Welcome to May! It’s time for spring festivals, outdoor concerts, baseball, and drinks on the patio. Are you looking for things to do in May around metro Atlanta? This is your monthly guide to free and cheap fun in the month of May.

Below is an overview of May events, plus activities that FREE, cheap, or discounted. Sometimes, we throw in a splurge alert item that we think is especially notable.

REMINDER:
Before making plans for a restaurant, special exhibit, concert, trampoline, or spa treatment, make sure to check Groupon for a deal! You can often save 50% or more.

You may also be interested in:

• Spring Festival Guide: 75+ things to do in March, April, and May
• Complete list of FREE outdoor concerts
• FREE outdoor movies: enjoy a night under the stars
• Free & cheap things to do this weekend

May in Atlanta: top things to do this month

Below the spotlighted events, you’ll find a rolling day-to-day calendar listing of May events.

♦ Free museum days in May

• The Georgia Aquarium offers you FREE admission on your birthday — so all of you May babies are in luck!
Details on the Aquarium offer

•  The High Museum Art hosts its Second Sundays FREE day on May 12, 2024.
Details on Second Sundays at the High

• The High Museum also hosts its FREE Access For All program on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 — you need to register in advance for this one.

•  The Museums On Us program offers FREE admission to Bank of America cardholders at four metro-area museums on May 4th & 5th.  This includes the High Museum, Tellus Museum, Atlanta History Center, and Center for Civil & Human Rights.
Details on Museums On Us

• The Marietta History Center hosts its FREE monthly Family Fun Day on Saturday, May 18, 2024.

The High has added a new FREE admission day on 3rd Wednesdays. (Deposit Photos)

♦ Free craft and DIY workshops in May

Take advantage of one of these FREE crafting events — just click through for details and to register.
In most cases, supplies are provided.

• Sunday Makebreak at Michael’s — happening May 5th and 19th at all local stores.

 • Saturday Kids Club at Michael’s — happening on May 11th & 25th at all local stores.

• Home Depot Kids Workshop — make a flower picture frame on Saturday, May 4th

• Lowe’s Kid Workshop — make a butterfly biome on Saturday, May 4th.

• Decatur Makers’ Family Build Night — happening on Wednesday, May 29th.

♦ Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade

May 11, 2024
Adair Park & BeltLine Westside Trail

After more than a decade, the BeltLine Lantern Parade has become an iconic event that draws thousands. Anyone can march in the parade — as long as you have a lantern! Pre-parade activities begin around noon and include lantern-making workshops and a children’s lantern parade. The main event steps off at dusk.
Details for the Lantern Parade + find a lantern-making workshop

♦ FREE outdoor summer concerts & movies in May

The summer concert series and outdoor movie series is in full swing in May, with something going on every weekend.
Browse our special calendars for:
◊ FREE outdoor summer concerts
◊ FREE outdoor movies on the lawn
These events cover the extended metro area, including the suburbs.

Deposit Photos

♦ Fairs & Festivals in May

For festival details, just click thru the links.
Or, you can also browse our complete 2024 Guide to Festivals & Fairs in Atlanta.

• Georgia Renaissance Festival — all month long
• Georgia State Fair — thru May 5th
• Johns Creek International Festival — May 4th
• Tucker Day — May 4th
• Decatur Arts Festival — May 3–5
• Conyers Taste of Spring — May 4th
• Taste of East Cobb — May 4th
• Acworth Dragon Boat Festival — May 4th
• May-retta Daze — May 4–5
• Roswell Arts & Crafts Festival — May 4–5
• Taste of Alpharetta — May 9th
• Dunwoody Art Festival — May 11–12
• Sweet Auburn Springfest — May 11–12
• Chastain Park Arts & Crafts Festival — May 11–12
• Alive in Roswell — May 16th
• Marietta Greek Festival — May 17–19
• Kirkwood Spring Fling  — May 18th
• Gwinnett Multi-Cultural Festival — May 18th
• McDonough Geranium Festival — May 18th
• Virginia-Highland Porchfest — May 18th
• Alpharetta Art in the Park — May 18–19
• Alpharetta Arts Street Fest — May 25–26

♦ National Hamburger Day

National Hamburger Day is on May 28th every year.
Both national and local burger joints offer freebies and special deals each year. 
Find a burger deal

