What a phenomenal weekend celebrating Atlanta's incredible diversity! The Atlanta Greek Festival marks 50 years with authentic food, live music, and cathedral tours, while classic fair fun arrives at both the Georgia National Fair in Perry and the Atlanta Fair running through November. Add in Maxwell and Chris Brown concerts, plus the free Candler Park Fall Fest—there's world-class entertainment honoring cultural traditions and contemporary energy across our metro.

Major developments continue reshaping our landscape with PATH 400 completing its final Buckhead segment featuring an 80-foot bridge, Goat Farm's LOOP creative hub launching downtown ahead of the 2026 World Cup, and Elyse Buckhead opening luxury condo sales starting in the mid-$900,000s. Our dining scene shines with Talat Market ranking #17 on Resy's best U.S. restaurants list, while Atlanta also earned recognition as #17 for vegetarian and vegan-friendly dining with the most salad shops per capita nationwide.

From Mayor Dickens' $5 billion Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative targeting underserved communities to LaGrange's groundbreaking cricket stadium serving 2.5 billion worldwide fans, this weekend captures Atlanta's momentum balancing celebration with meaningful progress. Whether you're exploring Greek culture, discovering acclaimed restaurants, cheering on the Falcons against Tampa Bay on October 12, or joining us for our 5th Annual Fall Festival on October 19 (RSVP by October 6 at www.vestaconsultinggroup.com/fall-fest), Atlanta proves why our blend of tradition and innovation attracts people worldwide. Ready to explore what's happening in the ATL?

Georgia National Fair 2025 | Annual state fair with rides, food, agricultural exhibits, and family-friendly attractions
📍 Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter, Perry 📅 Wed, October 2 - Sat, October 12

Atlanta Greek Festival: Return to the Village | 50th anniversary celebration with authentic Greek food, live music, dancing, cathedral tours, and market
📍 Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral 📅 Thu, October 2 - Sun, October 5

Atlanta Fair | Classic fair with rides, food, and family-friendly attractions
📍 Across from Georgia State Stadium | 📅 Thu, October 3 - Sat, November 2

Vacation® Corporate Cookout Atlanta | Gulf Coast-themed company cookout with complimentary Teremana cocktails, fried shrimp, free sunscreen samples, Poolsuite DJs, and rooftop bar
📍 Breaker Breaker 📅 Sat, October 4

Atlanta Arab Festival | Arabic cultural celebration with food, music, dance, and exhibits
📍 Alif Institute | 📅 Sat, October 4 - Sun, October 5

Candler Park Fall Fest | Free two-day festival with music, art, food, games, and rides
📍 Candler Park | 📅 Sat, October 4 - Sun, October 5

Wicked Hideaway Halloween Pop-Up | Themed pop-up event with Halloween décor, specialty treats, and creative cocktails
📍 AltaToro 📅 Thu, October 3 - Sat, November 2

Maxwell 📍 State Farm Arena 📅 Thu, October 3
Chris Brown📍 Bobby Dodd Stadium 📅 Thu, October 3
Lake Street Dive📍 The Tabernacle 📅 Thu, October 3
The Lumineers 📍 State Farm Arena 📅 Sat, October 4

🏈 Georgia Tech vs. Duke Blue Devils – Friday, October 4
⚽ Atlanta United vs. Philadelphia Union – Saturday, October 11
🏈 Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Sunday, October 12

🏏 LaGrange Cricket Stadium, the first privately owned U.S. cricket venue, is breaking ground this fall as part of Selig Enterprises' 180-acre Sola development. The 10,500-seat stadium can expand to 25,000 capacity and will include a FIFA-regulated soccer field, with completion expected in Q1 2027 to serve cricket's 2.5 billion worldwide fans.

🚶 PATH 400 completed its final major segment in Buckhead, opening a 0.75-mile stretch between Wieuca Road and Loridans Drive featuring an 80-foot-high bridge. The $13.4 million project creates nearly three contiguous miles of greenway with 500 newly planted native trees, enhancing pedestrian and bike connectivity.

🎨 Goat Farm unveiled LOOP, a creative hub transforming the former Randall Brothers Warehouse at Georgia Tech's Creative Quarter development site downtown. The adaptive-reuse building will feature artist studios and performance space designed to open in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, serving as a platform for contemporary art, music, and design collaboration.

