Atlanta Caribbean Festival, Parade This Weekend

The Atlanta Caribbean Festival, a 24-year tradition, returns Saturday, May 26 to Sweet Auburn.

Festival central is Auburn Avenue NE & Fort Street NE.

But it kicks off at noon with a parade. The route:

• Staging area-West Peachtree/Civic Center Marta Station
• The parade will start by heading south on West Peachtree towards Ralph McGill/Ivan Allen
• Crossing over Ralph McGill/Ivan Allen veering left towards Peachtree Street
• At Peachtree Street, the bands will make a right onto Peachtree
• Going through Downtown and passing SunTrust Plaza, Peachtree Center Marta Station and Georgia Pacific Center to John Wesley Dobbs
• At John Wesley Dobbs the band members will make a left onto John Wesley Dobbs (Residence Inn and Quiznos sign says no left turn) and continue down John Wesley Dobbs crossing over Piedmont.
• Then continue to Jesse Hill Jr. Drive
• Spectators will proceed south on Jesse Hill Jr. Drive to Auburn Avenue where they will enter the festival village.

At about 3 p.m., more than a dozen popular Caribbean acts will perform and many vendors will sell regional food and display traditional arts and crafts. Music also will also begin flowing around 3 p.m.

As a result, police expect thousands of visitors to come to Downtown today through Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. Large crowds can be expected on the Auburn Avenue corridor.

Streets that feed into the Auburn Avenue corridor will close Friday night from 6 p.m. and will reopen at midnight on Saturday. During the parade, expect streets south of West Peachtree Street between Ralph McGill and Auburn Avenue to be blocked.

The Atlanta Police Department will have plenty of on and off-duty personnel available to assist with traffic and security issues.

Officials encourage festivalgoers to use MARTA or carpool when possible.

If you must drive, park in well-lit, legitimate parking lots.

As a general rule, be mindful of your surroundings, walk in groups and avoid isolated areas when possible.

There are many additional events around town during the weekend, including the Atlanta Jazz Festival. Click here for a full list.