In 62 days, the FIFA World Cup will land in Atlanta for eight matches. It will bring an estimated 300,000 tourists to the downtown area and even more locals to the city’s core. City officials are working to ready the city for an influx of people. In an exclusive interview with SaportaReport after the Atlanta […]
Author Archives: Delaney Tarr
Three years in, Atlanta ‘State of Tech’ reflects on major investments
Three years in, and the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation seems to be making good on turning Atlanta into one of the nation’s top five tech hubs. The Atlanta Tech Hub unveiled its 2025 Impact Report at the official “State of the ATL Tech Ecosystem” with fanfare. “Hamilton” costumes, movie stars and high-dollar […]
Atlanta Women’s Comedy Film Festival brings ’boutique’ experience in seventh year
Caroline King likes to keep the Atlanta Women’s Comedy Film Festival intimate. It’s not like major festivals where attendees shell out hundreds of dollars to stand in endless lines or cram into premieres. “I really like to think of us as more of a grassroots boutique festival,” King said. “It’s intimate.” King founded the festival […]
Beltline on track to exceed goal of 5,600 affordable homes by 2030
Atlanta Beltline, Inc. announced today it has built or preserved 4,425 units of affordable housing to date, 79 perent of its goal, well before the self-imposed 2030 deadline. In 2025, the Beltline and its partners “delivered” 299 affordable housing units, with more lined up for 2026. The Beltline has more than doubled the number of […]
Metro Atlanta wants to crack down on teen takeovers. Where will teens go?
Everybody has a take on the teen takeovers. They are the latest phenomenon to hit Metro Atlanta — unauthorized gatherings of hundreds of teenagers in spots like the Battery, the Beltline and the Mall of Georgia. The meetups sometimes end in chaos. On Feb. 28, a Beltline takeover turned into 14 arrests and 11 confiscated […]
Cherry Blossom Festival to return with free concert, market and more this weekend
It’s an all-hands-on-deck operation at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Brookhaven. This weekend, the city will transform for its annual two-day music festival. From 10 am to 6 pm on March 28 and 29, an estimated 60,000 people will flock to Blackburn Park for a lineup including The Head and the Heart, Natasha Bedingfield and […]
Can resilient parks help save the world? Park Pride tackles climate change at annual conference
“Maybe no city is a climate refuge,” Park Pride Education Director Eli Dickerson said. The nonprofit leader opened his remarks at the 25th annual Parks & Greenspace Conference on March 23, hosted by Park Pride, with an explainer on the year’s theme: Resilient Parks, Resilient Communities. It was the topic on everyone’s mind as they […]
Crawfish and concerts combine for mental health music festival
The Mental Awakening festival began with crawfish. More accurately, it began with about 300 crawfish in a backyard filled with friends. From March 27 to 28, Westside Motor Lounge will become home to Mental Awakening’s two-day festival packed with thousands of attendees, live music, local art and “community spirit” aimed at supporting mental health and […]
PHOTOS: Atlanta goes green for 142nd St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Atlanta’s longest-running event flooded the Midtown streets on Mar. 14 — the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade drew thousands along the mile-long route for a green old time. Marching bands, Irish step dancers, bagpipe crews and dozens of walking groups made their way through the festivities, organized by local nonprofit Irish Network Atlanta. It was founded […]
Key Virginia-Highland strip set for multimillion dollar makeover
A key stretch of Virginia Highland commercial space is set for a makeover, according to early plans from Atlanta-based development company Third & Urban. The aptly named “Atkins Park Collection” includes 61,120 square feet of retail along North Highland Avenue in the Atkins Park area. Third & Urban began acquiring buildings in 2024, and now […]
Atlanta Beltline now has world’s longest linear arboretum
The Atlanta Beltline Arboretum officially has the world’s longest linear arboretum, stretching 12.44 miles of the completed rail-to-trail path — and it’s on track to reach 16 miles by summer. It gives Atlanta yet another distinction, alongside the world’s busiest airport and the country’s largest aquarium. But this journey began 20 years ago with […]
CAP rebrands as Downtown Atlanta, Inc. at annual meeting
“Downtown Atlanta is back, y’all.” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens declared the urban core’s revival at the largest-ever annual Central Atlanta Progress and Atlanta Downtown Improvement District meeting and awards celebration on Mar. 11. The annual meeting came with plenty of updates about the state of downtown Atlanta, and one major announcement: The group known as […]
The Center for Civic Innovation brings the TAD talk to new series of town halls
Are Tax Allocation Districts the key to solving Atlanta’s economic mobility issues? Or are they the force behind inequality itself? Well, the answer depends on who you ask. But the questions are core to the looming debate around Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) as the mayor’s office tries to extend the city’s eight existing TADs until […]
Emory exhibit reinvents sports photography with a fandom focus
Iconic sports photography shows some of the athletic world’s most decisive moments. A game-winning catch, the tie-breaking score, crossing the finish line – but who ever captures the fans? “Footwork: Where We Gather,” the latest exhibit at Emory’s Michael C. Carlos Museum, answers that question. Open now through the FIFA World Cup, the new exhibit […]
Vine City site set near Morris Brown College set for major mixed-use development
An Atlanta-based consortium of developers is partnering with Morris Brown College to transform a long-vacant site in Vine City into a community hub and education space, complete with a hotel and grocery space. On Mar. 2, Resurgence Commercial Partners announced it had received unanimous procurement approval from the Invest Atlanta Board of Directors to advance […]
The Atlanta Opera and creating ‘the theater of our time’
Despite what you may have heard, opera’s not dead. At least, not in Atlanta. Nationwide data shows cause for concern: OPERA America found a nearly 21 percent drop in national ticket sales from 2019 to 2023. It’s not surprising. For years, the opera world has tried to get butts in seats and find its funding […]
Egleston Hall makes 2026 ‘Places in Peril’ list
On Feb. 25, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released its 2026 ‘Places in Peril’ list for significant historic properties at risk of demolition or neglect – and Egleston Hall has made the list. It’s a hot topic among preservationists because All Saints’ Episcopal Church is considering a plan that could demolish the 1918 Gothic Revival […]
Final container business lands at Pittsburgh Yards
Five years after the opening of Pittsburgh Yards, the community-led job hub has officially received the tenth and final shipping container needed to complete the Container Courtyard. Some courtyard businesses are already open. Others are in “different stages,” but all nine consumer-facing businesses should be open sometime in the spring, and accessible to patrons – […]
Beltline hires ‘transit innovation’ VP
The Beltline announced its new Vice President of Transit Innovation, Joe Iacobucci, on Feb. 20 after a months-long search to find a leader for the hot-button issue of rail on the 22-mile trail. According to a Beltline press release, Iacobucci will lead the “design and delivery” of a multimodal transportation network on the corridor. He […]
Plan threatens Egleston Hall; panics preservationists
“Traditionally, the outcome is the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.” David Y. Mitchell, the Executive Director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, has done this before. His signature is battles for historic preservation — the Atlanta Constitution Building, Gaines Hall, 148 Edgewood Ave. — trying to save the city’s oldest buildings before they get torn down. […]