🏢 Kolter Urban opened a sales gallery for Elyse Buckhead, a 20-story luxury condo tower at 102 W. Paces Ferry Road featuring 194 units starting in the mid-$900,000s. The project includes 63,000 square feet of resort-style amenities with heated pool, pickleball court, theater, dog park, spa with cold plunges, and golf simulator, with site work expected to begin in Q2 2026 and delivery forecasted for late 2028 to early 2029.

🏘️ Atlanta Housing and The Benoit Group broke ground on Englewood's next phase in Chosewood Park, adding 200 mixed-income apartments and 22,000 square feet of retail space near the BeltLine's Southside Trail. All units will be reserved for families earning at or below 60% of Area Median Income, with adjacent senior housing on pace to finish in July and trails opening when the housing completes.

🏗️ Atlanta BeltLine issued an RFP to transform 13.7 acres at 356 University Avenue into mixed-use development in the Pittsburgh neighborhood along the Southside Trail. The community-driven project requires at least 30% affordable residential units, 30% light industrial space, and 20% affordable commercial space below market rates, with completion timed ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

🍸 Summerhill's Talat Market ranked #17 on the inaugural Resy 100 list of best restaurants in the U.S. Chefs Parnass Savang and Rod Lassiter blend Thai techniques with Georgia ingredients and Southern foodways on their daily-changing menu, plus they're famous for serving "the coldest martini in the city" frozen to zero degrees Fahrenheit.

🍽️ Chef Todd Ginsberg and Bloom Roadside founder Josh Kim are opening an unnamed counter-service restaurant in South Downtown by April. The 900-square-foot space will serve all-day breakfast, sandwiches, salads, and Kim's sour cream doughnuts from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with menu highlights including Thai Cobb salad, Korean fried chicken sandwich, and classic diner fare all priced at $12.

☕ Switchyards is celebrating its upcoming Toco Hills club opening with free drinks on Friday, October 3. Head to Spiller Park from 8-11 a.m. for free iced coffee, then stop by Wild Heaven from 5-7 p.m. for a free beer at their partnering locations on N Druid Hills Road.

🎃 Rreal Tacos locations are fully decked out for Halloween all October long with festive cocktails, Halloween birria options, and birria ramen. The standout is the Haunted Titanic—12 shots of Zombie Punch served with sparklers that light up the whole space.

🥗 Atlanta ranked #17 on WalletHub's list of most vegetarian and vegan-friendly cities, scoring well in quality, accessibility, and diversity of non-meat options while ranking #1 for most salad shops per capita, though affordability remains a challenge at #68 out of 100 cities studied.

💰 Mayor Andre Dickens announced a $5 billion Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative aimed at bringing opportunity to underserved areas in south and west Atlanta through existing tax allocation districts. The plan includes $1.9 billion for transit, $1.5 billion in trails and greenspace, $1.3 billion in affordable housing, and investments in health centers, small business development, and public infrastructure, with TADs needing extension beyond 2050 for success.

🏞️ Despite the federal government shutdown, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area remains accessible to the public though officially closed. All park operations are suspended with the visitor center closed and limited trash collection, but bathrooms remain open, and visitors are advised to practice caution and "pack it in, pack it out" stewardship.

🎾 Padel Haus opened its newest location at Westside Paper, bringing the fast-growing sport of padel to Atlanta for the first time. The air-conditioned facility with glass walls blends tennis and squash, offering beginner clinics and open play sessions plus a full cafe and juice bar.

⚽ StationSoccer is building mini soccer pitches at MARTA stations through Soccer in the Streets to help families connect and play without transportation barriers. The "A League of Stations" initiative aims to build a healthier, more connected Atlanta one pitch at a time.

🎃Don’t forget to RSVP for our 5th Annual Fall Festival by October 6th! Join us on October 19 for professional family photos, pumpkins, tacos, live music, and more! 

👉 www.vestaconsultinggroup.com/fall-fest

PS. According to Realtor.com, the best time to buy a home is coming up on October 12-18th. Reply “home” and let’s get you ready to go!