The Little 5 Points Halloween Festival and parade, the High Museum's free Centennial Block Party and the Falcons hosting the Bears lead Atlanta's weekend.

The Little 5 Points Halloween Festival and its Sunday parade lead Atlanta’s weekend, with the High Museum’s free Centennial Block Party on Peachtree Street and the Falcons hosting the Bears on Sunday.

Last checked 2026-10-15. This page is rebuilt every Thursday for the coming weekend. Each listing links to the organizer; confirm times there before you go. For the rest of the month, see things to do this month and arts and exhibitions this month.

Weather: the National Weather Service in Peachtree City forecasts a sunny Friday near 85 degrees, then a cold front: gusts up to 35 mph Friday night, a sunny Saturday near 65 and a sunny Sunday near 63, with lows in the 40s. Bring a jacket for the parade and the evening shows. The NWS forecast has the latest.

Friday, Oct. 16

  • Atlanta Ballet: Cinderella, Friday and Saturday, Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE. Bruce Wells’ family ballet with narration, danced by Atlanta Ballet 2 and its students, recommended for ages 4 and up and about 1 hour and 28 minutes long. Every attendee needs a ticket. Atlanta Ballet page.
  • Guster with the ASO, 7:30 p.m., Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE. The band plays a different set with the orchestra each night, Friday and Saturday. ASO page.
  • Mexodus, last day Friday, Alliance Theatre’s Coca-Cola Stage. The two-person hip-hop musical about enslaved people who escaped to freedom in Mexico closes its run. Alliance Theatre page.
  • High school football. Atlanta Public Schools games across the city; our Friday night football page has the matchups. GHSA schedule.

Saturday, Oct. 17

  • Clark Atlanta University Homecoming Parade, 9 to 11 a.m., on the CAU community parade route around the campus, ahead of the homecoming game at 1 p.m. at Panther Stadium. CAU homecoming page.
  • Boo at the Zoo, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Zoo Atlanta, 800 Cherokee Ave. SE. Trick-or-Treat Lane and Halloween activities for families, free with general admission and for members and children under 3. Also Sunday. Zoo Atlanta page.
  • Monster Mash, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW. A Halloween party for families, with tickets that can add an 11 a.m., 1 or 3 p.m. puppet show. Center for Puppetry Arts page.
  • Atlanta Recycles Day, Greenbriar Mall. The Department of Public Works’ monthly drop-off for paper shredding, tires, small electronics and single-stream recycling. City recycling page. Our trash and recycling guide has the rest of the year’s dates.
  • Little 5 Points Halloween Festival, noon to 7 p.m., Little Five Points. Two days of more than 100 art vendors, live music and skate ramps, run by the neighborhood’s business association and cultural district. Our Halloween events page has more. Organizer’s page.
  • Guster with the ASO, 7:30 p.m., Atlanta Symphony Hall, the second night with a different setlist. ASO page.

Sunday, Oct. 18

  • Chastain Park Auto Show, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Red Parking Lot at Chastain Park. Free. The conservancy’s fifth show expects more than 175 vehicles, with a vote for your favorite. Auto show site.
  • Boo at the Zoo, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Zoo Atlanta, free with general admission. Zoo Atlanta page.
  • High Museum Centennial Block Party, noon to 5 p.m., Peachtree Street between 15th and 16th streets, outside the museum. Free outdoors, with live music and DJs for the museum’s 100th birthday; museum admission for nonmembers is $23.50. High Museum page.
  • Atlanta Streets Alive, noon to 7 p.m. The city closes a route including Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW and Georgia Avenue SE to cars so people can bike, walk, skate and play. City events calendar.
  • Little 5 Points Halloween Parade, 1 p.m., Little Five Points, with the festival running noon to 7 p.m. around it. Organizer’s page.
  • Falcons vs. Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., Mercedes-Benz Stadium, on FOX. Falcons schedule.
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 7 p.m., doors at 6 p.m., Atlanta Symphony Hall. The film with a live shadow cast and original cast members Barry Bostwick and Nell Campbell. ASO page.

All weekend

  • Capturing the Spirit of Oakland, Thursday to Sunday, Oct. 15-18, and again Oct. 22-25, Historic Oakland Cemetery, 374 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE. After-dark Halloween tours with costumed storytellers, in their 20th year. Tickets are $45 for ages 13 and up and $30 for children 3 to 12, sold in 15-minute entry blocks. Historic Oakland Foundation page.
  • Scarecrows in the Garden, Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, through Nov. 1. Garden page.
  • Spookhouse Annie, Center for Puppetry Arts, through Nov. 1. A not-too-scary Halloween puppet show for ages 4 and up, at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. Center for Puppetry Arts page.
  • The Ghastly Dreadfuls, Center for Puppetry Arts, Friday and Saturday evenings this weekend, through Oct. 31. Gothic puppet tales for adults, from $36. Center for Puppetry Arts page.
  • Like Father, Alliance Theatre’s Hertz Stage, through Nov. 15. A coming-of-age musical about a family and a true-crime podcast. Alliance Theatre page.
  • Photography as a Way of Life, High Museum of Art, through Feb. 7: Minor White, Aaron Siskind and Harry Callahan. High Museum page.

Regular weekend fixtures

  • Freedom Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, The Carter Center, 453 Freedom Parkway NE. Market site.
  • Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to noon, through Dec. 19, Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road NW. Market site.
  • Green Market, Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Dec. 12, Piedmont Park. Piedmont Park Conservancy.
  • Grant Park Farmers Market, Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Beacon ATL, 1040 Grant St. SE. Market site.
  • Every market is on our farmers markets page.

Send us your event

Organizers can email hello@atlantalivenews.com with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free and go on this page, the monthly listings and the site’s diary.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Atlanta this weekend?

The Little 5 Points Halloween Festival runs noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17-18, with the parade at 1 p.m. Sunday. The High Museum throws a free Centennial Block Party on Peachtree Street on Sunday, and the Falcons host the Chicago Bears at 1 p.m. Sunday.

What is free in Atlanta this weekend?

The High Museum’s Centennial Block Party is free outdoors from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, and the Chastain Park Auto Show is free from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Boo at the Zoo is included with Zoo Atlanta general admission.

What time is the Little 5 Points Halloween Parade?

The parade starts at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, in Little Five Points, and the festival around it runs noon to 7 p.m. both days, according to the organizers.