Arts in Atlanta to Dec. 1: Puryear at the High Museum, Hocus Pocus with the ASO Oct. 30, puppet Rudolph from Nov. 11 and A Christmas Carol from Nov. 14.

The High Museum of Art has Martin Puryear’s sculpture and a new photography show, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra plays Hocus Pocus live to the film around Halloween, and the holiday shows open in mid-November: Rudolph at the Center for Puppetry Arts from Nov. 11 and A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theatre from Nov. 14.

Last checked Oct. 20, 2026. This page covers the next six weeks and is retitled each month. Every listing links to the museum, theater or orchestra that published it; confirm times and tickets there before you go. For festivals, food and family events, see things to do this month and things to do this weekend.

Exhibitions now showing

All four are at the High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, on the Woodruff Arts Center campus by Arts Center MARTA station. The museum lists general admission at $23.50 for nonmembers; members get in free.

  • Martin Puryear: Nexus, through Jan. 17, 2027. Sculpture by Martin Puryear. Exhibition page.
  • Photography as a Way of Life: Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan, through Feb. 7, 2027. Three photographers who shaped postwar American photography. Exhibition page.
  • I SPY! Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders, through Jan. 3, 2027. Photographs from the I SPY picture-puzzle books, a good pick for children. Exhibition page.
  • Los Porfiados (The Stubborns), through Nov. 29. An installation by the Chilean design studio gt2P. Exhibition page.

Atlanta Contemporary, 535 Means St. NW, which is free every day, was still closed on Oct. 20 while it installs its next exhibitions. Opening dates will be added here when the center publishes them.

Theater and dance

  • Like Father, through Nov. 15, Alliance Theatre’s Hertz Stage, 1280 Peachtree St. NE. A coming-of-age musical by Jacob Ryan Smith and Caroline Pernick in which a true-crime podcast exposes a family’s past. Post-show “Afterwords” talks follow the Oct. 24, 29 and 31 performances. Alliance Theatre page.
  • The Ghastly Dreadfuls, through Oct. 31, Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW. Gothic tales from musicians, dancers and puppeteers. Ages 18 and up; tickets from $29. Center for Puppetry Arts page.
  • Spookhouse Annie, through Nov. 1, Center for Puppetry Arts. A not-too-scary Halloween puppet show for ages 4 and up. Tickets are $20, $16 for members, and include museum admission. Center for Puppetry Arts page.
  • All Smiles, through Nov. 8, and Roob and Noob, Nov. 1-7, Alliance Theatre. Short shows for the very young: All Smiles is a sensory-friendly show for newborns to 5-year-olds made with the Marcus Autism Center. All Smiles and Roob and Noob.
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Nov. 11 to Dec. 27, Center for Puppetry Arts. The holiday puppet show for ages 4 and up, 60 minutes, mostly morning and early-afternoon times, with no shows on Mondays or Thanksgiving. Tickets from $22; some dates are already sold out. Center for Puppetry Arts page.
  • A Christmas Carol, Nov. 14 to Dec. 27, Alliance Theatre’s Coca-Cola Stage. The Alliance’s annual Dickens adaptation. Alliance Theatre page.
  • Knock, Knock, Nov. 14 to Dec. 23, Alliance Theatre’s Selig Family Black Box Theatre. A 30-minute holiday show for newborns to 5-year-olds, who visit the neighbors on each floor of an apartment building. Alliance Theatre page.

Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker follows Dec. 5-26 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre; see our Nutcracker show times.

Concerts and classical

All at Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, according to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

  • Rhapsody in Blue, 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 24. Kristiina Poska conducts Gershwin’s Catfish Row suite and Rhapsody in Blue, with jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner, and Nielsen’s Fourth Symphony. ASO page.
  • Family Concert: Halloween, Hogwarts & More, 1:30 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Harry Potter music and other spooky pieces for children under 12, who are invited to come in costume. ASO page.
  • “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26. Free, but tickets are required; reserve through the ASO or the box office at 404-733-4800. ASO page.
  • Disney’s Hocus Pocus in Concert, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. The film with the score played live. ASO page.
  • Bach + Brahms, 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 7. Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann and pianist Anna Geniushene, the ASO’s artist in residence, in Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 and Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture and Piano Concerto No. 2. ASO page.

Classes and workshops

  • XPT New Director Workshop, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, at the Center for Puppetry Arts, for adults making their own puppet work. Workshop page.

Regular events

  • Friday Jazz at the High Museum, every third Friday, with seating from 6 p.m. first come, first served, and HIGH Frequency Friday, every first Friday, with music, art and dancing; preregistration required, the museum says.

Send us your event

Galleries, theaters and arts groups can email hello@atlantalivenews.com with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free and go on this page and the monthly listings.

Frequently asked questions

What arts events are on in Atlanta in late October and November 2026?

Martin Puryear: Nexus is at the High Museum of Art through Jan. 17, the Alliance Theatre has Like Father through Nov. 15 and A Christmas Carol from Nov. 14, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra plays Hocus Pocus in concert Oct. 30 and Nov. 1.

What exhibitions are at the High Museum right now?

Martin Puryear: Nexus, I SPY! Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders, Los Porfiados (The Stubborns) and Photography as a Way of Life: Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan, the museum says.

What is on at the Center for Puppetry Arts for the holidays?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer runs Nov. 11 to Dec. 27 for ages 4 and up, with tickets from $22. Spookhouse Annie runs through Nov. 1 and The Ghastly Dreadfuls, for adults, through Oct. 31.

When does A Christmas Carol open at the Alliance Theatre?

Nov. 14, running to Dec. 27, 2026, on the Coca-Cola Stage at 1280 Peachtree St. NE.