You know it’s a special weekend in the city when the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority issues this advisory: “Be mindful of Dragon Con costumes when boarding trains, and do not block doors from closing.”

While it might be more toned-down and socially distanced (to the extent possible) than years past, Atlanta’s famed “Clusterfest” is doing its best to make a comeback this Labor Day Weekend. That means the city’s about to become an epicenter of Dragon Con antics, college football fanaticism, and music, food, and, uh, golf worship. Like pre-pandemic times, it promises to be a weird, fun au revoir to summer.  

But such large-scale events also mean big-time traffic. Here’s a rundown of this Clusterfest’s marquee happenings, and tips on what MARTA says is the most efficient way to get there. (Note: Masks—and not the stormtrooper kind—are required on MARTA trains and buses, which are all equipped with specialized filters to combat airborne pathogens; to save time, and contact with public surfaces, load a MARTA Breeze Card online in advance right here.)

Dragon Con

After a COVID-19 cancellation in 2020, Marvel diehards, Cosplay zealots, and everyone else will have a chance to let their freak flags fly in downtown Atlanta at one of the country’s most-attended pop culture festivals, a tradition since 1987. (Yes, 90-year-old William Shatner will be in the house, and yes, festival heads say attendance has been reduced for 2021.)

Dragon Con organizers have vowed to follow the latest Georgia Department of Public Health guidance—and to require that attendees show proof of negative COVID-19 tests or vaccinations—in order to attend. The famed, infamous Dragon Con parade, which commonly draws close to 80,000 people to Peachtree Street, won’t be open to the public this year, but it will be broadcast on CW69 and DCTV YouTube, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Get there: MARTA advises taking trains to Peachtree Center station for the best access to Dragon Con events—for those with tickets.

College football revival

Where Alabama, Miami, Louisville, and Ole Miss will all open their college football seasons in Atlanta this weekend. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Per tradition in recent years, the top-ranked college football team in the country, Alabama, with launch its quest for another championship as part of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game versus the Miami Hurricanes at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.  

Also at downtown’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Louisville and Old Miss will square off at 8 p.m. on Monday, capping Labor Day Weekend and guaranteeing the presence of pigskin fanatics downtown for several days.

Get there: MARTA advises taking trains to GWCC/CNN Center station for best access to The Benz.

Atlanta Jazz Festival

After a hiatus in 2020, one of the country's most popular and largest free music festivals returns to Piedmont Park over Labor Day Weekend (Sunday and Monday).

The 43rd Atlanta Jazz Festival will showcase top jazz performers and acts—Mike Phillips, Archie Shepp, and Patti Austin among them—plus a free Jazz 101 master class for a maximum of 250 attendees per workshop.

Long a stage for jazz legends and up-and-comers, the festival was founded by Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson decades ago to foster an appreciation for the art form where it originated, in the South.

Get there: If walking or riding the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail isn’t an option, MARTA says a train ride to the Midtown station (and then walking a few blocks east) is your best bet.

PGA Tour Championship

Top golfers are descending between now and Sunday evening on the storied East Lake Golf Club, about five miles east of downtown Atlanta.

Get there: Avoid parking hassles and costs by taking MARTA’s Bus Route 34 to East Lake, the agency advises.

Marc Anthony concert

The Grammy-winning Latin music star—and top-selling tropical salsa artist of all time—takes the stage Sunday evening next door to The Benz at State Farm Arena, between dates for the college football games. Show begins at 7 p.m.

Get there: A train to MARTA’s GWCC/CNN Center is your best bet.

Taste of Soul

Billed as America’s largest soul and R&B indie concert, the free festival takes place where Northside Drive meets MLK Jr. Drive in Vine City—in the Westside shadow of the football stadium, basically. Expect a roster of 10 performers from 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday—and too many soul-soothing food options to list.  

Get there: Board a train to either Vine City or Ashby stations, MARTA says.  

• Agency head: Atlanta Streets Alive could happen more often, across city (Urbanize Atlanta)