Athens 2013 Fall Festivals and Events

Fall in Athens, Georgia is arguably the greatest time of year. The weather finally takes a dip below scorching which makes the perfect opportunity to get outside and enjoy the MANY fall events and festivals going on around the Classic City. Coinciding with UGA football, there is also music, arts, other fantastic athletic events and so much more! So step outside, feel the slight chill creeping into the air, and enjoy all fun things to do in Athens GA. 

Kicking off this year's fall festivals is the 29th Annual North Georgia Folk Festival which will be returning to Sandy Creek Park on Saturday, October 5. This year folk legend John McCutcheon will be headlining this exciting event featuring live folk and Americana music, plus unique arts and crafts workshops and activities for festival-goers of all ages. Kids will get to experience demonstrations of wood working, quilt making, folk paintings just to name a few! This year's schedule also includes performances by The Darnell Boys, String Theory, Emerald Road and so many others! All additional North Georgia Folk Festival information is on the Athens Folk Music and Dance website at http://athensfolk.org/.

Celebrate your inner child and skate your way across Georgia with the oldest and most famous road skate in America, the Athens-to-Atlanta Road Skate, which will be held on Sunday, October 6. This year marks the 32nd anniversary of this Georgia road skate, which covers a fun, but challenging, 87-mile course through beautiful country roads and bustling city streets, ending in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward Skate Park. For those skaters who aren't prepared to take on 87 miles, alternative 38-mile and 52-mile course options are also available. The Athens-to-Atlanta Road Skate allows participants to push themselves physically while bonding with fellow skaters. The Athens-to-Atlanta Road Skate's website has specific race information, including prices, times and the skate route, at http://www.a2a.net/.

After gorging yourself on all the yummy fall foods, you and your friends can run it off at the Athens Half! This year marks the fourth year of the AthFest Half Marathon, taking place October 20. Runners will enjoy the 13.1-mile course stretching all through the beautiful and historic Classic City. Kick off race weekend with the AthHalf Fitness Expo on Saturday, October 19, at The Classic Center in downtown Athens, Georgia. Lasting from 12-6 p.m., the Expo will provide individuals with discounted running and exercise merchandise, free samples of fitness products and several fitness- and wellness-related demonstrations and exhibits. The race itself takes place Sunday morning, October 20, beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Clayton Street in Athens and winding through the historic streets of the Classic City, past major area landmarks, through the University of Georgia's campus and ending with a victory lap of Sanford Stadium. Additional race weekend information can be found at http://athhalf.com/.

Once October comes, the countdown to Halloween begins and that can only mean one thing... Wild Rumpus! The streets of Athens come alive during Halloween's Wild Rumpus parade and spectacle on Saturday, October 26, when the downtown area transforms into a land of the undead, complete with a parade of unique costumes and fantastic live music. This year's theme is RAWR ~ Tribute to the Sun. Everyone is encouraged to get extremely creative with their Halloween costumes and you can dress independently or come as part of an already-existing, or newly created, costume brigade. You and your friends can follow the parade through the streets of the Classic City, which will end with a live concert at one of Athens' famous music venues, the 40 Watt Club. Concert doors open at 8 p.m., with the show starting at 9 p.m. Wild Rumpus's website has complete information about the night's events here!

Closing out this year's fall events this November, the UGA Arts council will host the Spotlight on the Arts Festival. This nine day festival will bring over 50 performing arts events to the Athens area. From Thursday, November 7 to Friday, November 15, you will be able to experience events and activities that include concerts, theater and dance performances, art exhibitions, poetry readings, author panels and book signings, lectures and discussions on the arts and creativity, and more. This festival has something for everybody who is interested in the arts! Visitors can catch the improvisational comedy show the Two Man Group featuring Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, UGA Opera Theatre's performance of Carmen, Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight!, or the University Theatre production of Pride and Prejudice...and that is just the tip of the iceberg! A schedule of specific events and ticket information is available at arts.uga.edu.