♦ Georgia State Fair

April 26 – May 5, 2024
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, GA

Welcome back to the fair! Enjoy the usual midway rides, classic carnival food favorites, live entertainment, and more. Check out our detailed post about this fair, which includes info on all the available discounts and FREE admission days!
Details for the Georgia State Fair

Photo courtesy of the GA State Fair

♦ 31 Days of Jazz

31 Days of Jazz is a kickoff event to the Atlanta Jazz Festival, which happens each Memorial Day Weekend in Piedmont Park. All month long in May, there will be jazz performances in restaurants, bars, parks, concert venues, arts centers, and MARTA stations throughout Atlanta. Many are FREE to attend.
See the schedule

♦ Atlanta Jazz Festival

May 25 – 27, 2024
Piedmont Park

This is one of the country’s largest FREE jazz festivals, typically taking place in Piedmont Park over Memorial Day weekend. Over the years the Atlanta Jazz Festival has been backdrop to musical legends such as Miles Davis, Dizzie Gillespie and Nina Simone.
Details on Atlanta Jazz Festival

♦ Heart Strings: an immersive experience

Thru May 5th
Heart Strings by UNICEF is a unique, family-friendly experience features interactive activities, multimedia, and inspiring music.  This multi-sensory journey shines a light on the world’s children, transcending borders, cultures, and languages to create a deeply moving and engaging experience for all ages.
Anyone age 18 and under gets in FREE!
And adult tickets are very reasonable at just $18 (plus a ticketing fee of $1.89).
More info

♦ Horizon of Kufu: A virtual reality trip thru ancient Egypt

Horizon of Khufu has landed in Atlanta, completely reshaping the immersive experience. Step back into the golden age of ancient Egypt, where you can relive the reign of King Khufu and explore the iconic pyramids from 4500 years ago.
The 45-minute virtual reality experience costs $27 for adults, and $24 for kids, seniors, military, and students.
It’s located in the same building as the Illuminarium, at 550 Somerset Terrace NE, Atlanta 30306.
More info and get tickets

♦ Atlanta Burger Week

May 6th to 12th, 2024

This year’s deal is for a $12 for a limited-edition burger with a side item.
In case you don’t know how it works:
Each participating restaurant creates a specialty burger. In past years we’ve seen everything from Bad Daddy’s Jalapeno Popper Burger (because some like it hot) to Sublime Doughnuts’ Ice-Cream Burger (for those who’d rather play it cool).
More info on Burger Week

♦ Midtown Garden Stroll

Sunday, May 19, 2024
FREE

Come out and celebrate spring at the annual Midtown Garden Stroll! It is completely FREE and open to the public.
This outdoor, self-guided tour is a rare opportunity to experience some of Midtown’s most beautiful private gardens. There will also be an outdoor Garden Stroll Market where you can purchase plants and garden-related merchandise, as well as food and drink.
Get more info

♦ Atlanta Streets Alive

Sunday, May 19, 2024
FREE

During Streets Alive, for four glorious hours, three miles of Peachtree Street is closed to cars — and open for people to stroll, roll, bike, and play!

The Streets Alive route stretches from downtown to midtown, right through the heart of the city. Peachtree Street will be closed from Mitchell Street, downtown, to 15th Street in midtown.
More info on Streets Alive

♦ Cool off at a splash pad or sprayground

The splash pads and spraygrounds in Atlanta are a fun way for kids to cool off and play in the water, without going to a pool. No matter where you live in metro Atlanta, there is most likely a park with a water feature near you — and most of them are FREE.

The splash pad season starts in early May and goes through September at most locations. We’ve put together a handy list of splash pads, spraygrounds, and interactive fountains. The list is organized by county.
Find a splash pad

♦ Mother’s Day Brunch 

Celebrate Mother’s Day in Atlanta by taking Mom to brunch — on the cheap, of course!
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12th, 2024.

We’ve put together a list of restaurants in the Atlanta metro area where you can get a cheap Mother’s Day brunch — which we define as $35 or less per person. (That doesn’t mean you can’t spend more at these restaurants!)
And this year, we’re including a handful of hidden gems that you may not have known about before.
Browse our brunch list

♦ Stone Mountain Park: May deals & discounts

For a limited time, a Groupon deal lets you purchase the Attractions Pass for HALF PRICE — that’s just $19.99.

