The 27th annual North Georgia Folk Festival will return to Sandy Creek Park on Saturday, September 24. The festival will feature food vendors and arts and crafts demonstrations including chair making, folk painting, cider making and more to go along with folk music. Musicians and music lovers will also enjoy free lessons in old time banjo and fiddle playing from masters of these classic folk instruments. The sounds of both traditional and modern folk blues and bluegrass will be heard from the main stage all day, non-stop from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The festival also hosts a special Kids' Fest featuring arts and crafts, making the event a family affair. For more information, visit www.athensfolk.org or call Sandy Creek Park at (706) 613-3631.
On Saturday, Sept. 24, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia will host the 17th annual Insect-ival. This family festival is packed full of creepy, crawly fun where kids can learn about and interact with live insects at discovery stations, roach and beetle races and puppet shows. The highlight of the event will be the amazing butterfly release on the lawn of the International Garden, where hundreds of native and locally reared butterflies will flap their wings to freedom for the first time. Festivities take place between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Admission is $5 per person; ages two and under are free.No pre-registration is required. For more information on Insect-ival, visit
http://www.uga.edu/botgarden/eduinsect.html, or call (706) 542- 6156.
The Morton Theater is set to host the Dixie Film Festival from September 23rd through the 25th. The Dixie Film Festival has gained worldwide attention for featuring high quality films and filmmakers from more than a dozen countries competing in nine different categories. Viewers will experience three days of cinematic creativity in areas of animation, comedy, documentary, features and shorts in this international competition of independent film. For more information, visit www.dixiefilmfest.com or call (678) 656-3699.
Taking to the streets of the Classic City for the 31st consecutive year, the Athens-to-Atlanta Road Skate is scheduled to roll out of town on October 9th. As the world's largest point-to-point, in-line skating event, the A2A road skate combines the beauty of northern Georgia, the friendliness of the in-line skating community and the rigors of distance skating. Skaters can choose to pursue a 38, 52, or 87-mile distance skate on four or five wheels in America's most distinctive outdoor skating event. All skaters, except those in the 52-mile event, start in Athens and roll through the rural Georgia countryside passing the first two checkpoints to the 38-mile station. Free bus services take the 38-mile racers back to Athens or to the 87-mile finish line in Atlanta. Registration rates range from $30-$100 depending on registration date and race distance. More information, including starting times, maps and itineraries are available on the event's website: www.a2a.net or call (404) 806-7251.
Previously a summer festival event, the Athens PopFest will take place October 11th-15th this fall. The four day festival of indie-pop fun aims to bring like-minded fans of the genre together for a collective celebration of independent music. From pop- folk, punk, goth, acoustic and more, all past and emerging styles will be welcomed at Athens PopFest. Proceeds from the Athens PopFest fund the non-profit's scholarship grant program. For more information about this year's line-up and wristband information, visit www.athenspopfest.com or e-mail athenspopfest@gmail.com.
Organizers of the annual music festival AthFest will host the 2nd annual AthFest Half Marathon run and expo on Oct. 22 and 23. All proceeds and donations collected from the marathon will go to fund the AthFest Inc. nonprofit's after-school music education program in local schools. With the start and finish line of Sunday's race located at the highest point in downtown Athens at the corner of Washington and College, the course will loop through areas of the UGA campus, the North Oconee River and a handful of historic neighborhoods. On the Saturday prior to the race, a Health and Fitness Expo, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Athens, will feature health and fitness exhibits and demonstrations as well as a variety of nutritious free samples and bargain priced fitness merchandise. The runners won't be the only ones having fun, though, as large crowds of spectators will come out and cheer on the race! For more information on the AthFest Half Marathon, visit http://athensgahalf.com or call (706) 548-1973.
Halloween in Athens is the ultimate adults-only party. Athens nightclubs will be alive with the undead on October 31st with live music and fun costumes. Bands and fans alike dress in wild costumes to celebrate fall's spookiest holiday. The Athens nightlife scene buzzes at full force on Halloween night making it well worth a trip. Live music performance calendars will be available at www.flagpole.com.
For more information about any of these festivals and complete Athens travel information including special discounts and packages, visit www.visitathensga.com or contact the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau at 706.357.4430, toll-free 800.653.0603.
