10 Can't-Miss Atlanta Music Festivals

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull

Catch your favorite bands at big music festivals in Atlanta this year.

Each year, the Atlanta area offers up world-class talent at music festivals that show off the city’s historic neighborhoods, iconic venues and not-very-far-away fields. From perennial favorites to newly launched events, these Atlanta music festivals are hot tickets this year.

SweetWater 420 Fest

SweetWater 420 Fest (2016 dates TBD) features big-name bands taking the stage as part of this annual festival from Atlanta-owned SweetWater Brewing Company. In addition to enjoying music and art, festivalgoers can taste SweetWater beers and attend presentations from brewing experts. The festival also has a comedy tent featuring local talent and an EDM-centric Not-So-Silent Disco.

Shaky Knees Music Festival

The Shaky Knees Music Festival will be May 13-15, 2016, in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park & International Plaza. The 2015 event featured The Strokes, Pixies, The Avett Brothers and Wilco.
Shaky Beats Festival

New in 2016, the Shaky Beats Music Festival will be held May 20-22 in Centennial Olympic Park. Featuring 40 electronic, indie and hip-hop acts across three stages, food trucks and more, it's sure to be a party like no other.
Atlanta Jazz Festival

If you think getting into a music festival is out of your budget this year, check out the cost of the Atlanta Jazz Festival: $0. While the main part of the festival is Memorial Day weekend, every day in May will feature a free jazz event at jazz clubs, neighborhood parks and locally owned restaurants as part of 31 Days of Jazz. The Memorial Day weekend events all happen at Piedmont Park.
Counterpoint Music Festival

Billed as, “the cure for the common festival,” Counterpoint Music Festival offered up crowd favorites Zedd, The Roots and Widespread Panic as headliners during the May 22-24, 2015, event. Located on the Kingston Downs grounds where the Atlanta Steeplechase is held each year, the festival offers camping in tents, RVs or in the festival’s luxury cabins. Getting there from downtown Atlanta is easy with shuttles from the Civic Center MARTA Station.
Candler Park Music & Food Festival

Southern sounds reign supreme at the Candler Park Music & Food Festival in May in the large park near Atlanta’s Little Five Points. Drive By Truckers, Shovels & Rope, and J. Roddy Ralston & The Business performed in 2015. Proceeds from the festival benefit Atlanta Contact Point, an organization that hosts free play days in Atlanta parks each year.
Tunes from the Tombs

Tunes from the Tombs is one of the most unique music festivals in Atlanta. Featuring local musicians, the June event will hosts numerous stages of entertainment in addition to food trucks and tours, all on the grounds of Historic Oakland Cemetery.
Imagine Music Festival

Electronic musicians, DJs and bands performed alongside cirque-style acts during the August 2015 Imagine Music Festival, featuring dance music at three Atlanta venues: Historic Fourth Ward Park,Masquerade Music Park, and Clear Creek Basin. Located next to the Atlanta BeltLine, the festival provided visitors the unique opportunity to walk to and from venues located near more than 20 locally owned restaurants that call the BeltLine their backyard.
TomorrowWorld

More than 60,000 electronic music fans flock to Chattahoochee Hills each year for the immersive TomorrowWorld experience, which pairs unique decor with world-class entertainment. Happening in September, the concerts take place on seven stages across an 8,000-acre space next to the Chattahoochee River. Attendees can camp in DreamVille, which continues the unique TomorrowWorld experience. Shuttles are available to TomorrowWorld from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and downtown Atlanta.
A3C Festival & Conference

Hip hop takes the stage during the annual A3C Festival & Conference in October. Located at venues in the heart of the Old Fourth Ward and East Atlanta Village, the festival features more than 500 performances over five days and concludes with the Best Block Party Ever, an event that is free to attend. Many of the events are located near the new Atlanta Streetcar route, providing easy access from MARTA rail stations and bus service as well as the downtown hotel district.