PLUS, the Pre-K Pass is back for the summer of 2024! 
With this program, your little tykes age 3 to 5 get free admission to attractions at Stone Mountain Park, all summer long.
To redeem the offer, just register your kids online, and then activate your FREE pass in person at the Park by May 15, 2024.

♦ Candlelight Concerts

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations around metro Atlanta. These are live performances in intimate venues, lit by flickering candles. The concerts range from iconic classical music to tributes to pop artists like Adele and Queen.
More info and tickets

♦ To Kill a Mockingbird at the Fox

May 7th to 12th, 2024
Fox Theatre

This is your chance to see Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of the iconic novel, straight from Broadway to Atlanta. The play stars Richard Thomas (John Boy from The Waltons) as Atticus Finch.

While tickets are not cheap, you have a few ways to save.
Anyone can enter the Lucky Seats ticket lottery for a chance to buy discounted tickets ($36 for great seats that usually go for $200).
And if you’re a student, you can buy $35 Student Rush tickets starting two hours before show time.

♦ Cheer on the Gwinnett Stripers at Coolray Field

It’s baseball season! If you’ve never been to minor league game, make time this spring to visit Coolray Field and cheer on the Gwinnett Stripers, the triple-A affiliate team to our Atlanta Braves.

A Stripers game is an affordable outing for families, and a perfect cheap date — with tickets starting at just $8 and special promotion days that bring added value. Everything about the experience is less expensive than a Braves game at Truist Field. Plus, you’re sitting much closer to the action.
More info

♦ Strawberry picking

Fresh, local strawberries are a sign of spring in Georgia!  It’s the perfect time to plan a pick-your-own outing or enjoy a strawberry festival at a Georgia farm.
We’ve put together a list of strawberry festivals and you-pick farms that are within an hour drive from downtown Atlanta.
Find a strawberry farm

Deposit Photos

♦ Georgia Renaissance Festival

Weekends thru June 2, 2024
Plus Memorial Day Monday
Fairburn, GA

Well worth the drive! Travel back in time to days of yesteryear and yore, with this popular themed festival. There are multiple discounts and ways to save on the price of admission, including a BOGO deal for opening weekend.
Get the details and view the discounts

Photo courtesy of GaRenFest

♦ Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

This immersive exhibit lets you step into a Van Gogh painting as you explore his life and work through 360-degree digital projections and a virtual reality excursion through the French countryside. It’s running all month long — so you can treat your mom for Mother’s Day!
More info and tickets

Immerse yourself in the mind and art of Van Gogh. Photo: H. Brucker.

♦ Dutch Masterpieces at the High Museum

The exhibit, Dutch Art in a Global Age: Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will be at the High Museum from April 19th through July 14th, 2024.

It brings together more than 100 paintings, prints, maps and decorative art objects that span the 17th and early 18th centuries. The exhibit includes works by the period’s leading Dutch artists, including Rembrandt, Jacob van Ruisdael, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Willem Kalf, and Rachel Ruysch.
More info + free admission dates

♦ Spring walks and easy hikes

The May weather is warm and pleasant, and wildflowers line many trail paths.

• Cobb County Trail of the Month program will meet at Discovery Park in Mableton, on Saturday, May 12, 2024. Register in advance.

• Wednesday morning group walks at Mason Mill Park are lead by a guide, starting at 10 a.m. each Wednesday. No reservation needed!

• Here’s a short list of some of our favorite spring walks to do on your own:

• Stroll around the lake and thru the woods at Murphey-Candler Park
• Visit old homestead ruins on the nature trail at Mary Scott Nature Park
• Walk the paved trail at the Peachtree Creek Greenway

♦ Spring farmers markets

There are dozens of farmers markets in metro Atlanta. You can find one every day of the week, and nearly every week of the year. Who doesn’t love to browse the stalls while munching on a freshly baked pastry?

Bonus: Some Atlanta-area farmers markets participate in the Georgia Fresh for Less program, which matches SNAP/EBT benefits, dollar for dollar — or, in some cases, doubles the benefit.
Find a farmers market

Upcoming events in May:

This is a rolling list, so events fall off as the dates pass. It includes events for the next 14 days.