Summer isn’t over just quite yet, but the end is nigh. Catch the last of the year’s festivals, along with a good helping of food-related events as the temperatures begin to crawl back down. See below for this month’s round-up of the best happenings and things to do in all nine cities where AMLI’s luxury apartments are.
Atlanta
Aug. 12: Atlanta Wine Festival
“No kids, no babies, no pets,” this strictly 21+ event states. If that sounds good to you, stop by and sample from over 50 different wines and enjoy live music. If wine isn’t your friends’ or significant other’s thing, a small beer selection is available.
Aug. 18-20: Atlanta Underground Film Festival
If this summer’s slate of blockbusters haven’t satiated your movie palate, try something a little off the mainstream radar at the 14th annual Atlanta Underground Film Festival. All films play at the Synchronicity Theatre in Midtown.
Aug. 19-20: Piedmont Park Arts Festival
Atlanta’s largest park plays host to one of Atlanta’s best arts festivals. On hand are almost 250 painters, sculptors, craft artists, jewelers and more selling their wares and giving demonstrations.
Aug. 20: Southern Wing Showdown
Twenty-five chefs from surrounding southern cities like Charlotte, Savannah, Nashville, and others serve up their best renditions of Springer Mountain Farms chicken wings to guests. A portion of proceeds are donated to Open Hand and Second Helpings Atlanta.
Austin
Aug. 5: Texas Independent Bookstore Day
Give your local bookstore a boost by picking up a volume or two. BookPeople bookstore is having a scavenger hunt, a guessing contest to see who can best guess how many books they have, and will serve customers cake.
Aug. 5: White Linen Night
The 2nd Street District holds its 5th annual White Linen Night offering local bites from restaurants in the neighborhood along with pairings from Texas breweries and wineries. Summery white attire is strongly encouraged and attendance is restricted to 21+ individuals only.
Aug. 1-31: Terror Tuesday
Every Tuesday, the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz screens horror and slasher flicks for lovers and enthusiasts of the genre. Films range from the off-kilter, undiscovered, middle-grade, to the mainstream. The 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s “Carrie” shows 10pm on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
Aug. 19: Bat Fest
See 1.5 million bats emerge from beneath the Congress Ave. bridge and attend a festival that celebrates their majesty. This fest has three stages of live music, over 75 craft vendors, a bat costume contest, and more.
Chicago
Aug. 11-13: Chicago Hot Dog Fest
Chicago’s known for their dogs—hot dogs that is. The fest is held in the park between Old Town and North Avenue Beach. Beyond various hot dog tastings throughout the day, guests can enjoy a series of educational lectures on hot dog culture and lore.
Aug. 12-13: Northalsted Market Days
One of the most popular street festivals on Chicago’s North Side is Northalsted Market Days. The fest floods the streets of Boystown with merrymakers, arts and crafts vendors, and all the food and drink one can handle.
Aug. 18: After Dark at the Art Institute
Experience one of the best art museums in the world after hours. Guests enjoy the exhibit “Helena Almeida: Work is never finished” as well as special tours, cocktails at a cash bar, and the first Art Institute beer.
Aug. 19-20: Chicago Air and Water Show
Brace yourself for a lot of noise, the Chicago Air and Water Show returns for another rousing free show of mechanical might and muscle along the lakefront.
Dallas
Aug. 5-6: Let’s Play Gaming Expo
Ready your thumbs! The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas gets packed with arcade games and video game consoles galore for area gamers to enjoy. Vendors are on-hand to purchase rare and unusual games and several tournaments are available to compete in.
Aug. 16: South Alley Film Series: Top Gun
Screen this classic film outdoors over at West Village in the alley between Mi Cocina and Magnolia Theatre. Food and drinks can be purchased from surrounding restaurants, but the film screening is absolutely free.
Aug. 18-20: Highland Village Balloon Festival and Fair
Put your eyes to the sky as hot air balloons rise above the Dallas metroplex. Attendees can take tethered balloon rides or just watch the events unfold. Of special note is the nightly balloon glow which has illuminated hot air balloons floating through the night sky.
Aug. 26: Reunion Lawn Party
If you haven’t been already, it’s about time you’ve joined the Reunion Lawn Party. Guests enjoy live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and lawn games. This is the first of three dates this summer. The party goes from 6:30-10pm at the base of the iconic Reunion Tower.