There is no reason to be sitting inside this fall, get out and explore all that this city can offer you! Athens, Georgia has anything you could ever want to do to celebrate the season. The weather is right and the festivals are hopping so make sure to plan your fall events in the Classic City! For a list of all events going on in Athens, Ga check out visitathensga.com/events.

 

Athens This Weekend: October 5-7

When the Bulldogs are away (in Columbia, SC this weekend!), Athenians will play! This weekend is jam-packed with Family, Art and Music events. Some say October is the best month of the year and with all the great festivals and celebrations in Athens this weekend, it's certainly climbing the ranks! Don't miss The DiXie Film Festival, North Georgia Folk Festival, Terrapin's Hop Harvest Festival, the Pulaski Street Art Crawl and the other events this weekend in Athens, GA! You're going to have a great time!

1. DiXiE Film Festival

Beginning Friday at 7 p.m., the DiXiE Film Festival is taking over the Morton Theatre! The 9th Annual Festival will be showcasing film makers from all over the world, with a special emphasis on the work shot south of the Mason-Dixon. The competition includes animation, comedy, coumentary, features and shorts. Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Peach Fuzz Award (Police related film), Best Comedy, Best Animation, Best Documentary, Best Foreign, Best Screenplay, and the Mason-Dixon Award (Georgia Filmmaker) will reward the excellent films of the weekend! An all-access festival pass is $35. Tickets available at the door or by visiting www.dixiefilmfest.com.

2. Terrapin Brewery's Hop Harvest Festival

Celebrate the Harvest Season at Terrapin Brewery on Saturday from 4:30-8:30! The Hop Harvest Festival features 16 different casks of hops! Vouchers for glasses are available at the Terrapin Gift Shop on Newton Bridge Road. Once the glasses are gone, that's all for the night! Enjoy a night of great beer, local food and great music! 

3. North Georgia Folk Festival

It will be a day of music and activities at Saturday's 28th annual Folk Festival in Sandy Creek Park! Taste great food from Harry’s Pig Shop, Juan’s Empanadas, Jittery Joe’s Coffee, Farm 255, Sweets 4 U while watching chair making, cider making, folk painting, white oak baskets, corn shuck dolls, spinning, jewelry making and more beginning at 11 a.m. The Kid's Fest will feature arts and crafts facilitated by Lyndon House Arts Center staff and animals facilitated by staff from the Sandy Creek Nature Center. Admission is $12 for adults, $7 for students and free for children 12 and under. The music continues until 9 p.m., so expect a day full of fun for all!

4. Pulaski Street Art Crawl

The Pulaski Street Art Crawl is designed to celebrate the rich artistic tradition concentrated on one of Athens' most famous streets. The Crawl begins Saturday at 5 p.m. at Pints and Paints, located in the historic Leathers Building. Heading south, enjoy art, live music, food and drinks from local businesses along Pulaski and cross streets! The Crawl ends at ArTini's Art Lounge with a Georgia Sculptors’ Society’s Exhibition juried by Todd Rivers of the Georgia Art Museum. Look for the Black & White Balloons! 

5. Athens to Atlanta Road Skate

For 31 years, Athenians and visitors have taken the trek to Atlanta, by skating! The Athens-to-Atlanta Road Skate is world's longest running point-to-point inline skating event! At 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 7th, experienced skaters will depart from the Classic Center, winding through city and country to Atlanta! You can choose between 38, 52, or 87-mile distance and skate on four or five wheels, with bus service to the finish in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward Park. 

6. Athens Heritage Walks: Historic Boulevard District

The Athens Clarke Heritage Foundation continues their series of heritage walks featuring two areas this weekend. On Saturday, explore Athens' first "streetcar suburb" in the Boulevard District. On Sunday, head back to school to learn about UGA's South Campus! Expect the tours to last about two hours. Come learn about Athens rich history and architectural tradition!

7. Athens Corn Maze

The five-acre Athens Corn Maze is open for visitors Thursday-Sunday through November 3rd! Enjoy the farm animals, pony rides, the Hey Hey Heyride, a corn box (think sand box without the mess!) and of course, the maze! Admission is $10 per person. Don't miss this Fall Family event!

