ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — Next month, Funwoody Restaurants will celebrate its five-year anniversary as a major community hub in Dunwoody, the hospitality group announced this week.

The concept began in 2019 in Dunwoody Village, where a drab courtyard sat unused thanks to longtime vacancies in the commercial development, according to a news release. David Abes, founder of DASH hospitality and Funwoody, saw its potential as a community gathering place.

The project began with a renovation of the development’s courtyard, adding outdoor seating, a huge outdoor video screen and a live performance stage. In 2021, the first Funwoody restaurant opened: Barn Booze N Bites, which served flatbreads, charcuterie, cocktails and more. Morty’s Meat & Supply came next, combining Southern barbecue and New York deli themes in one space. Message in a Bottle, an upscale seafood restaurant inspired by the famous beach destinations on Florida’s Scenic Highway 30A, expanded the group’s range, followed by the ice cream and soda shop Good Vibes.

Earlier this year, Funwoody took over the former Steak & Grace space to introduce Stable Comfort Food N Cocktails. Over the course of five years, these five restaurant concepts have transformed the once-sleepy Dunwoody Village.

“In many ways, the restaurants have become the infrastructure for a community that didn’t previously have a central gathering place,” Abes said in a statement. “We were trying to create a place where people could come together in an approachable way with their kids and enjoy socializing again. But what has happened since my original thought has been bigger than myself and my team could have ever imagined. The restaurants are notable, but the real success is seeing the community make this place its own.”

Funwoody will celebrate its milestone anniversary with a Halloween-themed party with live music, costumes and drink specials, beginning Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. [MORE]

ROUGH DRAFT ATLANTA — Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ film festival, has announced the theme for its 2026 event as well as a few of the films that will be screening. 

The theme of the 39th annual festival is “The World We’re Making.” The festival will run from Sept. 24 – Oct. 4, according to a press release. 

The theme is meant to celebrate the world that LGBTQ+ filmmakers and audiences create through art, creativity, and shared experience, according to the release. With the theme, Out on Film aims to create a space where authentic LGBTQ+ stories can be seen, celebrated, and discovered.  [MORE]

90.1FM WABE (NPR) — “Closer Look with Rose Scott” — The Georgia Path2College 529 Plan’s “We Care, Child Care” sweepstakes is back in its 12th year and offering a $1,529 contribution to support your child’s future education fund. Bethany Whetzel, treasury program director at Georgia’s Office of the State Treasurer, shares how parents and grandparents can enter ahead of the July 31 deadline.

[LISTEN HERE]

SECRET ATLANTA — The Other Art Fair is making its Southeast debut in Atlanta, and it's a truly one-of-a-kind art fair experience!

Calling all art lovers in the ATL! ‘The Other Art Fair’ is coming to the southeast for the first time ever, and fittingly, it’s making its inaugural debut right here in Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood. Keep scrolling to learn more about the art fair experience, how you can go, and even how to get your art up on the gallery walls!

The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, is an internationally acclaimed art fair that puts indie artists at the forefront of their movement. Known for reimagining the traditional art fair experience, The Other Art Fair connects collectors, first-time buyers and art lovers alike with independent artists through a unique event featuring original artworks, installations, performances, live DJs, and interactive experiences.

Nicole Garton, Global Fair Director of The Other Art Fair, said in a statement,

Atlanta has long been one of the cities at the top of our expansion list because of its incredible creative energy, cultural diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit. We’re excited to introduce a new way of experiencing art to this city — one where artists are at the center and visitors can discover incredible work while meeting the people who created it.

[READ MORE]

WSB-TV (ABC) — Atlanta has a bold and creative way to welcome the world for the FIFA World Cup. It’s called the “Last Mile Plan,” a way to help visitors and residents navigate downtown.

New murals and signage have popped up all over Atlanta.

It’s part of an incredible collaboration between the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and the Metro Chamber of Atlanta/ [WATCH HERE]

ATLANTA MAGAZINE — With the FIFA World Cup expected to bring thousands of soccer fans to the city this summer, Monday Night Brewing co-founder and CEO Joel Iverson knew he had to do something interesting to make his brewery stand out. Last year, he went to a World Cup information session for small businesses hosted by the city, and the gist, he says, was, “If you’re not right near the stadium, you’ve got to come up with something really good to draw people [in].”

Knowing that there’s a large overlap between soccer and craft beer fans, Iverson and his team decided to wait and see which international teams would be playing in Atlanta, then try to collaborate with a brewery from one of those countries to create a unique, World Cup-themed brew. Iverson says the goal was to make Monday Night “a welcoming hub” for fans from other countries.

“There is a craft brewery in almost every country, and they share the same values of community we as a craft brewery do,” Iverson says.

