Atlanta and Georgia Music & Arts Events (Holiday 2022)

While music festivals and concerts often wind down during the holiday season in favor of more wintry events, there are still plenty of tremendously fun and entertaining music and arts events occurring in the Atlanta area during November and December.

From a band’s farewell tour to a famed comedy master, with November music festivals and notable ballets sprinkled in, this edition’s music and arts events are sure to keep you and the whole family entertained when not going holiday shopping or heading to a family gathering in the wintry weather.

So read on to explore some of the most interesting and fun music, arts and entertainment events going on in the Atlanta area during the holidays. Happy holidays!

November 7
Joe Satriani: Earth Tour 2022-2023

Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani “surfs with the blue alien” down to Atlanta Symphony Hall at the start of November for his Earth Tour 2022-2023. The guitar stylings of Mr. Satriani are sure to keep any music fans enthralled in what will likely be a wildly entertaining stage shows featuring some of the best instrumental guitar playing you’re likely to see.

With over 10 million albums sold, Satriani is the highest-selling instrumental rock guitarist of all time. A master of tempo-based guitar techniques, Satriani truly delivers on the rock term “shredding” as a solo artist and as a member of guitar collective G3 and supergroup Chickenfoot.

Atlanta Symphony Hall
1280 Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30309

Click here for tickets and information.

November 11-13
The B-52’s: Farewell Tour

One of Athens, Georgia’s finest musical exports (alongside R.E.M. and the Elephant 6 collective), The B-52’s are hanging up their beehive wigs and stone crustaceans this year after being “proud purveyors of love and unity throughout music and fashion since 1977,” according to the band.

Known for a string of hits that have a whiff of novelty about them, The B-52’s certainly know a good time when they hear and/or see one. Head on over to the Fabulous Fox Theatre for the band’s three-night celebration in their home state. Expect a bevy of notable 70s and 80s classics such as “Rock Lobster,” “Roam,” “Love Shack,” and “Private Idaho.”

Fox Theatre
660 Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30308

Click here for tickets and information.

November 11 & 12
ATLive

This two-day music fest held at the home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United is sure to satisfy a wide range of music fans. The first night is headlined by American icon Billy Joel, with soul icon Lionel Richie as well as multi-genre maverick Sheryl Crow also on the bill.

While that sounds amazing, the second night of the series also provides plenty of joy. Gravel-voiced country artist Chris Stapleton headlines night two of the event, with support from country icon Miranda Lambert, the iconoclastic and influential Dwight Yoakam as well as Nashville-based newcomer Katie Pruitt.

With two nights jam-packed full of big-name musical artists, the ATLive festival at Mercedes-Benz is sure to be among the best ways to spend this November weekend.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium
1 AMB Drive NW
Atlanta, GA 30313

Click here for tickets and information.

November 12
Adam Sandler LIVE

The founder of Happy Madison productions and progenitor of many a notable character on film over the years, comedy legend Adam Sandler started out as a standup comic in his early years. Now, Sandler commands legions of fans wherever he goes due to his offbeat style of comedy, interspersed with musical interludes and hilarious sketches in his stage show.

Sandler makes his way to Duluth in mid-November for what promises to be a night Sandler fans won’t want to miss. This show is recommended for mature audiences, so only Grown Ups should go to this one-night-only event.

Gas South Arena
6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy
Duluth, GA 30097

Click here for tickets and information.

November 19-27
Georgia Festival of Trees

Just in time for December, when Christmas trees become one of the most important purchases many families can make, the Georgia Festival of Trees at the World Congress Center “is a special eight-day holiday event for all ages that includes a beautiful forest of dazzling holiday trees, unique gift shops, local treat vendors and much more,” according to the event’s website.

With Santa Claus in attendance as well as a gingerbread house competition, this yuletide festival will be excellent for the kiddos and serve as a perfect contrast to the two more “adult-themed” events that bookend it on this list.

GA World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW
Atlanta, GA 30313

Click here for tickets and information.

December 19
A John Waters Christmas

One of the most fascinating and fun provocateurs in modern film and culture, John Waters returns to Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse a mere six days before Christmas to celebrate everything glitzy, glamorous, trashy and naughty for A John Waters Christmas.

According to the event website: “Yep, he’s back, with Christmas lunacy throbbing in his veins. Cockeyed. Rabid. Ready to reinfect the lunatic fringe with holiday jeer. ‘The Pope of Trash,’ as William Burroughs once called him, is coming to your fair city on his annual festive home-invasion to slide down your chimney of burning gift-wrapped needs, igniting your lust for presents and sparking the sexual desires of the newly perverted. It’ll be a combustion of Christmasly-incorrect kindling that will blaze into a glorious nut-case Noel fire from hell. Go ahead! Knock over that tree! Stomp your presents! Manger Danger! A raging new critical theory that no PTA can ever stop. Scream! Scream again! It’s a John Waters Christmas for Chrissake!”

If that doesn’t explain it, then I’m not sure what will.

Variety Playhouse
1099 Euclid Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30307

Click here for tickets and information.

December 23
Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet

One of the most popular and well-known ballets of all time makes its yearly appearance at the Fox Theatre on Christmas Eve’s Eve (aka Festivus) for two showings – one in the afternoon at 3 p.m. and one in the evening at 7 p.m.

This fun-for-the-whole-family ballet features a masterful seasonal score by famed Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, including a number of extremely famous compositions. Even if you don’t know the names of these pieces of music, once you hear them and see the amazing stage production that goes along with them, you’ll be transported to a wonderful world of Christmas cheer and seasonal joy.

Fox Theatre
660 Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30308

Click here for tickets and information.

Photos Courtesy: Respective Event