Enjoy Shakespeare in the Park. As dusk approaches, stars from the heavens will illuminate the makeshift stage in Piedmont Park where the area’s finest Shakespearean thespians will bring the Bard’s romantic farce “Twelfth Night” to life. The gender-bending tale of Shakespeare’s Viola, who disguises herself as a man only to fall in love with a man in love with another woman, is brought to the outdoor stage in Georgia Shakespeare’s 31st season kickoff event. The free productions include evening performances and a Saturday family fun day. Just remember, tickets go fast for this popular city event. For more information, visit www.gashakespeare.org.
photo courtesy of bill deloach

Dine Al Fresco on the Piazza. Atlanta’s only Italian-inspired piazza is now open at the Woodruff Arts Center. After taking in an exhibit at The High or before an evening performance at The Alliance Theatre, enjoy Midtown’s newest outdoor dining experience at the Piazza at Table 1280, located between the Memorial Arts Building and the High. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, Chef Todd Immel’s piazza menu features soups, salads, sandwiches, snacks and desserts, as well as traditional favorites from the Table 1280 lunch, brunch and lounge menus. A contemporary and intimate outdoor bar and piazza seating for 65 makes Table 1280’s newest addition the perfect place to see and be seen. Visit www.table1280.com for more information.
photo courtesy of woodruff arts center

Spend a Jazzy Evening in the City. Deemed as “one of the city’s proudest traditions” by Mayor Shirley Franklin, the 30th annual Atlanta Jazz Festival returns with a stellar lineup. The month-long festival features special events and concerts around the city at venues throughout the metro Atlanta area, including Late Night Jazz Jams, exclusive Soulful Sounds of Summer Concert Series at Chastain Park Amphitheatre, the REEL Jazz Film series, and the culminating highlight of the event, a Memorial Day Weekend Festival. For three days, three performance stages in Piedmont Park will feature smooth jazz, homegrown talents and internationally acclaimed performers. Arts and crafts, children’s activities and food will round out the event. Find venues and performers by visiting www.atlantafestivals.com.
photo courtesy of 360 media inc.

Celebrate Atlanta’s Growing Art Scene. Summer days are here again, and May is also a perfect month for taking in arts at festivals and galleries across the city. ATLart[07] is a month-long visual arts event uniting the talents of 21 Atlanta Gallery Association members with museums, charitable arts organizations, designers, universities and high schools. Take a self-guided evening art tour through Downtown for Turner First Thursdays; visit the opening of new gallery exhibits in Castleberry Hill, South Buckhead and Decatur; or get the children involved in ARTstart Children’s Day with hands-on projects and meetings with artists. Memorial Day Weekend ends the celebration on a high note with the Decatur Arts Festival, featuring more than 140 artists from potters to painters in a juried show. For a list of events and participating galleries, visit www.atlart.com.
photo courtesy of matre gallery

Watch the Stars Walk the Red Carpet. She’s far from her Hollywood roots, but Ted Turner’s former bride loved Georgia so much, she still calls it home and remains involved with the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (G-CAPP), whose mission is to eliminate teenage pregnancy in Georgia. Jane Fonda co-chairs G-CAPP’s annual fundraiser, bringing Hollywood to Peachtree Street in the Southeast premiere of her critically acclaimed movie, “Georgia Rule,” also starring Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman and Dermont Mulroney. Cast members will join Fonda for a walk along the red carpet, participating in a pre-show silent auction before the film’s debut. A private cocktail reception and live auction follows the highly anticipated film about an unruly girl who is sent to live with her grandmother and finds out some ties, like those of family, cannot be broken. For sponsorship and participation information, call G-CAPP at 404-475-6051 or visit www.gcapp.org.
image courtesy of gcapp