Atlanta Ballet opens 2026-27 season with three works exploring love, celebration and American spirit
Atlanta Ballet will open its 2026-27 season with “Passion & Pride,” a three-work program featuring a returning piece, a world premiere and a classic ballet celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The program runs Sept. 18 to 20 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and will feature “Significant Others” by Remi Wörtmeyer, “Plagued Houses” by Melissa Hough and George Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes.”
“Significant Others,” which debuted with Atlanta Ballet in 2023, explores love, partnerships and human connections through choreography inspired by the music of Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel and artwork by Sonia Delaunay. Wörtmeyer also designed the costumes and scenic elements.
Hough’s “Plagued Houses” will make its world premiere. The work draws from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and is set to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, combining neoclassical ballet with contemporary movement.
The program concludes with Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes,” a celebratory work set to marches by John Philip Sousa, including “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The ballet, which pays tribute to Balanchine’s adopted country, will be presented as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18-19, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Click here for more information.
— Derek Prall
College Football Hall of Fame to celebrate HBCU marching bands with new exhibit
The sounds, traditions and pageantry of college football will take center stage Aug. 29 when the College Football Hall of Fame opens a new exhibit celebrating the legacy of HBCU marching bands.
The Southern Company Keith Duncan: “Battle of the Bands” exhibit, Presented by Mabra Law, features 44 large-scale fabric paintings by New Orleans artist Keith Duncan. The collection highlights 15 prominent Southern HBCU marching bands, including Florida A&M University’s Marching 100, Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South, Morehouse College’s House of Funk and Howard University’s Showtime Marching Band.
The exhibit explores the role marching bands have played in shaping college football culture through music, movement, creativity and tradition. It opens as Atlanta hosts the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff, which marks the start of the HBCU college football season.
“Battle of the Bands” will remain on display through May 2027 and is included with general admission to the College Football Hall of Fame, 250 Marietta St. NW. For more information, click here.
— Derek Prall
Fox Theatre expands haunted tours for fall season
The Fox Theatre is giving Atlantans more chances to explore its haunted history this fall, with expanded Haunted History Tours running throughout September and October.
Beginning Thursday, Sept. 3, the approximately 60-minute guided tours will be offered Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with guests learning about the historic venue’s ghost stories and reported paranormal activity. These tours do not feature actors or theatrical elements.
The Fox will also bring back its Ghost Tours on select dates beginning Sept. 28. The 60-minute experience takes a more theatrical approach, featuring live actors, storytelling and access to areas not included on the Haunted History Tour route, including the theatre’s sub-basement. Tours will depart every 15 minutes.
Haunted History Tour tickets are $25, all-in, and are on sale now. Ghost Tour tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 4, and cost $50 for general admission or $80 for premium. Both Ghost Tour options include food, with premium admission also providing full access to the Marquee Club.
Click here for dates and tickets. Ghost Tours are not recommended for children younger than 10, and children younger than 6 are not permitted.
— Derek Prall
Park Pride names new board members, officers
Park Pride, a nonprofit focused on expanding park access across Atlanta, has added seven members to its Board of Directors and elected a new slate of officers.
Alex Brown of Alston & Bird LLP was elected board chair. Eden Godbee of Georgia-Pacific will serve as vice chair, Vaughn Marshall of Cox Communications as treasurer and Annie Appleton of the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation as secretary.
“After serving as vice chair and development chair, I’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand how this organization has transformed communities and strengthened Atlanta through the power of parks over the past 35 years,” Brown said.
The new board members are Sarah Boyer of Lord Aeck Sargent; Becky Evans, a former state representative; Lee Harrop of the Atlanta Stitch; Amy Howell of Chick-fil-A; Glenn Kurtz of Legacy Parking Company; Cory Rayburn of Jacobs; and Susan Rutherford, a longtime greenspace conservation official.
The additions come as the group works to implement its updated strategic plan, People, Parks, Policy.
— Derek Prall
New Cumberland Art Festival coming to the Galleria on the Park in October
A new arts festival is coming this fall. The inaugural Cumberland Art Festival will take over the Galleria on the Park for a free two-day celebration Oct. 17 to 18.
The festival is expected to draw between 15,000 and 25,000 visitors and will feature more than 125 artists, live music, local food and beverage vendors, family activities and interactive experiences.
The event will showcase artists working across a variety of mediums through a curated market, while a Kid Zone will offer activities for younger visitors. Live entertainment and local culinary offerings will round out the weekend.
Click here for more information.
— Derek Prall
