season of giving is upon us! Enjoy a great local holiday shopping event and support local charities at the same time!

Atlanta can be overlooked in the shadow of big entertainment towns like New York and Los Angeles, but luckily thanks to Gas South - we have a great lineup of Broadway shows coming to the Cobb Energy Center!

Details: Gas South Broadway Series - Cobb Energy Center. $25+.

Coming up next month is a classic - My Fair Lady takes the stage 12/8-11! I can already hear “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” buzzing in my head. Eliza Doolittle becomes an experiment for Dr. Henry Higgins in this enchanting tale of looking beyond the surface. Also, this local production has an added incentive, as all ticket sales for this show benefit The United Way of Metro Atlanta.

Next up to kick off 2012 is BLAST!, with six performances 1/19-22 at Cobb Energy Center. BLAST! evolved from the drum corps Star of Indiana, which was founded in 1984 in Bloomington, Indiana, by businessman Bill Cook to benefit young people in music education. In 1993, Star of Indiana went from a competitive drum corps to a theatrical show which brings the power, passion and precision of outdoor pageantry to the stage in a musical performance now known as BLAST!

This Tony and Emmy award-winning show is not to be missed!

When Spring rolls around, it’s time to have a  little fun with the third show in the series - Young Frankenstein! Showing 3/29-4/1, the Mel Brooks comedy film has come alive on stage! This wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that’s Fronkensteen) as he attempts to create a monster—but not without scary and hilarious complications.

So when it gets cold outside, head to the Cobb Energy Center this winter and let Gas South’s Broadway series warm you up with heart-pumping and laugh out loud performances!

If you have been reading this blog for awhile now, you know what a fan I am of The Broke Socialite, Shameeka Ayers, and her signature event - the Sugar Coma Festival! She’s back with more of Atlanta’s best dessert makers, so don’t miss out!

Details: Sugar Coma Festival - Atlantic Station. Sun 11/13 2-6pm. $25.

Check out my coverage of the last Sugar Coma event to get an idea of what you can expect! This time of year, attending this event can accomplish a lot of things:

- Make connections with local bakeries for catering of Holiday Parties

- Scout bakeries for 2012 weddings

- Holiday gifts for friends and co-workers. Who doesn’t love sugary treats?

- Indulge your sweet tooth by sampling the best desserts in ATL!

Some of my favorites guys in Atlanta are participating in a great benefit - #Movember!

What is Movember? During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

Meet team #StachesforCashes! 

If you don’t recognize these guys, it’s because most of them are normally sporting some awesome facial hair! Broderick of Savory Exposure, Michael of Fifth Group, Chad from Caren West PR, Sean of @SeanEatsAtlanta, Chris of @EatDrnkRepeat, Tim of Star Provisions, and Rawle of Tank Goodness.

If you have a couple $$ to spare, support these guys in their effort to raise awareness for men’s health!