Marietta moves into the back half of September with the Square at full volume. Between Sunday, September 13 and Monday, September 21, 2026, the blocks around Glover Park carry a heritage festival on the lawn, a landmark theatre in the middle of an ambitious run, a food hall courtyard hosting weeknight programming, and a ballet season opener a short drive down Cobb Parkway. Early fall here rewards a little planning: the oaks are still full, the evenings have cooled, and the walk from a deck to a curtain time is pleasant again. Four picks follow, each with the detail that makes the night easier.
The 5th Annual Sankofa Festival
Why It Stands Out
Glover Park is the green center of Marietta Square, a shaded block ringed by storefronts, patios and the bandstand, and it is rarely used as well as it is for a single-day festival. On Sunday, September 13, the fifth Sankofa Festival takes over that lawn from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., presented by Vibrant Health. It is a heritage and culture gathering built around live music, performance, independent vendors and food, with a dedicated Kid Zone at one end. The scale suits the park: large enough to feel like an occasion, small enough that you can circle the whole thing twice without losing your group.
What to Expect
Expect a rotating stage program rather than a single headliner, plus tented rows of makers and food operators along the walkways. Because the festival sits directly on the Square, the surrounding restaurants and coffee counters stay in play, which means a festival plate does not have to be the whole meal.
Timing and Planning
Sunday parking on the Square is manageable before noon and considerably tighter by two. The city decks off Cherokee Street and the surface lots a block east are the reliable options, and both leave you a flat three-minute walk. Bring a blanket or low chair if you want a base on the grass, since seating is limited to whatever the park already offers. Six hours is a long window, so treat it as a drop-in rather than a full commitment.
Pilates on the Lawn at Marietta Square Market
Neighborhood Angle
Marietta Square Market, the food hall at 68 North Marietta Parkway NW, has become the Square's most dependable weeknight anchor, and its fall calendar restarted in September. Tuesday, September 15 stacks two things in one evening: Girl Scout Bingo at 5:30 p.m., then a complimentary Pilates class on the lawn at 7 p.m., open to all experience levels. The pairing captures how the property actually works, with a covered hall of independent kitchens on one side and an open green on the other.
Best For
This is a strong option for newcomers still learning the area and for couples who want a low-stakes weeknight out. Friend groups do well here too, because nobody has to agree on a cuisine. The bingo hour skews to families; the later class draws a quieter crowd that stays for a drink afterward.
Insider Tip
Bring your own mat and water, as the listing asks. Order before class rather than after, since the counters slow down as the lawn empties. If Tuesday does not work, the same venue runs trivia every Thursday at 7 p.m., which puts Thursday, September 17 in play with almost no planning required. The full lineup is posted on the venue's own events page.
Parade at the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre
What to Expect
The Strand, at 117 North Park Square, is staging the Tony Award-winning musical Parade, with the run continuing through Sunday, September 20. It is a sung-through historical drama, scored by Jason Robert Brown and written by Alfred Uhry, and it is set in the Georgia of a century ago. Performances inside the window fall on the second weekend and the final weekend, so there is real flexibility on which night you choose.
Why It Stands Out
A restored 1935 movie house presenting serious musical theatre is a rare combination anywhere, and the Strand's marquee is the visual signature of the Square after dark. The material is weighty and locally rooted, which gives the evening a different register from a touring comedy or a tribute act. Reported ticket pricing for the production has run from $27 to $42, which is remarkable for a house this size.
Timing and Planning
Buy in advance. A closing weekend at a house this size sells through, and the Sunday matinee is usually the first to go. Plan dinner for 90 minutes before curtain and book it, because the Park Square dining rooms fill on show nights. Park once in a deck and walk; circling the Square for a curbside space on a Friday is a losing strategy.
Atlanta Ballet: Passion & Pride
Best For
For anyone who wants a proper night out with a curtain, a lobby and a dress code of their own choosing, Atlanta Ballet opens its season at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, on Friday, September 18 at 8 p.m., Saturday, September 19 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday, September 20 at 2 p.m. Couples and small groups get the most out of it. The Saturday matinee is the gentler entry point for anyone new to the form.
What to Expect
The program is a triple bill rather than a story ballet: Remi Wortmeyer's Significant Others, set to Fanny Mendelssohn; Plagued Houses, a world premiere from Melissa Hough set to Tchaikovsky; and George Balanchine's Stars and Stripes danced to Sousa marches. That structure keeps the evening moving and gives a first-time audience three very different things to react to. Program details are listed on the venue's event page.
Insider Tip
The drive from Marietta Square is roughly fifteen minutes without traffic and closer to thirty on a Friday at six, so leave early and use the on-site deck rather than hunting for something clever nearby. Arrive with time for the lobby, which is part of what you are paying for. If you would rather stay closer to home, Saturday, September 19 also brings the Marietta Square Farmers Market to 41 Mill Street from 9 a.m. to noon, an easy morning bookend to an evening at the ballet.
Event Q&A
Which of these needs advance tickets?
The theatre and the ballet do. Parade is in its final week at the Strand and the ballet run is only four performances, so both reward booking several days out. The Sankofa Festival and the Marietta Square Market programming are walk-up by nature.
Where should I park for anything on the Square?
Use a deck and walk. The Square's on-street spaces turn over slowly on festival Sundays and show nights, and the walk from any of the nearby decks is short and flat. Marietta Square Market has its own lot, which makes a Tuesday evening there the simplest arrival of the four.
What works best for a family afternoon?
The Sankofa Festival on Sunday, September 13, with its Kid Zone and open lawn, is the clearest fit. Girl Scout Bingo at Marietta Square Market on Tuesday, September 15 at 5:30 p.m. is the low-effort weeknight version, and the Saturday farmers market suits early risers of any age.
Is there a good option for the final day of the window?
Monday, September 21 is the quiet close. Use it for the part of Marietta that does not require a calendar entry: a slow walk of the Square's storefronts, an early dinner on a patio, and the shorter light that makes the block feel different from how it looked in August.
How should a newcomer approach the Square generally?
Start on foot. Nearly everything worth seeing here sits within a few blocks of the park, the architecture rewards a slow lap, and the mix of independent kitchens, galleries and the theatre gives the district a social rhythm that a car window will not show you. The Agency Atlanta keeps a close eye on how these pockets of Cobb County live day to day.
