Video game industry leaders will gather in Atlanta October 1–6 for business conferences and events, culminating in the DreamHack gaming festival as it returns to the city for the sixth time. 

Games Week Georgia, curated by Skillshot Media and Ghost Gaming, along with DreamHack, ESL FACEIT Group’s gaming lifestyle festival, is bringing a full slate of video game industry, networking and professional development events to Atlanta in early October. Panels, summits, community activities, and mixers are a few of the events scheduled for the week.

“Games Week Georgia celebrates the gaming and esports industry, exposing global gaming leaders to our thriving local ecosystem and support,” said Todd Harris, Skillshot Media CEO. “This year, Games Week Georgia welcomes well over 200 invited industry speakers and guests across 10 partnered conference events.”

The annual game industry week, delivered this year in partnership with the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s InnovATL2024 initiative, will conclude with the massive DreamHack Atlanta festival at the Georgia World Congress Center from October 4–6. That event will feature activations, mixers and competitions in esports, cosplay, tabletop gaming and more.

“DreamHack Atlanta is the home for every type of gamer, whether your gear of choice is a mouse, controller, dice or sewing machine,” said Guy Blomberg, DreamHack director of festivals, North America. “With an array of competitions, as well as creator-centric programming, our Bring-Your-Own-Computer LAN and so much more, we’re excited to cap off Games Week Georgia with one of our most ambitious festivals in the city.”

Games Week Georgia events

• Atlanta Digital World Summit on Tuesday, October 1
• Esports Summit on Wednesday, October 2
• Entertainment Industry Mixer the evening of Wednesday, October 2
• GirlGamer Atlanta the morning of Thursday, October 3
• Creator Summit the afternoon of Thursday, October 3
• Music & Masks on Main, early evening of Thursday, October 3
• Kickoff Party, late evening of Thursday, October 3
• ESIC Global Esports Summit on Friday, October 4
• DreamHack Indie Playground Mixer on Friday, October 4
• SIEGE2024 @ DreamHack, Friday, October 4 to Sunday, October 6
   

DreamHack Atlanta events

The massive consumer gaming and lifestyle festival, DreamHack Atlanta takes place Friday, October 4 to Sunday, October 6, with programming including:

• Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship for $1M global competition
• ESL Challenger invites pro league hopefuls for $100K tournament
• DreamHack Fighters slate of tournaments & $23,000 prizing for Atlanta’s FGC
• DreamHack Atlanta cosplay with over $3K in competition prizing
• Rocket League, Halo, NCAA 25 and more headline freeplay competitions with over $13,000 prizing
• Tournaments in Magic: The Gathering, Flesh and Blood and Lorcana
   

Tickets and details

Games Week Georgia takes place October 1–6. DreamHack Atlanta will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center October 4–6.

More information and tickets for all Games Week Georgia events can be found on their website, gamesweekgeorgia.com.

For more about DreamHack Atlanta, visit dreamhack.com/atlanta.

New Armored Animals exhibit will be on view from October 5, 2024 to January 5, 2025

This fall, Fernbank Museum invites guests to experience an immersive tour through the last 500 million years of armor evolution in its newest exhibit, Armored Animals. Opening October 5, the exhibit tells a story of protection and defense through impressive artifacts, spiny displays and a variety of animal casts — from the skeletons of rare, early armored dinosaurs and ancient armored fish to giant sea scorpions and more.

Visitors will come face to face with fearsome carnivores, including tyrannosaurs and the Utahraptor — a large, predatory dinosaur known for its prominent toe claws — and will see for themselves the important role that armor played for many species.

Other highlights include the skull of the “super croc” Sarcosuchus and a 30-foot skeletal replica of the giant crocodilian Deinosuchus. Large insect sculptures, a giant ice age tortoise and one of the largest collections of ankylosaur skull and skeletal casts ever assembled will also be on display.

