Centennial Block Party
October 18, 2026 | 12–5 p.m.
Location: Peachtree Street between 15th and 16th Streets, in front of the High Museum of Art
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The Block Party is free to attend, including the stages, activities, and free Coca-Cola products. Your free ticket also includes the Museum Shop.
Museum admission (free for Members, and $23.50 for General Admission ticket) adds the galleries and the bars inside. Food and drinks are for purchase.
Not a member? Join today! Members, keep an eye out: we're giving away a limited run of custom swag you won’t want to miss. The Block Party is free to attend, including the stages, activities, and free Coca-Cola products. Your free ticket also includes the Museum Shop.
Museum admission (free for Members, and $23.50 for General Admission ticket) adds the galleries and the bars inside. Food and drinks are for purchase.
Block Party
Free | Walk-Up
The Block Party is free to attend, including the stages, activities, and free Coca-Cola products. Your free ticket also includes the Museum Shop.
Museum admission (free for Members, and $23.50 for General Admission ticket) adds the galleries and the bars inside. Food and drinks are for purchase.
The High is taking over Peachtree Street to throw a 100th birthday bash you won’t forget. Join us for a free Block Party featuring live music, DJs, art-making, food vendors and special surprises. Bring the whole family, your friend group, your neighbor or your work bestie and come celebrate 100 years of the High.
Block Party access is free, rain or shine, register to help us plan for the day.
Schedule
Emcee all day: Algebra Blessett
| Time | Where | What |
| 12:00 p.m. | Main Stage | DJ XZACT: classic R&B, hip-hop, 80s and 90s, deep house, Afrobeats |
| 12:30 p.m. | Sidewalk Stage | A. Worley Brown Boys & Girls Club: a hip-hop majorette dance team. |
| 1:00 p.m. | Main Stage | DJ LV: dancehall, Shatta riddim, hip-hop, house, reggae, old-school classics |
| 1:30 p.m. | Sidewalk Stage (in front of the Memorial Arts Building) | All Smiles, Theatre for the Very Young: a sensory-friendly show about the many ways we smile, for newborns to age 5 and their grown-ups (about 30 minutes) |
| 2:00 p.m. | Main Stage | Official welcome kicked off by Atlanta Hawks Drumline, Dancers and Harry the Hawk
With Rand Suffolk, Director, High Museum of Art; Adriane Jefferson, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs; Mayor Andre Dickens; and Killer Mike, High Museum of Art Board Member |
| 2:00 p.m. | Hawks activation | Harry the Hawk and friends |
| 2:30 p.m. | Main Stage | The Biological Misfits: a band born at a birthday jam session, playing ours. Soul, funk, hip-hop, acid jazz |
| 2:30 p.m. | Sidewalk Stage | Dance Canvas open rehearsal: watch choreographers shape work premiering in March 2027 |
| 3:00 p.m. | Sidewalk Stage | Bautanzt Here open rehearsal: Atlanta’s only purely site-specific dance theater company at work |
| 3:00 p.m. | Hill Auditorium | Panel: 100 Years of Art in Atlanta
Same price as the Block Party + Museum Admission ticket: free for Members, $23.50 for Not-Yet-Members. Registration required |
| 3:30 p.m. | Main Stage | Come Together dance party with DJ Kemit and Salah Ananse, until 5:00 |
| 3:30 p.m. | Sidewalk Stage | Brenau Dance Performance |
| 4:00 p.m. | Sidewalk Stage | Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra string quartet |
| 5:00 p.m. | Block Party ends |
Open rehearsals are drop-in. Watch for a minute or the whole set.
All day, noon to 4:30 p.m. on the block
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- Birthday hat making, chalk, and bubbles: Stop by and make a birthday hat to celebrate the High’s 100th! These hats are inspired by artwork in the museum’s collection. Nabil Nahas’s Peekaboo (2013, acrylic on canvas) and Ettore Sottsass Jr.’s Wardrobe (Superbox) (1968, wood and plastic laminate) use lines, vibrant colors, and patterns to make these unique designs. While supplies last.
- Reflections by Dash Studio, noon–5 p.m.: Step inside an immersive kaleidoscope featuring the same artwork projected on the Atlanta Beltline, seen up close. Catch it on the Beltline too, October 22, 23, 24, and 30, 7:30–10 p.m.
- Soccer activations on the front lawn by Atlanta United and Atlanta City FC
- Atlanta Hawks Flight Crew will be doing stunts and bring the energy from the stadium to the street
- Trap Music Museum Pink Car
- Community Partners: LaAmistad, MODA, Midtown Alliance, the Alliance Theatre, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Food & Drinks
Free: Coca-Cola products. Everything else is for purchase. All food and beverages are available while supplies last. You’re welcome to bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks, anywhere except in the galleries.
Vendors, all day:
- Bomb Biscuit Co.: sweet and savory biscuits by Michelin Bib Gourmand local restaurant.
- The Giant Quesadilla: larger-than-life quesadillas on homemade tortillas.
