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What an exciting Halloween weekend celebrating spooky spirit and culture! The Great Midtown Scare Block Party brings free festivities Thursday alongside the Native American Festival & Pow Wow at Stone Mountain, Día de los Muertos festivals at Woodruff Arts Center and Oakland Cemetery, Trick-or-Treat on the Roof at Ponce City Market, and Chastain Park Fall Arts Festival with 175 artists—plus Brandy & Monica at State Farm Arena Friday and the Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon Sunday.

Atlanta continues transforming with construction on a 15-story state office building at the former Diamond Club site, Pullman Yards' 400-space parking garage opening Q1 2026, and a pizzeria converting a 1950s auto garage next to El Tesoro in Edgewood. Our dining scene shines with Close Company Bar from Death & Co opening November 6 featuring $9 cocktails, Big Bad Breakfast opening November 4 in Buckhead, and Eggslut bringing L.A.'s cult-favorite egg sandwiches to Moxy Atlanta Downtown in 2026.

From Atlantic Station's 20th anniversary to Hartsfield-Jackson processing 108.1 million passengers in 2024 and Amy Sherald's exhibition coming to the High Museum, this weekend captures our city's momentum. Whether you're celebrating Día de los Muertos, exploring Halloween festivities, or trying new restaurants, Atlanta proves why our blend of innovation and community attracts people worldwide. Ready to explore the ATL?

A huge thank you to everyone who made our VCG Annual Fall Fest 2025 such a joyful and memorable day! Here's to more moments that bring our community together! 🧡

Stone Mountain Park's Pumpkin Festival | Family-friendly park attractions and special fall entertainment featuring favorite classic storybook characters, Summit Skyride opens at 10 a.m.
📍 Stone Mountain Park | 📅 Now - Sun, November 2

Native American Festival & Pow Wow | Dance, art, food, and cultural festivities—largest gathering of its kind in the Southeast
📍 Stone Mountain Park | 📅 Thur, October 30 - Sun, November 2

Lakewood 400 Antiques Market | Regional antique show with diverse vendors
📍 Lakewood Fairgrounds 📅 Fri, October 31 - Sun, November 2

Rescue Dog Games | Dog costume contest, agility games, and animal adoptions
📍 Grant Park | 📅 Sat, November 1

Chastain Park Fall Arts Festival | Fine art and crafts from approximately 175 artists and artisans, children's area, local food and beverage concessions, and acoustic musician
📍 Chastain Park | 📅 Sat, November 1 - Sun, November 2

Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon and 5K | Race event for walkers and runners
📍 The Avalon | 📅 Sun, November 2

Halloween at the Children's Museum of Atlanta | Spooky season celebration with hands-on fun at the Science Bar, Art Studio, and CMA Stage featuring haunted house design, cooking shows, skeleton learning, and more
📍 Children's Museum of Atlanta | 📅 Now - Tue, November 4

Reynoldstown Halloween Block Party | A fun-filled Halloween Block Party with music, food, and costumes for all ages
📍 Midtown Atlanta | 📅 Fri, October 30

Reynoldstown Halloween Block Party | Halloween block party with music, food, and festive costumes—free admission
📍 Manigault St & Kirkwood Ave | 📅 Fri, October 31

The Great Midtown Scare Block Party | Halloween block party with music, food, and festive costumes—free admission
📍 Midtown Atlanta | 📅 Fri, October 31

Trick-or-Treat on the Roof | Halloween celebration with games, treats, and costume-friendly festivities high above Atlanta—perfect for all ages
📍 Ponce City Market | 📅 Sat, November 1

Día de los Muertos Festival | Free family festival featuring live music, mariachi band, vendors, food trucks, and children's activities
📍 Woodruff Arts Center | 📅 Sat, November 1

Atlanta Day of the Dead Pub Crawl | Pub crawl honoring Día de los Muertos with themed drinks
📍 Politan Row at Colony Square | 📅 Sat, November 1

Dia de Muertos Festival | Traditional celebration featuring Latin dance, crafts, and costume contest
📍 Oakland Cemetery | 📅 Sun, November 2

Big Thief📍 Fox Theater | 📅 Thu, October 30
Steve Hackett📍 Center Stage Theater | 📅 Thu, October 30
Brandy & Monica📍State Farm Arena | 📅 Fri, October 31
Disney's Nightmare Before Christmas📍 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre | 📅 Sat, November 1 - Sun, November 2
John Fogerty📍 Fox Theatre | 📅 Mon, November 4
Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons📍 Atlanta Symphony Hall | 📅 Tue, November 5

🏀 Memphis Tigers vs. Auburn Tigers (Exhibition) – Wednesday, October 30
🏈 Georgia vs. Florida Watch Party – Friday, November 1
🏒 Atlanta Gladiators vs. Savannah Ghost Pirates – Saturday, November 1
🏀 Georgia Tech vs. Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks – Monday, November 3
🏀 Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic – Tuesday, November 4

🏛️ Grant Park's Gateway building remains vacant for a fifth year after a second deal collapsed, prompting the Grant Park Neighborhood Association to form a task force. Terminus Commercial Real Estate's "Gateway Park and Market" concept was cancelled after the city denied meeting requests, following Savi Provisions' May departure.

🏢 Construction began on a 15-story, 250,000-square-foot state office building at 1715 Northside Drive to house Teachers Retirement System of Georgia and Employees Retirement System of Georgia. The 12-acre site includes the former Diamond Club strip club purchased for $15 million, with vertical construction starting March 2026 and completion scheduled for March 2028.

🚗 A four-story, 400-space parking garage is under construction at Pullman Yards in Kirkwood, designed to be unseen from street level by building on an incline with the top level flush with ground. The 27-acre historic events space has relied on gravel parking since its pandemic-era transition, with the new deck opening first quarter 2026.

🍕 The spot nxxt to El Tesoro in Edgewood at 131 Whitefoord Ave. began construction. Rumor has it, they are transforming the 1950s auto garage into a pizzeria and high-end neighborhood market. The 1,400-square-foot project features an international award-winning pizza chef, covered patio seating, and estimated spring 2026 opening.

🍸 Close Company Bar, the casual younger sister from the acclaimed Death & Co empire, opens November 6 in Old Fourth Ward along the Beltline. The first-come, first-served neighborhood bar features straightforward cocktails from $9 Ranch Water to $17 Champagne Lassi, self-serve lemon pepper chicken pockets from an automat-style window, and a funky atmosphere designed for moving and mingling without reservations.

🥚 Eggslut, Los Angeles's cult-favorite breakfast joint known for indulgent egg sandwiches with runny yolks and pillowy buns, is opening its first East Coast location inside Moxy Atlanta Downtown in 2026. The West Coast sensation debuts at 329 Marietta St NW just steps from Mercedes-Benz Stadium ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

🍳 James Beard award-winning chef John Currence opens Big Bad Breakfast on November 4 in Buckhead at the former Cultivate Food & Coffee space on Howell Mill Road. The 26th location features Southern classics like fried chicken and waffles, "redneck" eggs Benedict with biscuits, shrimp and grits, and Atlanta-specific dishes like peach coffee cake, open daily 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

🌾Staplehouse owners Kara Hidinger and Ryan Smith opened Uberto Restaurant in Gay, Georgia, offering a $255 Michelin-caliber tasting menu on a sustainable farm 90 minutes south of Atlanta. The fine dining restaurant features seasonal dishes like green curry glass noodles and venison prosciutto, though the move will likely cost Staplehouse its Michelin star.

🏙️ Atlantic Station celebrates its 20th anniversary as one of the South's largest live-work-play districts and a testament to successful brownfield redevelopment. The former industrial site has remained influential across three generations of ownership, with current owner Hines planning to break ground on a dual-branded hotel next year and additional property slated for development, establishing the foundation for subsequent brownfield redevelopments across Georgia.

🎨 Georgia-born artist Amy Sherald's exhibition "American Sublime" runs at the High Museum of Art from May 15 to September 27, featuring the painting "Trans Forming Liberty" that sparked censorship controversy at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. The portrait of Nigerian trans model Arewà Basit posed as the Statue of Liberty compelled Sherald to cancel what would have been the first exhibition by a Black contemporary artist at the National Portrait Gallery after institutional concerns over displaying the work.

🏞️ The Georgia Board of Natural Resources is set to vote Tuesday on doubling state park daily parking fees from $5 to $10 and raising annual passes from $50 to $70, the first increase since 2009. The State Parks and Historic Sites Division spent $109 million last year with only 43% from state funds, prompting auditors to recommend price adjustments that could generate $3.7 million more annually, though critics argue the state's $14 billion reserve makes fee increases unnecessary.

🚗 This may not be news to you, but it’s official: Atlanta no longer has a traditional rush hour as post-pandemic work habits have spread traffic throughout the day, according to a Texas A&M study. Thursday now has the worst traffic congestion despite Friday having the highest overall volume, with researchers linking the shift to more flexible hybrid and work-from-home schedules replacing the classic 9-to-5 commute pattern.

A huge thank you to everyone who made our VCG Annual Fall Fest 2025 such a joyful and memorable day! Whether you helped organize, participated, or simply showed up to share in the fun — your presence made all the difference. Here’s to more moments that bring our community together! 🧡

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