8. Zombie Farms Halloween Trail

Athens' newest Halloween attraction is the perfect alternative to a haunted house! Take the fear outside, to a farm plagued by zombies and other spooky nighttime oddities. This Friday and Saturday, come dressed as a zombie for discounted admission to the trail, located on Lexington Road. The farm opens from 7 p.m.-midnight every Friday and Saturday in October! 

Want a complete list of all upcoming activities and goings-on in Athens? Check out our event calendar at Visit Athens, Georgia.
  
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Athens, GA This Weekend: Oct. 7-9 Events and Things to Do

Hopefully, a lot of you have a good amount of free time this weekend, because there are some really fun, big events going on! If you've been wondering about what you should do to enjoy a really great weekend in Athens, GA, then you've definitely come to the right place. Grab your agenda and start marking dates!

1. New Belgium Brewing, the maker of Fat Tire Golden Ale, is bringing its travelling Clips of Faith Beer and Film Tour to Athens, GA this Friday. The

outdoor festival will feature independent comedic shorts, adventure documentaries, and music animation. It will also feature tastings from New Belgium's Brewing's Lips of Faith series and their regular offerings as well as food from local Athens vendors. The best part about it? There is no admission cost! However, plan to bring some cash anyway because all proceeds from food and drink sales will go to Bike Athens. The event will start at 7:00 p.m. on the corner of N. Hull Street and W. Washington Street, so make sure to get out there and have a great evening of watching movies and drinking beer while supporting a local non-profit organization.

2. Beer-lovers will be happy all weekend, because the beer festivities continue through Saturday and Sunday with the Athens Craft Beer Festival. Hosted by Trappeze Pub and Hotel Indigo, this festival was established in order to support local, independent brewers as well as celebrate the distinctly unique beer culture in Athens, GA. The event, located at Hotel Indigo, will feature over one hundred craft beers, live music, delicious food, numerous giveaways, cask releases, demonstrations, and more! General admission is $45 and VIP admission is $65 -- with the VIP ticket, you get access to special beers, a reception, as well as certain amenities and facilities within the hotel. Get your tickets now, and look forward to indulging your love for beer this weekend!  Special overnight packages are also available-- check them out here!

3. If you're looking for a refreshing form of exercise, make sure to check out the 30th Annual Athens-to-Atlanta Road Skate this Sunday. This famous tradition allows participants to choose between a 38, 52, or 87 mile skate (the 87 mile choice will take you all the way to Atlanta!). Those skating the 38 and 87 will start off at The Classic Center in Athens and skate through the beauty of the Northern Georgia countryside before hitting the 38 mile checkpoint, where they will be given a choice to skate ahead, bus ahead, or bus back to Athens. People all around the world come to this event, so make sure to register on Saturday at The Classic Center from noon to 6 p.m.! Skaters will depart from the Center at 7:30 a.m.

That's not all! Keep reading to see what other exciting things are occurring in Athens.

• On Friday, check out Nuçi's Space 11th Anniversary celebration. This resource center for musicians will celebrate its birthday an open house featuring a silent auction, refreshments, and live music. This event is family-friendly, open to all, and free, so make sure to stop by anytime between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m.!
• Saturday brings us the Inaugural Pulaski Street Art Crawl, hosted by the Georgia's Sculptors Society. Head out to Pulaski Street from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. and check out the 20+ businesses showcasing Athens artists! There is no admission charge.
• It's time to bring out the kids on Sunday, because Disney's "My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto's Musical Tale" is coming to Morton Theatre! This magical musical will warm your heart with its story surrounding a father-son relationship. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children and seniors; the magic begins at 3:00 p.m.!

These are just a few of the happenings scheduled for the weekend, but hopefully you have a better idea of how you'll be spending your three nights and two days! For those of you who are already planning a weekend of fun in Athens, let me know what you plan to do. I'm looking forward to the weekend!

- Debbie