- Sweet Auburn BBQ: traditional barbecue with an Asian twist, from the family behind Tio Lucho’s and Lazy Betty.
- Poppin’ Stop: specialty flavored popcorn, with varieties ranging from Cherry Cheesecake to Hotlanta.
- Rio’s Italian Ice and Ice Cream
- Chay J’s New Orleans Candies
- just add honey: loose-leaf tea, 18 hot flavors and 3 iced, plus flavored simple syrups.
Coffee, cocktails, and beer:
- The Ramp, our custom HIGH x Wild Heaven Belgian IPA, brewed with Grains of Paradise and Honeysuckle will be available at the bars inside the museum (museum admission required).
- Refuge Coffee Co., is serving 2 custom drinks: The Centennial Blush (Hibiscus Raspberry Refresher) and Hattie’s Harvest (honey cinnamon latte). Members get a discount. In Memorial Arts Building, to the left of the ginkgo tree.
- CJ’s Cafe, in the museum lobby (museum admission required). Snacks and drinks.
- Elise, on the main campus Piazza, for an elevated cocktail or meal.
Public Conversation
100 Years of Art in Atlanta
Hill Auditorium, 3–4 p.m. | Separately Ticketed
Julia Forbes, the High’s Associate Director of Institutional Research, joins Katherine “Katie” Jentleson, PhD, Senior Curator of American Art and the Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art, for a conversation on the High’s history and its place in Atlanta, moderated by Wendy Corona of WSB-TV. This ticket also includes Block Party access and museum admission.
Exclusive Member Lounge
Celebrate 100 years of Art in Atlanta with a members-only VIP lounge during the Centennial Block Party. Enjoy a cash bar, centennial-themed activities, and a special time capsule just for members!
Check in at the main museum entrance to receive your wristband, then make your way to the lounge in the High Cafe. Once you’re checked in, you’ll be able to move freely from the lounge straight to the block party outside.
Member Exclusive! We collaborated with Bitter Southerner to bring free custom Centennial garden flags for our members only, make sure you grab yours in the VIP lounge.
Members will receive a 15% discount in the Museum Shop, a 20% discount at Refuge Coffee, and discounts at on-campus dining.
Keep the celebration going with members-only Centennial tours throughout the month. Learn More
Plan Your Visit
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We’re expecting a large crowd for the Centennial Block Party on Sunday, October 18, so please be patient and plan accordingly. Please pay attention to all signage. The Block Party is rain or shine.
- Early voting is also happening on campus on Sunday, October 18, available to Fulton County residents only.
- Parking will be severely limited for everyone, including Members, unless they have purchased pre-parking. Free Member parking will not be available on this day.
- Getting here: Walking, MARTA, and rideshare are strongly encouraged. MARTA is right next to our campus and is the easiest way to get here. Peachtree Street will be closed between 15th and 16th Streets.
- Rideshare can drop you off on Arts Center Way if you want to be closer to the museum entrance, or near Colony Square if you want to be closer to the Block Party entrance. Entering the Block Party through 16th Street will not be possible.
- Museum entry is only for paid General Admission ticket holders and Members. If you only have a free Block Party ticket, you can access the Museum Shop but not the rest of the museum. General Admission tickets and memberships are available for purchase on site that day. The Museum Shop has new centennial merchandise, including our Jittery Joe’s coffee and cocoa.
- Restrooms. Porta potties are available to all Block Party attendees on Peachtree Street. The Memorial Arts Building is also open that day for accessible and family restrooms. Restrooms inside the museum are exclusively for paid General Admission ticket holders and Members.
- Don’t forget to swing by the Museum Shop for new centennial merchandise!
- You’ll even spot our new coffee and cocoa collab with Jittery Joe’s.
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Presenting Centennial Sponsor
Related Events
Curious about the High’s history? Celebrate 100 years with us by taking a look back at the institution’s evolution, while also looking forward at the next 100 years.
Join us for a day of free admission and drop-in programming for adults of all ages! Whether you like to explore on your own, join a conversation, or create art, there is something for you. Come as you are and stay as long as you like.
Join fellow members on this exclusive thematic tour. Inspired by Halloween, take a deep dive into the High’s permanent collection to discover spooky imagery. This tour offers a new perspective on new pieces and old favorites.
In commemoration of the museum’s 100th anniversary, this walking tour will introduce you to the architects who designed the buildings that have housed the High throughout its history.
The High turns 100 this year, and we’re marking it with a party worthy of a century of secrets. Join us Friday, October 30 for A Haunting at 100, a Halloween night unlike anything else the museum has hosted.
Join us as we celebrate our Centennial year with an exclusive tour just for members! With the help of a High Museum of Art docent, we will dive into the American Art collection in the recently re-installed galleries and explore what it means to be an American artist. Including many new acquisitions and old favorites, there is something for everyone to enjoy!
Designed for new members, or any members looking to get a fresh perspective, this leisurely tour offers an hour of looking and learning led by a High Museum of Art docent. Stools and assistive listening devices will be provided.