Of the 10 countries coming to Atlanta for group stage matches, Iverson and his team picked two with strong beer cultures to try to collaborate with: Spain and Czechia. But with just a couple of months left before World Cup games began, the team had to quickly find international breweries who were willing to partner up. [MORE]

WXIA-11 ALIVE, “ATLANTA & CO.” — Ventriloquist Allison Wonders brings her comedy to the A&C studio! Catch her at the Fringe Festival through June 7.

ATLANTA NEWS FIRST — As Atlanta prepares to host matches during the FIFA World Cup, organizers are focused on more than just the action on the field.

FIFA officials on Thursday highlighted new accessibility initiatives and details about the carefully managed natural grass pitch that will be used during the tournament.

The event coincided with Global Accessibility Awareness Day and focused on sensory inclusion and fan experience improvements planned for World Cup venues across North America.

For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, every host stadium will feature dedicated sensory-inclusive spaces through a partnership between FIFA, Hisense and KultureCity. [WATCH HERE]

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — After years of attempts to get a measure off the ground, Georgia lawmakers have passed a bill establishing a statewide office to promote and support the music industry.

The Georgia Music Office and Music Ready Communities Act passed the Georgia General Assembly with bipartisan support on the final day of the legislative session and is now headed to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk.

If signed into law, it will begin the process of establishing the office, which would help attract music-related investment and workforce development opportunities to the state, serve as a liaison between music companies and governmental agencies and promote significant developments in the industry, among other functions.

The office will also certify cities and counties seeking to promote music-related economic development in their areas as “Music Friendly Georgia Certified Communities.”

The passage is a step forward in formalizing Georgia’s approach to supporting its music industry, following the footsteps of other Southern states, such as Texas and Tennessee, that have music offices. That’s according to Mala Sharma, the president of music business advocacy organization Georgia Music Partners, a key lobbying group for the measure.

She calls the Georgia Music Office the “front door for the music industry.”

“There is so much work and investment that has gone on in Georgia over the past few years,” Sharma said. “I just think without that statewide office sharing the successes, people just aren’t aware of it.”

Georgia has a deep music heritage. It’s considered the rap capital of the world, having produced the likes of Young Thug, Ludacris and T.I., among hundreds of other artists, producers such as Metro Boomin and powerhouse labels such as Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Recordings and Quality Control. The state is also the home base of household names across rock, country and pop: R.E.M., the B-52s, Zac Brown Band, Little Richard, Gladys Knight and Ray Charles. [MORE]

GEORGIA INSIDER — “Today, gaming is in every man’s hand.”

There are over 3 billion gamers worldwide, and from May 15-17 about 60,000 of those gaming fanatics will convene at the Georgia World Congress Center for the largest-ever DreamHack festival hosted by ESL FACEIT Group.

It will transform downtown Atlanta into the ultimate gamer haven. 

Esports competitors, casual gamers and streamer fans will be able to take part in the festival. It will feature tournaments, an artist alley, developer displays, streamer meetups, cosplay, free play and several major competitions with high-dollar prizes. 

Gone are the days of gaming as a niche community or “nerdy” culture. ESL FACEIT Group Festival Director Kalle Pilfak said when the festival began in Sweden in 1994, there was a drastically different digital landscape. 

“It was about internet culture, which back then was something that was kind of related to basement dwellers and nerds, you know?” Pilfak said. 

Things are different today. According to Pilfak, games are in “every man’s hand.” In 2025 alone the video game market generated roughly $189 billion in revenue, according to the Global Games Market Report. Meanwhile, esports is projected to reach a $7.46 billion market by 2030.

“It’s booming, but it’s booming in a sustainable way,” Pilfak said. 

CBS ATLANTA — The Dino Safari has transformed the Mall of Georgia's parking lot to take visitors back in time to a glowing prehistoric world where life-sized dinosaurs roam.

WATCH HERE

90.1FM WABE (NPR) — Georgia wants to position itself at the forefront of the growing world of sports technology.

The Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition hosted its inaugural GENEXSIS summit. The conference seeks to promote sports innovation while building more avenues for young people to enter the industry.

Over a hundred people fill the Tech Square Atlanta’s Clubhouse. The summit brought together invited athletes, researchers and leaders from organizations such as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Syracuse University. “Georgia Tech is proud to provide this venue,” said Jud Ready, the executive director for the Space Research Institute at Tech. 

“We’re trying to establish multiple different things. First are research programs, second are academic classes, third are collaborations with corporations and industry, as well as the state government,” said Ready.

From fan experiences to in-game communications, attendees heard from industry leaders about how technology is transforming sports and entertainment. [MORE]