Out & About: Things To Do in September

Sadly, summer is drawing to a close. If you’re in school, you might feel like it’s already over. But there are still a few weeks left in the official season, and many regions of the country will experience blissfully warm and sunny weather for most of September.

Make the most of these last days of summer by attending festivals, fairs, shows, and sporting events taking place in your area.

Atlanta

• Bert’s Big Adventure helps seriously ill and physically challenged children fulfill their dreams every day by sponsoring them and their families on the adventure of a lifetime. Spend the evening of Sept. 17, 2015 sipping cocktails, sampling culinary delights, and watching a fashion show at Noon to Night Avalon Fashion Benefit in Alpharetta, Ga. and the money you spend will go to Bert’s Big Adventure.
• Get down with Drake, Elton John, Van Halen, and Sam Smith at the Music Midtown Festival in Piedmont Park on Sept. 18 and 19, 2015.
• Prepare your taste buds for the exceptional cuisine available in abundance at the Taste of Atlanta, held in Technology Square Sept. 25, 26, and 27, 2015.

Austin

• Laugh your head off at one of the multitude of events taking place throughout Austin as part of the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival. The festival, with performances and laugh-offs featuring hilarious entertainers from across the country, takes place Sept. 1 through 7, 2015.
• Round up three friends and take part in the on Sept. 11, 2015. With a home base that doubles as an after-race party locale, this unique event is at least as fun as any fun run.
• On Sept. 19, 2015, the “greatest showcase of Texas craft beer. EVER.” will take over Fiesta Gardens. Get your tickets to the Texas Craft Brewers Festival before they sell out!
• Fantastic Fest, the largest genre film festival, in the country, comes into town from Sept. 24 through Oct. 1, 2015. The festival, featuring sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and action films, takes place at various movie watching venues throughout Austin.

Chicago

• Get inspired at the 37th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival, taking place Sept. 3 through 6, 2015 at Millennium Park. The event, featuring a lineup filled with talented musicians, is free to attend.
• Sink your teeth into something delicious, watch and learn as professional chefs prepare dishes before your eyes, and enjoy fine wine and craft beer at Millennium Park during Chicago Gourmet, Sept. 25 through 27, 2015.
• September 7 through 12, 2015 is Oyster Week! Shaw’s Crab House is offering selected half-price oysters all week. Shaw’s Oyster Fest music-and-food extravaganza takes place on Sept. 11, 2015 at Hubbard and Rush. Shock Top Oyster Fest will be held in Roscoe Village on Sept. 11 and 12, 2015.

Dallas

• Indulge in your love for chocolate at the Dallas Chocolate Festival on Sept. 12, 2015. The event, held at the Addison Convention Center, will feature demonstrations, workshops, and successful chocolatiers from around the world.
• If you prefer beer, opt for Addison Oktoberfest, taking place Sept. 17 through 20, 2015, at Addison Circle Park.
• Big Tex and the great State Fair of Texas will be the main attraction at Dallas’ Fair Park Sept. 25 through Oct. 18, 2015.

Denver

• Join thousands of others for the two-hour migration to Pueblo for Colorado’s State Fair, held Aug. 28 through Sept. 5, 2015. The food promises to be good, the music exceptional, and the competitions entertaining. Act soon, and you may still be able to secure a camping spot.
• If you’re not headed out of town this Labor Day Weekend, head to this year’s A Taste of Colorado. Civic Center Park will be a foodie’s heaven between Sept. 4 and 7, 2015.
• The Great American Beer Festival is back, and the Denver Convention Center is likely to reek of hops and malt from Sept. 24 through 26, 2015 because of it. Tickets are already sold out so if you’ve already missed out, make sure to put this on your calendar for next year. Will you be present to sample and celebrate the best beers of 2015?

Houston

• Put your desensitized taste buds and stomach of steel to the test, or have fun watching others do so, at the 15th Annual Houston Hot Sauce Festival Sept. 19 and 20, 2015. The fest, which also showcases plenty of hot sauces that the less spice-inclined can enjoy, is held at the Stafford Centre.
• The community-sponsored Fiestas Patrias parade is scheduled for Sept. 13, 2015 at Houston Market. Celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spain, or just to listen to mariachi, watch folklorico, and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
• Sounds Like Houston!, the free, family-friendly outdoor concert series, returns on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. Shows are scheduled at the Anheuser-Busch Stage on the Discovery Green every Thursday through Oct. 22, 2015.

Seattle

• Fans of Japanese cuisine, tea, and martial arts should try to make it out to the Aki Matsuri Fall Festival at Bellevue College on Sept. 12 and 13, 2015. Admission and parking are both free.
• Throw back a beer or three and sing your favorite oom-pah-pah songs at Fremont Oktoberfest Sept. 18, 19, and 20, 2015.
• Expand your knowledge about the environment and learn how you can live a greener lifestyle over music, food, and beer at the on September 19, 2015 in Ballard Commons Park.

South Florida

• September is Flavor: The Restaurant Month of the Palm Beaches. Popular restaurants throughout Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Garden are offering three-course lunch and dinner specials the month of September. Many Fort Lauderdale restaurants will participate in a similar event, Dine Out Lauderdale, from Sept. 1 through Oct. 12, 2015.
• Have an authentic samba experience at the Fourth Annual Brazilian Beat on Sept. 12, 2015 in downtown Boca Raton.
• Fort Lauderdale doesn’t exactly experience a proper fall season. For fans of autumn, the themed can try to make up for this fact, at least for a day. The festival features fall-themed food and carnival games, and will be held on Sept. 19, 2015 at Esplanade Park.

Southern California

• Get your fill of food, carnival rides, artisanal shopping, and live music at the Los Angeles County Fair, taking place Sept. 4 through 27, 2015 at the Fairplex in Pomona.
• Alpine Village Oktoberfest, held in Torrance’s Alpine Village, is the oldest, largest, and longest-lasting Oktoberfest celebration in Los Angeles. This year’s fest, starting September 11 and ending October 31, 2015, is a full five weeks longer than the Munich Oktoberfest.
• If you’re a classic car lover, you’ll probably want to opt for a visit to Ontario’s annual Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion. Taking place on Sept. 18, 19, and 20, 2015, this event will see Euclid Street in downtown Ontario flooded with vintage cars and motorcycles.

What events are you attending this month? Share in the comments. 

Attending an event you’d like to see featured in October? Email our editorial team.

Like what you just read? Why not subscribe to the AMLI Blog so you don’t miss another post?