The City Lights Collective

09/04/2025

Today on "The City Lights Collective:" 🎧 Sit and conversate with Atlanta’s own Killer Mike as he launches his brand-new podcast.

🌙 Find out what makes a "Good Night" at Buteco—a free show blending comedy, spoken word, music, food, and more.

💃 Explore how technology is transforming dance in the new doc "Beyond the Movement" from Spelman College.

🎶 Atlanta soft-rock band, Champagne Lane, opens up about their new album, "The World in Your Eyes."

🥞 And we continue our "Brunchin' on a Budget" mini series with the Atlanta breakfast staple, Ria's Bluebird.

Discover Atlanta’s arts and culture on The City Lights Collective. Next week's show, we hear about Atlanta Opera’s collaboration with the Alliance Theater for "Fiddler on the Roof."

09/03/2025

Today on "The City Lights Collective:" 🎶 This weekend's Mainline Music Festival is a celebration made “by Atlanta and for Atlanta.”

🍴 Food is more than flavor—it’s history and storytelling. SCAD’s new series ChefATL, produced in collaboration with WABE, spotlights Atlanta chefs and restaurateurs with help from over 100 SCAD students.

🎨 This week’s cultural highlights include the Atlanta Contemporary Music Collective’s season opener, a new show at The Sun ATL, and Brookhaven Porchfest.

🖼️ The High Museum opens its most comprehensive exhibition yet of artist and educator Faith Ringgold, featuring children’s book art, quilts, and never-before-seen works.

💃 Each Friday night, contra dancers gather at the Decatur Recreation Center to experience the joy of dancing to live music.

📀 And lastly, Kosmo Vinyl shares the story behind Cornershop’s “Brimful of Asha.”

Discover Atlanta’s arts and culture on "The City Lights Collective." Next week, we hear about the Shakespeare outdoors series in Avondale Estates.

09/02/2025

Today on "The City Lights Collective:" 🍫 Museum of Design Atlanta's new exhibition, "Bittersweet: The Design of Chocolate," extended its exhibit through Oct. 12.

🌻A brand new park is opening in Vinings to honor late Black folk artist Nellie Mae Rowe

😂 Joel Byars brings us his can’t-miss comedy picks this week, including stand-up comedian April Macie.

🎨 GULCH magazine’s Jasmine Hentschel and EC Flamming share their top 5 art picks, including Georgia State’s faculty showcase.

🖼️ City Lights Collective co-host Kim Drobes chats with Atlanta artist R. Land about his first-ever retrospective at Atlanta Contemporary.

🎶 And City Lights Collective co-host Jon Goode heads to Block and Drum to learn why “High Bias” is actually a good thing.

Discover Atlanta’s arts and culture on "The City Lights Collective." Later this week, we hear about Killer Mike's new podcast.

08/29/2025

In case you missed yesterday’s live Dragon Con show, check it out below.

"The City Lights Collective" hosted a live broadcast from Dragon Con, spotlighting some highlights from the annual convention that makes it a special place for creatives and the community.

08/28/2025

Join us & The City Lights Collective for two shows LIVE from Con 2025! Closer Look will speak to creatives about making futuristic content and how it's influenced by our modern reality. RSVP for this free event at the link: https://www.wabe.org/events/closer-look-city-lights-live-at-dragon-con/

08/27/2025

Check out today's episode of "The City Lights Collective" at the link in our bio. 🎤 Jazz icon Dee Dee Bridgewater returns to the Rialto Sept. 6. City Lights Collective co-host Jon Goode sat down with her ahead of her show.

🍳 In our new mini-series Brunchin’ on a Budget, Summer Evans checks out Home grown on Memorial Drive.

📼 VHS Deathmatch brings B-movie madness to Monday Night Garage Sept. 26.

📚 Author Lisa D. Brathwaite spotlights Ebony’s Eunice W. Johnson in her children’s book "Miles of Style."

🎉 Shane Harrison shares his weekend picks: House in the Park, the Atlanta Black Theater Festival, and a sneak peek at Dragon Con.

🎵 Kosmo Vinyl shares the story behind Creedence Clearwater Revival's hit, "Born on the Bayou."

Discover Atlanta’s arts and culture on The City Lights Collective. Tomorrow's show of "The City Lights Collective" will be live from Dragon Con.

08/26/2025

Check out today's episode of "The City Lights Collective:" 😂 City Lights Collective member and Atlanta comedian Joel Byars shares must-see comedy events this week, including comedian DL Hughley performing at City Winery on Aug. 28.

