Pencil this season’s crop of weird, wacky, and wonderful soirees into your social calendar.

Sandy Springs Festival

WHEN: September 25 – September 26 WHERE: Atlanta, Georgia THE LOWDOWN: This two-day festival includes a wide array of happenings including an artist’s market, a business and civic expo, a car show, entertainment for teens, the Doug Kessler Lightning 10K/5K (which kicks off the festival on Saturday at 7:30 a.m.), a food court, heritage crafters demonstrating 19^th century traditional activities, and a silent auction. New to the festival this year are the following activities: Me and My BFF Photo Contest, Interactive Game Zone, Georgia Grown Market, and an Antiques and Collectibles Market.

INSIDER’S TIP: Cooper – Atlanta Transportation Services will provide a free shuttle service to the festival from Century Springs West parking lot, located at the intersection of Hammond Drive and Lake Forest Drive. MORE INFO: 404.851.9111, sandyspringsfestival.com

Savannah Jazz Festival

WHEN: September 19 – September 26 WHERE: Savannah, Georgia THE LOWDOWN: A must for lovers of both jazz and blues. Visitors and locals can experience live performances by local and regional musicians outdoors in beautiful Forsyth Park and a variety of other venues around Savannah. This festival boasts the best in international, national, regional and local jazz talent. Since its inception in 1983, the Savannah Jazz Festival has been held every year and has featured some of the best artists in the world including Lionel Hampton, Ahmad Jamal, Clark Terry, Carmen McCray, Nancy Wilson, Maynard Ferguson and numerous others. INSIDER’S TIP: Sponsored by the City of Savannah, the Savannah Jazz Festival is a free event and open to the public. MORE INFO: savannahjazzfestival.org

Bike Fest

WHEN: August 27 – August 29 WHERE: Starke, Florida THE LOWDOWN: Presented by the North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce, this 5^th annual bike festival takes place at Historic Call Street in downtown Starke, Florida. The main events planned for the festival include a tattoo contest and bike show. The bike show begins Saturday at 2 p.m. Trophies go to touring bike, custom bike, metric, sportster, classic, rat rod, best paint, and best of show. Registration for the bike show starts August 28^th at 11 a.m. INSIDER’S TIP: Both RV and primitive camping accommodations will be provided at the Bradford County Fair Grounds.

MORE INFO: starkflbikefest.com, 904.964.5278

Shrimp & Grits Festival

WHEN: September 17 – September 19 WHERE: Jekyll Island, Georgia THE LOWDOWN: “Shrimp and Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival” is an island-wide event that showcases the wonderful tastes, sights, and sounds of Jekyll Island. Amateur and professional chefs will be competing in this 5th annual Shrimp and Grits cook-off. In addition, the festival includes shrimp boat tours, a three-day race challenge, cooking demonstrations, dolphin tours, book signings, arts and crafts vendors, live entertainment, and a kid-friendly fun zone. Admission to the festival is free. INSIDER’S TIP: The featured event takes place in the Jekyll Island Historic District, and begins with a concert Friday evening at 5:45 p.m. MORE INFO: 912.635.4192

Arts in the Heart of Augusta

WHEN: September 17 – September 19 WHERE: Augusta, Georgia THE LOWDOWN: The festival’s thirtieth anniversary features music, dance, and theatre encompassing four different stages, ethnic foods from over 35 different countries, a Southern Beer Garden, children’s activities, an arts and crafts show, and much more. 2010’s festival theme is “Going Green and Protecting Our Environment.”

INSIDER’S TIP: In 2008, over 80,000 people attended the festival, so be prepared to brave a crowd!

For more great events, check out the August/September issue out now!