Sandy Springs moves into early fall with one of its fullest stretches of the year, and the nine days from Sunday, September 13 through Monday, September 21, 2026 hold a musical epic, a jazz brunch, an open air Thursday gathering, and a comedy night that runs like a supper club. Almost all of it sits inside the City Springs district, where the walk from a parking deck to a theatre door takes about four minutes and the evening air has finally turned. Here is how to plan the week.
Les Miserables at Byers Theatre
Why It Stands Out
City Springs Theatre Company opened its ninth season with the Boublil and Schonberg score, running September 11 through 27 at Byers Theatre inside the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, 1 Galambos Way. The run covers most of this window, with a confirmed Thursday evening performance on September 17 at 7:30 p.m. and additional dates across the same stretch. City Springs Theatre Company publishes the full schedule through its box office rather than on the venue calendar, so check dates there before you commit to an evening. This is a full orchestra production with a professional cast, staged a short drive from Perimeter rather than downtown.
What to Expect
Byers seats roughly a thousand, which is intimate enough that the barricade scenes carry real weight from the balcony. Run time for this show is long by musical standards, close to three hours with intermission, so treat it as the evening rather than the first half of one. Curtain times vary by day across the run, so confirm yours when you book.
Timing and Planning
Buy ahead. Opening weekend sold well and the midweek dates are the easier get. Park in the underground deck beneath City Springs and allow fifteen minutes between arriving and finding your seat, since the deck fills from the top down on performance nights. Dinner before a 7:30 curtain works best with a 5:45 reservation at one of the restaurants along the plaza; anything later and you will be rushing dessert. Full run details are posted here.
Joe Alterman's Toast & Jam Jazz Brunch
Neighborhood Angle
Sunday, September 13, the Studio Theatre at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center turns into a brunch room. Pianist Joe Alterman hosts the series in a loose talk show format, playing a set, then drawing his guest into conversation about where the music came from. September brings vocalist Cleveland P. Jones. It is the kind of programming that gives a suburban arts center a genuine club personality.
What to Expect
Two seatings, 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The brunch package includes a carving station, desserts, and a bar pouring mimosas, bellinis, and bloody marys. A concert only ticket is offered at a lower price for anyone who wants the music without the meal. The Studio Theatre is small and cabaret style, so there is no bad table.
Best For
Couples, and small groups of four to six who want a Sunday that ends by mid afternoon. Early seating suits anyone with plans later; the 1:30 p.m. seating tends to run longer and looser. Reserve in advance, since the brunch package has a fixed count of seats and closes before the concert only tier does.
Sundown Social on City Green Plaza
Why It Stands Out
On select Thursdays, City Green Plaza sets out an outdoor bar and a stage and lets the neighborhood come to it. Thursday, September 17, from 6 to 8 p.m., local musician Chelsea Szegidewicz plays while a food truck works the edge of the lawn. There is beer, wine, soda, and a cocktail of the month. No reservations, no ticket, no fixed commitment.
Insider Tip
The plaza keeps patio tables, swinging benches, and shaded seating under the trees along the north side, and those go first. Arrive by 6:15 p.m. for a table, or come at 7:00 p.m. and stand near the stage where the crowd is thinner than it looks. Giant four in a row and card games are set out for anyone who wants something to do with their hands.
Best For
Newcomers to Sandy Springs and anyone testing the district as a regular habit. Families work here too, since the lawn absorbs children easily and the volume stays conversational. September evenings on the plaza have shed August humidity, which is the whole argument for going now rather than in July.
Funny Fridays with Joel Byars
What to Expect
Friday, September 18, the Studio Theatre converts again, this time into a comedy room. Atlanta comedian Joel Byars hosts, with Josh Harris, Amy Brown, and Rodney Perry on the bill. Doors and a lobby happy hour open at 6:00 p.m., show at 7:00 p.m. The material runs clean enough for a mixed group and the room is recommended for ages sixteen and up.
Timing and Planning
Parking is in the underground deck, with valet available at the door on event nights. The 7:00 p.m. start is early by comedy standards, which is the point: the show is done in time for a proper dinner afterward, and the restaurants along the plaza are still seating at nine. Buy tickets in advance, since the Studio Theatre is the smallest room in the building.
Neighborhood Angle
This is the clearest example of what the City Springs complex was built to do. A theatre company stages a major musical upstairs, a comedy showcase runs downstairs the same night, and both audiences use the same plaza before and after. Friend groups and couples looking for a low commitment night out will find this an easy sell. Lineup and tickets are listed here.
Event Q&A
Where do I park for events at City Springs?
The underground deck beneath the complex is the primary option and connects directly to the plaza and theatre lobbies. Expect an event rate on ticketed nights, with valet available at the door. On a Thursday Sundown Social the deck is far less pressured than on a theatre night, and street level spaces around the district are usually workable.
Which of these needs advance tickets?
Les Miserables, the jazz brunch, and Funny Fridays all sell tickets and all three benefit from booking ahead, particularly the brunch package and the Studio Theatre shows, which have limited seat counts. Sundown Social requires nothing at all; you simply walk up.
Can I do more than one of these in the same weekend?
Easily. A Thursday evening on the plaza and a Friday comedy set sit back to back, and a Les Miserables performance slots in on either side of them without leaving the district. The lightest version of the week is Sunday, September 13, when the jazz brunch runs in the Studio Theatre and the rest of the afternoon stays open.
What is the dress code?
Smart casual covers everything here. Byers Theatre audiences skew slightly dressier on Friday and Saturday evenings, the Studio Theatre stays relaxed for both brunch and comedy, and the plaza is entirely open air and informal. Bring a light layer for Sundown Social; the plaza cools quickly once the sun drops behind the buildings.
What else is happening nearby that week?
The Sandy Springs Farmers Market runs Saturday morning on City Green from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and Tai Chi sessions return to the lawn on Wednesday and Friday. Both are free to walk up to and pair naturally with anything on this list. The Agency Atlanta keeps close track of how neighborhoods actually live, and Sandy Springs in September is a good argument for the value of a walkable civic core.