🎉 Living Walls turns 15 with a quinceañera celebration at the Goat Farm on Sept. 13, honoring a decade and a half of murals and storytelling across the city.

🎨 Atlanta artist Victoria Dugger invites us into her strange, powerful world in the exhibit "Must Be Nice," on view now at the Hudgens Center.

🎶 WABE’s Sounds Like ATL spotlights local rock band Thee Blk Pearl.

📽 Emory’s Cinematheque returns tomorrow, diving into the game-changing films of 1975—from "Jaws," to "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" and "Grey Gardens."

Discover Atlanta’s arts and culture on The City Lights Collective. Today's episode looks at Victoria Dugger's exhibit "Must Be Nice" and Living Walls celebrating 15 years.

08/25/2025

Today on "The City Lights Collective:"🎤 Comedian Jim Gaffigan brings his "Everything Is Wonderful" Tour to Atlanta Symphony Hall Sept. 11–13.

🎨 City Lights Collective’s Jasmine Hentschel + EC Flamming spotlight must-see art events, including a tribute to civil rights icon Xernona Clayton at Hardy Ivy Park and Ayana Ross’s new exhibition at MOCA GA.

🖼️Luca Fine Art Gallery opens in the Star Metals District with their exhibit "Glimmer and Gaze", curated by gallery founder Rodney Kazemi. It's on view through Sept. 28.

📚 And for the book lovers—Jane Austen turns 250 this year! You can hear more about local celebrations with "Bookmarked" contributor Alison Law.

Discover Atlanta’s arts and culture on The City Lights Collective. Hear about new art galleries and celebrations for Jane Austen's 250th birthday.

08/21/2025

Check out today's episode of "The City Lights Collective" at the link below. 🎤 Stacy Epps discusses her 20+ years in hip-hop ahead of her new album "FlowHeart," which is out tomorrow.

🎬 Atlanta writer, animator and director Sebastian Soler created a handmade stop-motion action thriller film, "Spanish Moss" (29,000 handcrafted frames over 30 weeks of filming). It screens Aug. 27 at Tara Theatre, followed by a Q&A.

👩‍🏫 The Center for Puppetry Arts partners with NYU Insights to launch a beta program that will bring puppets into Atlanta classrooms.

🎸 Blues guitarist and son of hip-hop icon T.I., Buddy Red shares his story in our series “In Their Own Words.”

🎶 Mike Jordan & Sammie Purcell share their weekend picks, which include a gem show, "Ain’t No Mo" and Atlanta Alt Rock Fest.

📽️ Victoria Lemos shares Atlanta's history with film censorship

Discover Atlanta’s arts and culture on The City Lights Collective. Today's episode spotlights the stop-motion thriller, "Spanish Moss."

08/20/2025

Check out today's episode of "The City Lights Collective." 🖼️ Atlanta artist and illustrator Derek Yaniger speaks with Kim Drobes ahead of his appearance at Dragon Con’s Comic and Pop Artist Alley.

🧵 The 17th annual Atlanta Quilt Festival showcases beautiful textile works at the Southwest Arts Center through Sept. 6

🎭 Looking for what’s hot in ATL? ArtsATL's Shane Harrison has the scoop from The Weeknd at Mercedes-Benz, to "A Strange Loop" at Actor's Express and classic cinema at The Booth Museum.

🚗⚡️ Hop in your DeLorean to check out “Back to the Future: The Musical” at the Fox Theatre this September. Josh Thane spoke with co-writer Bob Gale and cast member Cartreze Tucker.

🎶 Punk legend Kosmo Vinyl shares the story behind “Roadrunner” by The Modern Lovers.

Discover Atlanta’s arts and culture on The City Lights Collective. Next week, we hear about Emory's Cinematheque series.

08/20/2025

Join us for this FREE broadcast of Closer Look AND City Lights Collective Live at Dragon Con! From science fiction and fantasy to literature, this Closer Look Coffee Conversation, sponsored […]

08/20/2025

Today on the "City Lights Collective:" 🎬 We hear from BronzeLens Film Festival executive
director Kathleen Bertrand about celebrating 16 years
of elevating films for and by people of color.

🍴 Bon Appétit magazine writes about the city's diverse
culinary scene in their new article, "How to Eat
Atlanta."

🎶 New Zealand’s The Beths are returning to the
Variety Playhouse this October, with their new album
"Straight Line Was a Lie" dropping Aug 29.

🎭 The Aabaha Arts and Theater Festival is
showcasing the rich culture and history of Indian
theater while offering a variety of artistic expressions.

Discover Atlanta’s arts and culture on The City Lights Collective. Fresh stories weekdays on music, theater, film, food, and festivals.