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 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]

CBS NEWS ATLANTA — The Georgia World Congress Center has officially transformed into a gamer's paradise this weekend as DreamHack Atlanta kicks off its 2025 festival — one of the largest gaming events in the country.

More than 40,000 gamers, fans, and esports enthusiasts are expected to fill the halls for three days of tournaments, interactive exhibits, and nonstop gaming energy. From EA Sports competitions to Clash of Clans showdowns, DreamHack is drawing players from around the globe — each hoping to level up their skills and, for some, their bank accounts. [MORE]

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — If you’re looking for something to do this Halloween weekend, you can celebrate the holiday as well as fall at events including Halloween on the Roof, which features trick-or-treating, games and more atop Ponce City Market. Ready to move on from the ghosts and goblins? Head to Stone Mountain Park for the annual Native American Festival and Pow Wow, or enjoy three days of gaming-centric fun at DreamHack.

Check out the following 15 family-friendly things to do in metro Atlanta this weekend: Join in the fun and celebrate gaming with three days of esports, cosplay, a Halloween costume contest with more than $20,000 in prizes and 1,000-plus special guests, including artists and creators and more to the Georgia World Congress Center on Friday through Sunday.

KRQE, FOX NEWS — From mini-golf to laser tag, guests got to experience a night of games and stunts, and all for a good cause. To raise awareness for ALS, the Love Life Stunt Carnival took place at Revel ABQ.

The organization, Love Life ALS, hosted a benefit night with games, music, and stunt performers. Guests were encouraged to send donations and learn more about the lifelong disease. The event had plenty of fun activities to choose from and gave the community the chance to connect.

“Just to give people the opportunity to meet other ALS people, in the volunteer network as well too. Because when you get diagnosed, it feels like a movie. It doesn’t feel real until it hits you a little bit later. So, hopefully, I just want people to know they’re not alone and we’re in this fight together,” said Glenn Love, a Love Life ALS creator. [MORE]

ANIMATION MAGAZINE — As the old entertainment models crumble, animation professionals are finding new, original and creative ways to put their creative work out there for audiences around the world. Genevieve LeDoux, a writer and musician who was a producer on the Emmy-winning series Tumble Leaf, found a new way to apply her creative talents after the COVID pandemic days of 2020 disrupted the traditional entertainment models.[MORE]

After moving to Atlanta with her husband, VFX producer Chris LeDoux (Crafty Apes), she launched a new company called Silver Comet Productions and created a first-of-its-kind multi-media universe titled Star Forest, which features a colorful, virtual band of animated characters. The titular characters deliver catchy synth-wave pop music (co-written by The Owl House composer Andrew Morgan Smith) and convey a timely message of kindness, friendship and connecting with nature through real music and immersive stories designed to meet kids where they are.

We had the chance to catch up with Genevieve to find out more about her innovative mix of fun songs, anthropomorphic animals and eye-pleasing 3D and 2D animation. [MORE]

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSITUTION — After 15 years of running the Facebook group Gluten Free Atlanta, founder Stephanie Pardue and the Monday Night Brewing team will bring the first Gluten Free Atlanta Fest to the city.

On Sunday, the Grove at Monday Night Brewing in west Midtown will transform into a dedicated gluten-free space. The kitchens and pizza ovens will be cleaned and converted to making gluten-free products, two taps will dispense gluten-free beer and more than 20 vendors will set up shop around the Grove’s expansive outdoor space.

“(The festival) is the first time we’re having any kind of Atlanta recognition of gluten-free,” Pardue said. “So it’s huge to me and to my little group — huge.”

Monday Night Brewing has been a friend to the gluten-free community for about three years now. It started when brewer Tim McDonnell’s wife discovered she had a gluten allergy. McDonnell partnered with a gluten-free malting house to create a beer his wife could continue enjoying, co-owner Joel Iverson said. [MORE]

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — Two restaurants are opening on opposite sides of the Beltline this week. Northern China Eatery opened its second location along the Eastside Beltline on Thursday, while Monday Night Brewing is debuting the Grove, its west Midtown expansion on the Northwest Beltline Trail.

After operating for more than a decade at 670 Trabert Ave. NW, Monday Night Brewing made a major investment in growing its footprint.

The Grove includes a 7,400-square-foot indoor taproom that also serves cocktails, and more than 17,000 square feet of outdoor space that fronts the newest section of the Northwest Beltline, featuring a patio, fire pits and a canopy of native trees.

The new space opens to the public Saturday with festivities throughout the weekend. [MORE]