Science fiction fanatics, super hero junkies and avid comic book readers alike are invited to don their favorite cosplay attire Labor Day weekend during a special Dragon Con Parade Patio Party at White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails on Saturday, August 31, 2019 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Located in the heart of Downtown Atlanta on Peachtree Street, the patio party will feature a fantastic view of the high-energy parade along with mouthwatering passed appetizers and two alcoholic drink tickets for $50 per person and $30 for attendees ages 21 and under. Revelers looking to continue celebrating the weekend of fandom can dive into a special Dragon Con Brunch Buffet on Saturday, August 31st and Sunday, September 1st from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $55 a person.

The Grant Park Conservancy has revealed the live music lineup and schedule for the 17th annual Grant Park Summer Shade Festival on Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25, 2019. Earning a reputation as a must-attend event to see some of the hottest up-and-coming bands, local talent and notable favorites, festival goers are invited to watch two days of nonstop high-energy performances. Featuring a diverse lineup for all tastes, 2019 artists include Blair Crimmins, Stripped, Cicada Rhythm, Common Ground, Old Ceremony, Mafia do Samba, ASH, R.A.H and many more

George Takei, Lana Parrilla, and David Tennant lead a long list of celebrity guests headed to Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, science fiction, and gaming convention, for Labor Day weekend. Scottish actor David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor of Doctor Who fame, makes a career of bringing fans’ favorite characters to life. Other noted roles of his include Jessica Jones’s Kilgrave, the voice of DuckTales’ Scrooge McDuck, and most recently the demonically charming Crowley of Good Omens.

The Atlanta Craft Cocktail Fest will also be held on Saturday, September 7th from 6-10pm at City Winery. There will be a wide variety of specialty cocktails available to sample as well as a small selection of beer and wine. Live music will be upstairs and DJ Aetii will be downstairs playing your favorite dance music. Food will be available for purchase from a select menu from City Winery. More details about the event will be posted on the website as they are finalized. Tickets include entry, entertainment and all of your drinks; food will cost extra. The tickets will be $50 in advance, $55 after Aug. 29, $65 day of the event.

The Atlanta Bourbon Fest will be held on Saturday, September 7th at City Winery from 1-4pm with VIP starting at noon. There will be over 50 bourbons and whiskeys to sample as well as a few beer and wine options. There will be live music upstairs and DJ Aetii downstairs. Food will be available for purchase from a select menu from City Winery. The list of bourbons and whiskeys will be posted on the website once they're confirmed. General Admission tickets include entry, entertainment, a souvenir etched tasting glass upon exit, and all of your drinks. They will run $60 in advance, $65 after Aug. 29, $75 day of the event. VIP tickets include early entry at 12pm, 15+ VIP-only bourbons, a souvenir etched tasting glass upon exit, and all of your drinks. These will be $110 in advance, $120 after Aug. 29, not available day of.

Atlanta magazine’s editorial team takes a fresh look at the metro area’s culinary scene. Which favorite restaurants are still at the top of their games? And which newcomers deserve recognition? Our critics assemble Atlanta’s most authoritative list of the top dining spots, from fine restaurants to food stalls. Atlanta magazine brings that mouthwatering content to life by hosting the hottest all-inclusive ticket in town—DINES: A Taste of the City’s Best Restaurants, showcasing dozens of dining spots that were featured throughout the year. In addition to a vast food selection from the participating restaurants, guests will enjoy complimentary handcrafted cocktails, live music, and event activations throughout the evening!

Going to great depths to ensure that this is the most immersive Imagine Festival yet, Iris Presents has announced that Imagine will be expanding to four days, which will be accompanied by full music programming on the Disco Inferno stage, early arrival camping, and an extra day of fun. Taking place at Atlanta Motor Speedway this September 19-22, 2019, the added day will be free to everyone who purchases a 3-day ticket and available for a limited time until August 15th. Imagine has also unveiled the full lineup, in addition to several other big announcements, including a brand new stage- TechYes / Guerrilla 360 and a Saturday pool party.

City Winery celebrates black-owned wineries, breweries and distilleries on Saturday, August 31st during An Afternoon with Black Beverage Artisans. Beverage Director, James Brim, has curated a tasting menu featuring some of the best African American-owned and produced beer, wine, and whiskey. Attendees will wander the spacious patio, sampling from companies such as Brown Estate Wines, Mouton Noir Wine, McBride Sisters Wine, Uncle Nearest Whiskey, Khonso Brewing, and Atlanta’s own Down Home Brewing. Sommeliers will be on hand to guide the experience.

Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or veg-curious, The Veggie Connection Event is the place to be on August, 31st from 10am-5pm. Georgians and visitors are expected to attend this veggie celebration of the best of everything plant based in and around the Atlanta, GA and surrounding cities. This family-friendly event brings vendors from all over Georgia and surrounding cities with plant based specialty foods, eco-friendly products, cruelty-free fashion, newly published books, inspirational art pieces and more. During this day-long celebration, vendors, partners, and sponsors will showcase a wide range of products, services and resources to help attendees discover why eating a plant-based diet and choosing vegetarian/vegan foods is one of the best ways to help protect our health, the planet, and animals.

Sweet Auburn Barbecue, the Atlanta barbecue spot from dynamic brother-and-sister duo Howard and Anita Hsu, is teaming up with Tillamook, Oregon's favorite dairy co-op, for Tillamook Presents: A Celebration of Pimento Cheese on Thursday, August 22! On a mission to share their award-winning products with food lovers from coast to coast, Tillamook embarked on the first-ever Melty Fest Tour featuring a series of curated regional events in cities across America earlier this year. To celebrate Atlanta and the culinary greatness of the American Southeast, Tillamook and Sweet Auburn Barbecue have invited a roster of Atlanta’s most talented chefs to showcase and celebrate Southern staple pimento cheese in just about every way imaginable—from the Hsu family’s famed pimento cheese wonton that blends their Malaysian-Chinese roots with their southern upbringing, to the pimento cheese creations of Atlanta’s top chefs.

Springer Mountain Farms Southern Wing Showdown, the favorite all-inclusive summer festival celebrating unique takes on a Southern staple, will return for its fourth year on Sunday, August 25 at The Fairmont (1429 Fairmont Ave NW) in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood from 1pm to 5pm. Sponsored by Springer Mountain Farms and Big Green Egg and produced by Taste of Atlanta, the event will feature creative talent from over 30 prominent Southeastern chefs hailing from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, including Atlanta’s Matt Basford of Canoe (2018 ‘Best Wing’ Winner) and Drew Van Leuvan of Seven Lamps, Charlotte’s Greg Collier of Loft & Cellar and more. Starting in June, tickets will be available for purchase online and will grant access to all-you-can-eat tastes and drinks, including signature cocktails, beer and wine, plus live music from Luke Latimer. There will be both General Admission and VIP tickets, with the first hour of the events reserved for VIP First Taster attendees. The event sells out every year, and last year, approximately 28,000 wings were eaten by attendees.

Atlanta’s most philanthropic and fashionable affair, Jeffrey Fashion Cares, is set to celebrate 27 stylish years on Monday, August 26, 2019 at 7 p.m. The annual event, which has become a mainstay on Atlanta’s social circuit, is founded by acclaimed retailer and arbiter of style, Jeffrey Kalinsky, who recently expanded his Atlanta store in Phipps Plaza and is now offering both men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, accessories and jewelry. What is always an unforgettable evening, Jeffrey Fashion Cares will kick off with a cocktail reception and dynamic silent auction followed by a high-energy live auction. The evening’s pièce de résistance, a runway show featuring Kalinsky’s style selections from high-end designers, once again promises to dazzle with looks from Celine, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Dries Van Noten, Sacai, Saint Laurent Paris, Balenciaga, Valentino, Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik. The 2019 event will be held at Phipps Plaza and benefit Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta, the Atlanta AIDS Fund (AAF), and the Medical University of South Carolina.

An annual tradition, the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival will welcome music and art lovers to Atlanta’s oldest park for its 17th year on Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25, 2019. Produced by and benefiting the Grant Park Conservancy, the two-day, fun-filled festival will once again feature an impressive lineup of live music throughout the weekend in addition to an expansive artist market, Kids Zone, 5K run, and much more. Open to all ages and free to attend, the 17th annual festival will also have a diverse selection of local food trucks and vendors with offerings for all tastes, cocktails, a beer garden featuring acoustic music and family-friendly games and more.

The 16th Annual Atlanta German Bierfest is back on Saturday, August 24th in Woodruff Park in Downtown Atlanta for an incredible day of authentic German beers, music and food. Festival fans will receive a commemorative sample glass to enjoy unlimited samples of more than 35 authentic German Beers. Atlanta area German restaurants and food vendors will serve up authentic cuisine such as bratwurst, käsepätzle, pretzels, sauerkraut, schnitzel, and more! The German Bierfest also features live music and plenty of hands on sports activities and games. Gates open at 2pm and the event ends at 7pm.