If you’re looking for something to do for the long Memorial Day Weekend, we have some suggestions.
Meet Our Veterans
This assembly of World War II, Korean War and veterans from Vietnam through Afghanistan, gives the public, including youngsters, an opportunity to meet and discover what they did and why they did it. The event takes place Sunday, May 25, and admission and parking are free.. Event held indoors. Guest speakers, exhibits and displays. Concourse Athletic Club basketball court, 8 Concourse Parkway, Sandy Springs, 30328. For information, email: Jerry Colley at braghq@aol.com, call 770-289-2271 or visit atlantawwiiroundtable.org/events.htm.
Dunwoody Memorial Day Ceremony
A Memorial Day ceremony takes place Monday, May 26, at 10 a.m. at Brook Run Park at the Veterans’ Memorial (across from the playground).
African Experience Festival
The TAFEX Festival, known as The African Experience, comes to Brook Run Park for its fourth year on Sunday, May 25. This one-day celebration includes business vendor showcase, live performances, seminars, games area, food, a fashion show, and arts and crafts. Free and open to the community. 4770 N. Peachtree Rd., Dunwoody, 30338. To find out more, visit www.tafexonline.com or call 404-820-6718.
Atlanta Jazz Festival
The 37th annual music extravaganza returns Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25, to Piedmont Park. The line-up this year includes Ahmad Jamal, Airmen of Note, Bill Frisell, Ali Amir, Brian Hogan, Christian Scott, Cyrille Aimee, Darren English, Diego Figueiredo, Freddy Cole, Kemba Colfield, Roy Hargrove and many, many more. To see the full line-up and schedule, visit atlantafestivals.com.
Decatur Arts Festival
The 26th annual festival will be held Memorial Day weekend in and around downtown Decatur. The event kicks off May 23 with an ArtWalk around Decatur and the Oakhurst neighborhood to participating galleries and businesses. The giant artist market downtown will be open May 24-25 featuring vendors from all over the region. This year’s music line up is headed up by Kristian Bush from Grammy Award-winning Sugarland, as well as Larkin Poe, Bonaventure Quartet and many more. See the full schedule at decaturartsfestival.com.
MomoCon
The anime and gaming convention is taking place May 23-25 at the Marriott Marquis and Hilton hotels in Downtown. More than 12,000 attended last year’s event, which includes gaming arenas, artist galleries, food and more. For more information visit momocon.com.
Ride with Mayor Reed
To celebrate National Bike Month and Atlanta’s recent selection by People for Bikes as a Green Lane city, Mayor Kasim Reed and the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition have teamed to present this casual bike ride from City Hall (68 Mitchell St.) in Downtown to the Atlanta Jazz Festival at Piedmont Park on May 24 starting at 10 a.m. For more information and to register, visit this link.
Brew at the Zoo
Head over to Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park on May 24, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., for beer and wine samplings, live music, DJs, animal encounters, train and carousel rides and more. Tickets are available at this link.
Pop-Cyle Day
King of Pops and SOPO Bike Co-op are teaming up May 25 for this special event on the BeltLine from noon to 4 p.m. SOPO will be teaching bike safety with hands-on demos, while King of Pops will be selling their tasty frozen treats from the “BeltLine Window” at Elizabeth and Bernia streets.
Military Timeline at Atlanta History Center
The Atlanta History Center in honoring U.S. veterans of generations past as well as those of today on May 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the Military Timeline. Spend the day traveling the military timeline from the American Revolution to current conflicts. Meet veterans who share personal stories of wartime and memorabilia. Additional activities include interaction with living history interpreters, a Civil War encampment, military vehicle display, guest speakers, exhibitions, kid friendly activities, and opportunities to share your story with StoryCorps. For more about the event, visit this link.
Atlanta Cyclorama
To honor veterans this weekend, and all summer long, the Atlanta Cyclorama at Grant Park will be offering free admission to all veterans and active military personnel and up to five family members beginning May 24 and continuing through Aug. 30. The Cyclorama is a museum of Atlanta’s Civil War history and includes the giant circular painting of the Battle of Atlanta. For more, visit atlantacyclorama.org.
Grant Park Pool Party
Make a splash on Memorial Day when the Grant Park Pool, 625 Park Ave., opens for the season with a special pool party. The event takes place from 2 until 4 p.m. and there will be music, hot dogs, pool games and more. Normal pool admission fees and regulation swim apparel will apply.