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What an exciting week celebrating Irish heritage and Latin cuisine! IrishFest Atlanta brings music and dance to Historic Fourth Ward Park Friday through Sunday alongside Scott Antique Market, Latin Restaurant Weeks launching Friday at 13 locations through November 21, and Suwanee Wine Festival Saturday. Add in Cirque de Soleil's Luzia debuting Sunday at Atlantic Station through December 14 and the Hawks facing the Raptors Friday and Lakers Saturday—there's incredible entertainment across our metro.

Atlanta continues transforming with Columbia Residential's $28.4 million MLK Village renovation preserving 121 affordable units, Microsoft donating 22.5 acres for affordable housing in Grove Park, City Council allocating $1.8 million for Buckhead pedestrian improvements, and South Boulevard Complete Streets construction connecting neighborhoods to the Beltline. Avondale Estates secured $3.37 million for shared streets reshaping the brewery district.

Our dining scene shines with Belén Bistro Market + Argentina showcasing Buenos Aires cuisine on Decatur Square, eight Atlanta restaurants maintaining their 2025 Michelin stars while seven joined the recommended list, and Bread & Butterfly chef Demetrius Brown's Heritage opening spring 2026 in Summerhill. Plus Auxiliary Coffee opened in West End and Glide Pizza expands to South Downtown in 2026.

From MARTA's Better Breeze tap-and-go system rolling out to Skate City Springs returning November 14, this week captures our city's momentum. Whether you're celebrating IrishFest, exploring Latin Restaurant Weeks, or trying new restaurants, Atlanta proves why our blend of innovation and community attracts people worldwide. Ready to explore the ATL?

Scott Antique Market | Large antiques market with vendors nationwide
📍 Atlanta Expo Center | 📅 Wed, November 6 - Sat, November 9

IrishFest Atlanta | Heritage festival with Irish music, dance, and culture
📍 Historic Fourth Ward Park | 📅 Fri, November 7 - Sun, November 9

Latin Restaurant Weeks | Special menus celebrating Latin flavors at various Latina/Latino-owned restaurants across Atlanta
📍 Various locations | 📅 Fri, November 7 - Fri, November 21

Chomp & Stomp - Chili Cookoff & Free Outdoor Music Festival | Chili cook-off with 100+ chilis, Romp 5K run, Artist Market, and live bluegrass music
📍 Cabbagetown Park | 📅 Sat, November 8

Suwanee Wine Festival | Wine tastings, live music, and food trucks
📍 Town Center Park, Suwanee | 📅 Sat, November 8

La Traviata: The Atlanta Opera | Begins this weekend!
📍 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre | 📅 Sat, November 8 - Sun, November 16

Cirque de Soleil: Luzia | Circus arts performance blending Mexican-inspired themes begins this weekend!
📍 Atlantic Station | 📅 Sun, November 9 - Sat, December 14

Watchhouse 📍 The Tabernacle | 📅 Fri, November 7
The Rock Orchestra📍 Fox Theatre | 📅 Fri, November 7
Little Simz📍 The Eastern | 📅 Fri, November 7
Dogma📍 The Masquerade | 📅 Sat, November 8
Viagra Boys / Black Lips📍 The Eastern | 📅 Sat, November 8
Sub Urban📍 The Masquerade | 📅 Sun, November 9
GBH with Slaughterhouse and The Mainliners📍 The Masquerade (Hell Stage) | 📅 Tue, November 11
MOIO📍 The Masquerade (Altar Stage) | 📅 Tue, November 11
Whatmore📍 The Masquerade (Purgatory Stage) | 📅 Tue, November 11
Of Monsters and Men / Arny Margret📍 The Eastern | 📅 Tue, November 11

🏀 Atlanta Hawks vs. Toronto Raptors – Friday, November 7 (Home)
🏀 Georgia Tech Men's Basketball vs. Bryant Bulldogs – Friday, November 7
🥊 NFC 182 – Friday, November 7
🏀 Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers – Saturday, November 8 (Home)
🏈 Clark Atlanta Panthers vs. Morehouse Maroon Tigers – Saturday, November 8

🏢 Columbia Residential began a $28.4 million renovation of Columbia Senior at MLK Village, preserving 121 affordable housing units for residents age 62 and older in Capitol Gateway. The project features upgraded kitchens and bathrooms, new energy-efficient HVAC systems, updated fire and elevator safety systems, and 121 Atlanta Housing HomeFlex vouchers for 20 years to ensure deep affordability, with completion scheduled for December 2026.

🏘️Microsoft donated 22.5 acres of its stalled Westside campus in Grove Park to the City of Atlanta and Atlanta Urban Development Corporation for affordable housing and community resources. The tech giant purchased the 90-acre Quarry Yards property in 2021 and committed to reserving a quarter of the land for community use, with the donated parcel fronting Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway serving as a crucial link to Kipp Woodson Academy Charter School and Grove Park Recreation Center.

💰 Atlanta City Council allocated nearly $1.8 million in Georgia Department of Transportation Surface Block Grant funds for pedestrian safety improvements and a shared-use trail near Lenox Square in Buckhead. The three-part, $13 million project between SR 141 and East Paces Ferry Road will include an urban linear park, enhanced pedestrian infrastructure, and an elevated pedestrian and bicycle bridge, while the council also passed an ordinance allowing Progressive Firefighters of Atlanta Labor Organization dues deduction from payroll.

🚴 Construction officially began on the South Boulevard Complete Streets project, a 2.4-mile stretch from just south of Oakland Cemetery to McDonough Boulevard featuring protected bike lanes and upgraded pedestrian infrastructure. The initiative will connect Grant Park, Boulevard Heights, Chosewood Park, and Benteen Park neighborhoods to the Beltline's Southside Trail opening early next year, with completion scheduled for September 2026 after years of advocacy from concerned parents and neighbors.

🚶 Avondale Estates secured a $3.37 million Georgia Department of Transportation grant to create shared streets across seven downtown blocks on Washington, Franklin, and Oak streets corridors. The project will reshape the heart of the city's brewery and retail district with new lighting, green infrastructure, and landscaping to accommodate multiple transportation modes including biking and walking, with preliminary engineering beginning next year and construction starting in 2027.

🍴 Belén Bistro Market + Argentina opened in May on Decatur Square in the former Boho115 space, expanding beyond empanadas with a full-service restaurant from Atlanta's "empanada queen" Belén de la Cruz. The three-level bistro features 30 Buenos Aires-inspired recipes with gourmet twists including entraña skirt steak with chimichurri, butternut squash ravioli, and milanesa breaded cutlets, alongside an Argentine-focused wine list and cocktails like pisco sours and Buenos Aires old-fashioneds.

⭐ Eight Atlanta restaurants maintained their Michelin star in the 2025 guide including Lazy Betty, Hayakawa, Mujō, Bacchanalia, O by Brush, Atlas, Omakase Table, and Spring in Marietta. Seven new restaurants joined the Michelin recommended list: Avize in West Midtown, Best BBQ in Chamblee, Fawn in Decatur, Lucky Star on Howell Mill Road, Madeira Park in Virginia-Highland, Pho House in Duluth, and Ryokou on Northside Drive, though no Atlanta restaurant has yet earned two or three stars.

🍽️ Bread & Butterfly chef Demetrius Brown will open Heritage in spring 2026 at Georgia Avenue and Reed Street in Summerhill, celebrating foods and music of the African diaspora. The restaurant features a cocktail lounge with a la carte options like hibiscus beef Wellington, a 40-seat dining room serving ten-course tasting menus similar to Brown's Heritage Supper Club pop-ups, and a separate dessert area, following Brown and partner Brandon Blanchard's national recognition at Bread & Butterfly.

🍕 Glide Pizza is opening its second location on Mitchell Street in South Downtown in 2026, bringing New York-style slices and fresh ingredients to the neighborhood. The expansion follows the success of owner Rob Birdsong's original location and the recently announced DJ booth-equipped pizzeria concept.

☕ Auxiliary Coffee opened in West End from Academy Coffee founder Connan Moody at 945 Allene Avenue SW, offering experimental brewing techniques including the Nucleus Paragon espresso tool with chilled brass sphere. The community-focused coffee shop showcases rotating international roasters starting with Sorellina Coffee from Edmonton, features unique pour-over and espresso options, and plans to host arts and music events, open Wednesday-Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

🏙️ 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.

🚇 MARTA began systemwide installation of the Better Breeze fare-collection system starting with Dunwoody, East Point, Lindbergh, Ashby, and Georgia State stations. The modernized tap-and-go infrastructure allows contactless payments via bank card, smartphone, or mobile wallet through a new app, with full implementation scheduled for spring 2026 ahead of the FIFA World Cup while maintaining $2.50 one-way fares.

🪦 Atlanta city officials are exploring taking over dilapidated Greenwood Cemetery on Cascade Road in southwest Atlanta, with Parks and Recreation Commissioner Justin Cutler leading preliminary talks with stakeholders in recent months. The 121-year-old cemetery under private ownership by the Bowen family has fallen into disrepair with worn lanes, dead trees, and broken equipment, though it houses notable burials including Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy and features the Memorial to the Six Million, a National Registry of Historic Places site commemorating Holocaust victims.

⛸️ Skate City Springs returns for a third season at Sandy Springs City Green from November 14 through January 19, with tickets now on sale! The open-air ice rink adds new glow skating Thursday and Friday nights after dark, plus themed Saturday parties from 9 to 11 p.m. including Ugly Sweater Holiday on Ice, Team Jersey, and Saturday Ice Fever with live DJ sets, with tickets priced at $18 for adults and $15 for children ages 2 to 9 including skate rentals.

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