Amplify Decatur Festival returns June 4-7, debuting concerts at new stage in The Square

The annual Amplify Decatur Music Festival is bringing the first live concerts to the new downtown Decatur Square performing arts stage next month.

The new permanent stage, part of the City of Decatur’s transformation of Decatur Square, will host the festival’s signature ticketed event, “A Decade of Music on the Square,” on Saturday, June 6. 

Commemorating the music festival’s 10-year anniversary, the Saturday event runs from 3-11 p.m. and features performances from several acts like Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Patterson Hood, Dylan LeBlanc, Kyshona and Georgia Mountain Stringband.

Additionally, Decatur Square’s new stage is also playing host to the festival’s free concert on Friday, June 5, with the Sundogs performing the music of Tom Petty and opening act Canyonland featuring Michelle Malone. Along with the live music, Friday’s festivities will also include a silent auction and pop-up performances at various restaurants in the area.

“Everyone with the City is thrilled to introduce our new stage to the people of Decatur as a place where art and music lovers can gather, listen, and share communal experiences,” said Andrea Arnold, Decatur’s city manager. “That’s the very spirit that Amplify Decatur has embodied for a decade, so it’s fitting and exciting that they are presenting the first show on our new stage.”

The festival opens Thursday, June 4, with Penny and Sparrow and Eliot Bronson playing at Avon Theater in Avondale Estates and concludes Sunday, June 7, with the “Amplify Hall of Fame” show at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, with local and regional artists covering songs by past festival acts, including Indigo Girls, Lucinda Williams, Ben Harper and Jeff Tweedy.

Proceeds from the festival will go to supporting three Atlanta-area nonprofits: Decatur Cooperative Ministry, Decatur Education Foundation and Neighbor in Need.

Decatur Cooperative Ministry provides programs and services for unhoused families, Decatur Education Foundation supports educational programs for students and staff of the Decatur Independent School District and Neighbor in Need offers critical repairs to low-income and older residents’ homes in East Atlanta.

“Amplify has proven to be one of the best homegrown Americana music festivals around, with an incredibly talented and musically-diverse line-up that features national, critically-acclaimed artists as well as emerging local talent,” said Drew Robinson, Amplify’s co-board chair. “We are proud to celebrate our neighbors at Decatur Cooperative Ministry, Decatur Education Foundation and Neighbor in Need, and are humbled by their work, and grateful for our wonderful partnership.”

Tickets for the Amplify Decatur Music Festival can be found on the event website.