Whether you love books, art or dressing up like a Stormtrooper from “Star Wars,” August and September are chock-full of fun. Here are some of the big events coming up soon.
Piedmont Park Arts Festival
The 8th annual event is set for Aug. 13-14 with 250 painters, photographers, sculptors, leather and metalwork, glass blowers, jewelers, and crafters. The festival will also offer artist demonstrations, live acoustic music, an emerging artists pavilion, a children’s play area, plus foods and beverages with healthy alternatives. For more visit piedmontparkartsfestival.com.
Festival Peachtree Latino
The 16th annual event will be held Aug. 28 in Piedmont Park with a day of live music, food, exhibitions and more. For more details visit festivalpeachtreelatino.com.
BronzeLens Film Festival
Over the course of 4 days (Aug. 25-28), film lovers, actors, and film makers will gather to share a creative platform of education, entertainment, empowerment related to film, television, and the production of both. For more information, visit bronzelens.com.
Grant Park Summer Shade Festival
Music and art lovers will find plenty to interest them on Aug. 27-28 in Grant Park. There will be live music throughout the weekend on two stages in addition to an expansive artist market that will double in size for this year’s event. Open to all ages and free to attend, the 14th annual Summer Shade Festival will also have a diverse selection of local food trucks with offerings for all tastes, craft beer, a Kids Zone, a 5K run, a farmers market and much more. For the most up to date information, visit summershadefestival.org.
Decatur Book Festival
Thousands of authors and readers will flock to downtown Decatur over Labor Day weekend for book signings, poetry readings, workshops and more. Cassandra King Conroy, Rick Bragg, Melissa Conroy, Ron Rash and Bronwen Dickey will pay tribute to bestselling and beloved author Pat Conroy as the keynote event at the 2016 Decatur Book Festival on Sept. 2-4. Also at this year’s festival, award-winning author Alexander Chee will choose a track of readings and panels, while the featured “kid note author” will be Dav Pilkey, author of the “Captain Underpants” and “Dumb Bunnies” series. For more information, visit decaturbookfestival.com.
Dragon Con
Fans of sci-fi, fantasy and gaming will descend on Downtown Atlanta for the annual Labor Day weekend gathering Sept. 2-5, featuring the costume parade down Peachtree on Sept. 3 at 10 a.m. Some big stars will be at this year’s conference, including Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”), William Shatner (“Star Trek”), Alex Kingston (“Doctor Who”) and Eve Myles (“Torchwood”) among many others. There will also be panels, meet and greets and much more. Tickets and more information are at dragoncon.org.