Reporter's Notebook: Centennial Yards new Downtown ATL entertainment venue, AgLanta Grown, AWARE Wildlife Night Owl 5K, Petals and Poses yoga experience

Centennial Yards Selects Live Nation to Operate Downtown Atlanta’s Newest Iconic Entertainment Venue

Photo renderings courtesy of Centennial Yards Company.

Centennial Yards Company announced that it has executed a long-term lease with Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment company, to bring a new live music and entertainment venue to the heart of Downtown Atlanta. The state-of-the-art Live Nation venue will anchor Centennial Yards’ under-construction sports and entertainment district adjacent to the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United.

This partnership marks a new milestone in the continued development of Centennial Yards, the 50-acre, $5B+ mixed-use project set to transform a long-underutilized section of the city into a vibrant, walkable district blending sports, culture, community, and commerce. Centennial Yards Company serves as the master developer and consists of a partnership between an affiliate of CIM Group and a group led by Tony Ressler.

“Centennial Yards is poised to be the epicenter of sports and entertainment for the southeastern United States where people of all ages can enjoy concerts, sporting events, bars, restaurants, and retail stores—all in one vibrant mixed-use district,” said Brian McGowan, President of Centennial Yards Company. “Partnering with Live Nation brings us one step closer to creating a thriving hub where unforgettable experiences happen. This new Centennial Yards entertainment venue is exactly what our region needs and adds a key element to what has already been a catalyst for the revitalization of Downtown Atlanta.”

Joining the entertainment ecosystem in Downtown Atlanta, the new 5,300-seat capacity venue will complement the existing venue landscape including Tabernacle, Fox Theater and Buckhead Theater as well as sports facilities Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which can host up to 75,000 fans, and State Farm Arena, which accommodates 17,000 attendees.

The venue is set to showcase a range of performances across genres, from national headliners to global touring acts and local artists. Designed with unwavering focus on the fan, it will offer exceptional sound quality, clear sightlines, and a range of customizable options—including premium experiences and elevated food and beverage offerings.

— Maria Saporta

Learn about urban farming with AgLanta Grown

Atlanta’s Department of City Planning is hosting a series of urban farm tours and workshops through the AgLanta Grown program in partnership with Kendall Rae’s Green Heart, a nonprofit that shares STEAM-based agricultural education to young people. The next tour and workshop will take place Saturday, May 17 at 10 a.m. at 2080 Camp Ground Rd. SW, just outside the perimeter in Southwest Atlanta, and the registration link can be found here. The goal of this kid-friendly event is to educate participants about farm history, management, and technology, explore connections between end-products and the cultivation of their ingredients, and to provide hands-on activities like soil science and sustainable farming techniques.

— Grace Donnelly

Unique experiences at Panola Mountain and Arabia Mountain

This Saturday, May 17, the AWARE Wildlife Center is hosting its 11th annual Night Owl 5K at Panola Mountain State Park. The race will begin at 6 p.m. and runners, walkers, and dogs (on leashes) are all welcome to participate. Animals that AWARE has rehabilitated will be there to greet you at the start and finish, and all proceeds from the $40 registration fee will go toward supporting AWARE’s mission of educating the public and caring for injured and orphaned native Georgia wildlife. If you’re more of an early bird, join naturalists at Arabia Mountain on Sunday, May 18 from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for a free guided hike and learn about Arabia’s ecology and human history.

— Grace Donnelly

Status: Home, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to cut the ribbon on new property providing stable, safe housing for individuals and families with HIV/AIDS and celebrate successful $26M capital campaign

On Friday, MAY 16, 2025 at 11:00 AM (EST), at 1580 DIXIE STREET SE, ATLANTA, GA 30317, City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, City of Atlanta District 5 Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari, DeKalb County Commissioner for District 3 Nicole Massiah, and Status: Home CEO Maryum Phillips will be speaking alongside honored guests including Dorian DeBarr of Decide DeKalb Development Authority, Alexia Johnson and Alex White of the Office of U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, and Gabrielle Kreisler Sheely of the Tull Charitable Foundation.

Status: Home (formerly Jerusalem House) was founded in 1988 to house persons living with HIV/AIDS. Since then, Atlanta’s need for housing for people living with HIV/AIDS has not abated. The city has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. 1 in 51 people in Atlanta may be infected with HIV/AIDS at any point in time. Persons living with HIV/AIDS are significantly more vulnerable to experiencing homelessness in their lifetime.

In response to cuts to the federal HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS) program and the affordable housing challenges in metro Atlanta, Status: Home has raised $26M to ensure that they continue to provide stable and safe housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. The non-profit has purchased five properties with the help of City of Atlanta capital grants that add 99 permanently affordable housing units to the agency’s portfolio.

Status: Home recently received a $3.2M investment from the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta. Other major donors to their capital campaign include the AEC Trust, the Trammell Foundation and the Tull Charitable Foundation.

Status: Home provides the majority of the supportive housing available in Atlanta for homeless or low-income individuals and families impacted by HIV/AIDS. The agency is the largest of its kind in Atlanta and currently serves over 400 people.

— Maria Saporta

CodeHouse celebrates Scholars Class of 2025

CodeHouse is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Atlanta, Georgia. Their mission is to cultivate a strong pipeline between HBCU students and industry-leading tech companies.

Over the past five years, CodeHouse has secured $5.4 million in funding to support students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. CodeHouse provides mentorship, technical training, and career development—earning national recognition for our efforts. Students who are part of the CodeHouse Student Initiative (CHSI) gain direct exposure to industry leaders at companies like PayPal, Google, and Microsoft, and each receives a $20,000 scholarship to attend one of our partner HBCUs.

To celebrate the college graduation of our inaugural CHSI cohort, CodeHouse will host a special ceremony on May 15, 2025, from 7:00–9:00 PM EDT at Google’s Atlanta Headquarters.

For more information and to RSVP, click here.

— Maria Saporta

Petals & Poses: A Yoga Journey Through the Flower Maze Returns to Urban Sprout Farms

Every Saturday from May 24 – June 28 from 9AM -1PM, Petals and Poses will offer a sensory therapeutic journey through movement, nature and art at Urban Sprout Farms. Petals and Poses is not just a yoga class—it’s an immersive, sensory-rich experience that invites you to slow down, ground deeply, and reconnect with your body and the natural world. Curated by Yoga by Safia, this magic movement experience blends therapeutic yoga, outdoor color therapy, floral art, and sound healing.

What to Expect:

Begin your morning in a peaceful oasis surrounded by towering sunflowers and a colorful zinnia maze, designed to inspire awe and joy.
Flow through an all-levels yoga practice designed to awaken the senses, regulate the nervous system, and connect you with your breath and the earth beneath you.
Settle into stillness with a restorative sound bath, allowing the vibrations to support emotional release and relaxation.
After yoga, wander the flower fields with shears in hand to select and cut your own flowers, then take a mindful moment to create a custom bouquet—a meditative, expressive art practice in itself.
Explore the on-site market offering seasonal herbs, plants, and garden inspiration from the farm.

Included in Your Experience: