The Blue Stone Arts & Music Festival opens Friday, Sept. 25, at City Green with free live music, an artist market and a dog-friendly 5K anchoring a five-event weekend at City Springs.
The festival runs 4–10 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. The city's festival page projects more than 10,000 attendees over the two days.
Two stages, two headliners
Nicotine Dolls play the City Green Stage at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Grammy-nominated R&B and soul artist Allen Stone closes Saturday at 8:30 p.m., Rough Draft Atlanta reported.
Friday's undercard starts at 4:30 p.m. with Carl Wockner and Cat Ridgeway, followed by Brother Maven at 7 p.m. Saturday's City Green Stage runs from 1 p.m. to close, with Something In The Orange, Bad Medicine, SOUP and Kyndle Wylde among the acts.
On the Hilderbrand Stage, multimedia group Squonk performs with its Joy Machine, an interactive installation festivalgoers help power. Squonk plays both days: Friday at 4 and 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m., 2 and 5 p.m.
Beyond the stages, the festival includes an artist market with more than 60 vendors, an emerging artist gallery, a kids zone, food trucks and a sports viewing area. Atlanta illustrator Jordan Longenecker designed the collectible 2026 festival poster.
The City of Sandy Springs produces the festival with funding from the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
5K-9 road race: bring your dog
The Blue Stone 5K-9 starts at 8 a.m. Saturday from the Century East Parking Lot at 6100 Lake Forest Drive. The flat, down-and-back course is an official Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race qualifying event.
Runners and walkers of all ages are welcome with or without a dog. Dogs are allowed on the race course but not inside the festival grounds afterward. Adaptive hand cycles are available through Catalyst Sports; email [email protected] to reserve one.
Les Misérables closes Sunday
City Springs Theatre Company's production of Les Misérables wraps its run Sunday, Sept. 27, at the Byers Theatre, 1 Galambos Way. Tickets range from $95 to $255.
Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley, a Marietta native who made his Broadway debut playing Javert in the show in 2000, directs the cast. Jacob Keith Watson stars as Jean Valjean and Jonathan Christopher plays Javert.
"The show itself was selling out and it was one of those hot tickets, even then," Hensley told Fox 5 Atlanta in early September about his time performing in the musical. The company calls it the first local staging in more than a decade.
More this weekend
Surya Ensemble "Elements": Friday, Sept. 25, 8–9 p.m. at the Abernathy Arts Center. The world music group blends viola, harp, shehnai and daf with a cultural dancer. Tickets are $55 general admission, $75 front row. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Sandy Springs Farmers Market: Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to noon at City Green, 1 Galambos Way. The market runs rain or shine.
Looking ahead, the Sandy Springs Wine Festival returns to City Green on Oct. 11.
