ATLANTA — Beginning tonight, a practical entertainment hurricane will sweep through Downtown Atlanta.
On Wednesday night, Janet Jackson plays the first of two shows at State Farm Arena. The next night the arena will host Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs first round series between the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics.
On Friday night, both Ms. Jackson and Taylor Swift will be performing, as Jackson plays the second of her shows (which was originally scheduled for Thursday night, but moved after the Hawks sent their series against Boston to Game 6) while legions of Swifties head to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first of three mega-concerts this weekend.
Swift will then again play to the masses at the Benz on Saturday and Sunday night.
Are you ready, Atlanta?
If you're headed to any of these headline events, here are some logistical things to know about Downtown Atlanta and big crowds:
Taylor Swift, Janet Jackson and Hawks Downtown Atlanta schedule
First, the basics: When and where.
- Wednesday, April 26: Janet Jackson at State Farm Arena, 8 p.m.
- Thursday, April 27: Hawks vs. Celtics Game 6 at State Farm Arena, 8:30 p.m.
- Friday, April 28: Janet Jackson at State Farm Arena, 7:45 p.m. & Taylor Swift at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, April 29: Taylor Swift at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 6:30 p.m.
- Sunday, April 30: Taylor Swift at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 6:30 p.m.
Transportation into Downtown Atlanta
- The easiest way to get to the venues for these events is to take MARTA. The GWCC/CNN Center station drops you off right by entrance doors at State Farm Arena and just a short walk up toward Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Blue and Green lines go to the stop, and you can transfer from the Orange and Red lines at Five Points if you need to. Keep in mind that MARTA trains stop running at 1 a.m. as you plan your departure.
- You can drive into Downtown and park (more on that below) or take a rideshare, but definitely plan to leave early if you're going this route. Downtown Atlanta is not quickly navigable by car, especially when it's crowded for a big event, and you could get stuck in barely-moving traffic (which is not where you want to be at 6:15 if doors open for Taylor Swift at 6:30).
- One suggestion to consider is simply going down in the afternoon and hanging around the area (more below on things to do in Downtown Atlanta).
Parking in Downtown Atlanta
- You can find a lot of information on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium website here. Most lots are not owned or operated by the stadium, and event rates will vary (as in, they're probably going to be a bit higher for Taylor Swift than they would be for a random Saturday).
- For a further overview of expanded parking options, you can visit the Downtown Atlanta website here.
- According to SpotHero, which allows you to pre-book event parking, most lots within walking distance of the venues will be charging $10-30.
Hotels in Downtown Atlanta
If you haven't booked by now, this is going to get tricky.
Unfortunately, a lot of Janet Jackson fans who were planning for Thursday night will now have to scramble for Friday night with all the Swifties already coming into town.
If you need to stay in the Downtown area, there's going to be a major crunch - but there are also good options in Buckhead or just outside the city in areas like Sandy Springs, Vinings and Cumberland.
Here's a little of what we found on Booking.com, searching for two-guest rooms on a one-night stay from Friday to Saturday:
- The Sheraton on Courtland Street had rooms in the $200s.
- The Hilton on Courtland Street had rooms in the $400s.
- The Motel 6 on Courtland Street had rooms in the $200s.
- The Darwin Hotel in the Old Fourth Ward had rooms in the $200s and low $300s.
- The Crowne Plaza in Midtown had rooms in the $300s.
- The Hyatt Place on Peachtree Street Downtown had rooms in the $300s.
- The Aloft on Ted Turner Drive had rooms in the $300s.
- The Inn at the Peachtrees on West Peachtree Street had rooms in the $200s.
- The Courtyard by Marriott in Midtown had rooms in the high $200s and low $300s.
Depending on where you're willing to stay, you can find cheaper options farther outside of the city center. You can find rooms for a little under $200 a night by Truist Park, for instance, or in the lower $100s in Sandy Springs, or a range of prices in Decatur.
Decatur and Sandy Springs are both easily serviced by MARTA to get you to and from the events.
Things to do in Downtown Atlanta
If you want to go the easy route of getting into Downtown earlier in the afternoon and just hanging around for a while, you can check out some of the guide on things to do at the Atlanta Downtown official website here.
Some of the major attractions include:
- Georgia Aquarium
- Centennial Olympic Park
- National Center for Civil and Human Rights
- World of Coca-Cola
- College Football Hall of Fame
- Children's Museum of Atlanta
Also, if you head on over to the neighboring Sweet Auburn neighborhood (accessible by Atlanta Streetcar), you can check out things like the Municipal Market and the Martin Luther King National Historical Park.
If you're looking for some places to eat and drink, some good options include:
- Park Bar
- STATS Brewpub
- Der Biergarten
- Wild Leap Atlanta Downtown taproom
- CNN Center
- Red Phone Booth
- Meehan's Public House
- Margaritaville
- Sidebar
- Reverb Hard Rock Hotel bar
This Yelp list has some more options available.