Man-made armor

The exhibit also explores the use of man-made armor, underscoring how humans have historically emulated the animal world in their armor construction. From simple defensive plates and helmets to the mimicking of the design and beauty of animals’ natural armor, there’s a distinct connection between natural evolution and human adaptations of defensive techniques.

Replicas of eight helmets and a crocodile armor suit demonstrate the ways early warriors and hunters sought to capture the incredible defensive power that animals possess.

“When looking at armor, it is incredibly fascinating to see the common connections between creatures as diverse as insects and dinosaurs and how humans have adopted those same defensive techniques,” said Robert Gaston, exhibit curator.

The details

Developed by Gaston Design and sponsored locally in part by the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, Armored Animals will open on October 5. A special viewing will be offered at Fernbank’s A Timeless Affair fundraising event that evening.

The exhibit will be included with all of the museum’s general admission tickets and is free with CityPASS.

For more information, visit fernbankmuseum.org.

The museum’s fundraiser gala returns on October 5

Fernbank Museum will once again host its annual black-tie gala, A Timeless Affair, on Saturday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. This special evening of fun and fundraising will highlight Fernbank’s fascinating new Armored Animals exhibit and raise money to support the museum’s ongoing work. All proceeds from the event will help fund the world-class exhibitions, impressive giant-screen movies, family activities and immersive nature programs for which Fernbank is known.

This year’s Timeless Affair will feature a lovely sunset cocktail hour on Dinosaur Plaza, followed by a seated dinner among the dinosaurs in the Great Hall. Live music and dancing, a private viewing of Armored Animals and a silent auction will round out the evening. Guests will have the chance to bid on a showcase of exclusive items generously donated by local businesses and supporters.

There will also be a paddle raise to support Fernbank’s Museum Access scholarship initiative. More than 50,000 students throughout the state visit Fernbank on a school field trip each year — made possible, in part, by the success of A Timeless Affair.

“The annual gala plays an important role each year as it helps fund programming for Fernbank, allowing the museum to spark curiosity and foster a deeper understanding of human history and the planet’s rich biodiversity,” said Jennifer Grant Warner, president and CEO of Fernbank. “The funds from this event help bring innovative exhibits, dynamic programs, captivating films and essential school programs to our community.”

Event organizers and sponsors

The honorary chair of this year’s fundraiser is philanthropist Margaret Hodgson Ellis Langford, whose dedication to Fernbank continues her family’s environmental legacy. Langford’s mother grew up in a house located in Fernbank Forest, which the Hodgson family, alongside Atlanta civic leaders, had the remarkable foresight to preserve as “a school in the woods for nature studies.” Established as a non-profit in 1939 — making it one of the oldest conservation-focused nonprofits in the United States – Fernbank has continued to preserve and restore the 65 acres of old-growth forest as part of its ongoing mission.

Event chairs, Robin and Neale Fisher, Stewart and Crawford Jones and Mary Clancy and Kevin Peak generously support Fernbank’s mission to ignite a passion for science, nature and human culture through exploration and discovery.

The planning committee for A Timeless Affair includes corporate chair, Wab Kadaba, as well as patron chairs, Stacy and Sachin Shailendra. The event’s scholarship chairs, Elizabeth and Shane Hornbuckle and Cherie and Ed Van Winkle, along with auction chairs, Abby England, Jean Harvey Johnson and Juan Johnson and Holly and Townsend Young are also recognized — and appreciated — by the museum.

A Timeless Affair 2024 is sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Georgia Natural Gas and Romanoff Renovations. The patron party hosts are Susannah Frost and Jeff Yost. And the advisory chairs are Michelle Davis and Honorable Walter W. Davis and Drs. Kalinda and Kevin E. Woods.

The details

The fundraiser takes place on Saturday, October 5, starting at 7:00 p.m. and promises to be an enchanting night of glamour, connection and generosity. Fernbank’s fall exhibit, Armored Animals, opens the same day and will run through January 8, 2025.

For more information on A Timeless Affair, including how to purchase tickets or make an online donation, visit fernbankmuseum.org/atimelessaffair.