Denver
Aug. 19: Boulder Craft Beer Festival
For the fourth year, some of the best breweries and cideries in the state set up shop in downtown Boulder for a day of imbibing, lawn games, and local eats.
Aug. 20: Westword Tacolandia
From 3-7pm in Civic Center Park, enjoy Mexican-style street tacos from over 40 different vendors and taquerias as well as live music and a cash bar. Vendors such as Lola Coastal Mexican, Garibaldi’s Mexican Bistro, Los Tacos, Adelitas Cocina Y Cantina, and Palenque Mezcaleria offer unlimited samples.
Aug. 26: Tour de Fat
The annual carnival put on by New Belgium Brewing takes place at the National Western Complex in downtown Denver. See a variety of carnival acts such as magicians, dancers, circus clowns, and vaudevillians perform throughout the day.
Houston
Aug. 1-Sept. 4: Houston Restaurant Weeks
If there’s a time to dine out in Houston, it’s now. Many, many of the city’s best restaurants are offering special prix-fixe menus—just 0 for lunch and 5 and/or 5 for dinner. The prix-fixe menus often feature any given restaurant’s signature dishes at a fraction of the cost or completely new items that highlight their unique flavor profile.
Aug. 1-13: Ron Mueck
It’s your last chance to catch the hyper-realistic, over-sized sculptures of world-renown Australian artist Ron Mueck. His eerie work depicts scenes of the everyday and those out of dreams from the imagined lives of his human subjects.
Aug. 5: Beyond the Pines Music Festival
Beyond the Pines music fest returns after a first successful year to showcase a special blend of country, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll sounds. A portion of the proceeds benefit the DAWG Foundation, which uses service dogs to assist wounded veterans.
Aug. 8, 9, 15, & 16: Movies at Miller
Grab a blanket and a some snacks for a free film at Miller Park. Each date is a different movie, starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on the 8th and ending with La La Land on the 16th.
Seattle
Aug. 3-6: Seattle Art Fair
Browse and purchase modern and contemporary art from local, national, and international artists at the Century Link Field Event Center.
Aug. 4-6: Seafair Weekend Festival
Experience Seattle’s version of the Chicago Air and Water Show with boat races and aquatic shows on the water and jets and stuntmen performing in the sky.
Aug. 19-20: Viking Days
Head over to the Nordic Heritage Museum for all things of Scandinavian persuasion, including a pancake breakfast, salmon bake, beer garden, and viking grill. Also on-hand are weaving, war, and weapon forging demonstrations for an authentic slice of the viking life.
Aug. 27: Capitol Hill Garage Sale Day
Got anything to sell? You could reserve a space at this neighborhood garage sale for just 0. Or you could spend the same (and more!) browsing new-to-you items from around the neighborhood. Many unofficial rummages will be out and about Capitol Hill as well, so keep your eyes peeled. Happy hunting!
Southern California
Aug. 4-6: La Habra Corn Festival
Grab yourself a cob of corn and enjoy a parade, car show, an apple pie baking contest, a corn-eating contest, and more.
Aug. 13: San Clemente Fiesta Music Festival
Taste salsa at the salsa challenge, check out the motorcycle and arts and crafts shows, and food from local non-profit organizations as well as carnival talent and clowns roaming through the crowd.
Aug. 18: Brea Fest
Sample bites and drinks from over 30 local restaurants while enjoying live music from two outdoor bands and a myriad of other activities and happenings while celebrating area art institutions, including the Curtis Theatre, Brea Art Gallery, and Concerts in the Park.
Aug. 19: Dana Point Lobster Beach Fest
Enjoy a surf and turf dinner at the Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club’s Dana Point Lobster Beach Fest. Guests receive steak, lobster, and seafood with entry, along with a no-host bar and live music.
South Florida
Aug. 4, 11, 18, & 25: Friday Night Sound Waves
Catch live music from everything ranging from oldies to Motown to reggae, all by local South Florida talent.
Aug. 5 & 6: Monster Jam
The most famous monster truck show around comes to Sunrise for a rip-roaring two-day engagement at the BB&T Center. Saturday features both matinee and evening shows. Tickets start at 0.
Aug. 16: Dog Days
This third-annual event gives Fort Lauderdale citizens the opportunity to meet with dog adoption agencies to welcome a new friend into their family. There’s also a fashion event hosted by Kelly Blanco and Adam Berg of NBC6 that has dogs and their owners hitting the runway for prizes.
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