BEST BETS THE BEST LGBTQ EVENTS HAPPENING IN JANUARY
Jim Farmer Garden Lights, Holiday Nights January 12, through January 14 Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Back for its 13th year, Garden Lights, Holiday Nights features familiar favorites and new installations, including Skyline Frost, a new skynet by Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics; illuminated metal birds and deer by Cédric Le Borgne; and the return of White Rabbit to the Skyline Garden Pond.
XXX Rated Cougars January 13, 9pm Atlanta Eagle
The Eagle Cabaret presents XXX Rated Cougars with your host, the legendary Mr. Charlie Brown.
SFQP Organizing Meeting January 14, 2pm Create ATL
Join Southern Fried Queer Pride at their organizing meeting at Create ATL and also on Zoom at https://sfqp.info/sfqpotalink114.
Rustin/Lorde Breakfast January 15, 10am Loudermilk Conference Center
The Southern Unity Movement, an Atlanta-based social justice organization committed to building a more unified Black LGBTQ community through advocacy, education, and recreation, presents the annual Rustin/ Lorde Breakfast. Now in its 22nd year, the Black LGBTQ signature event honors the legacies of civil rights pioneers and change agents Bayard Rustin and Audre Lorde through a culturally inclusive program that embodies Dr. Martin Luther King's vision of a beloved community. Tori Cooper, Director of the Human Rights Campaign's Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative and the first Black trans woman to serve on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, will be the Mistress of Ceremony for the 2024 Breakfast. Tim'm West, poet, professor, and Executive Director of The LGBTO Institute at The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, will also be featured.
Trans and Friends January 15, 7pm for youth, 8pm for adults Charis Books and More
Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender, and aspiring allies, providing a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources, and activism around social issues.
Cirque du Soleil ECHO January 16, 7:30pm, through January 21 Big Top at Atlantic Station
Fueled by the power of invention, the hope of the youth, and the importance of empathy, Cirque du Soleil ECHO invites the audience to participate in a universe of color, wonder, and infinite possibilities.
Karaoke Night January 17 My Sister’s Room
Get your karaoke on tonight at My Sister's Room.
“The Whale” January 18, 8pm, through January 21 7 Stages
Set on the outskirts of Mormon country in rural Idaho, “The Whale” is the story of Charlie, a 600-pound recluse who hides away in his apartment while slowly eating himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. At the same time, Charlie encounters a young man on his mission whose own story is not all that it seems. Presented by Authenticity Theater.
“La bohème” January 20, 8pm, through January 28 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
The Atlanta Opera opens its 2024 with one of the greatest operas ever written, Giacomo Puccini's masterwork “La bohème.”
PFLAG Support Group January 21, 2:30pm Spiritual Living Center
The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets in person today.
“Housekeeping for Beginners” January 23, 7pm Atlantic Station
Out On Film presents a special screening of the new LGBTQIA-themed “Housekeeping for Beginners,” from the director of “Of An Age.” RSVP at outonfilm.org.
Bitchy Bingo January 24 Lips Atlanta
Brigitte Bidet and Taejah Thomas host Bitchy Bingo. Come play the game and enjoy a drag show.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
January 25, 7:30pm, through January 27
Fox Theatre
Celebrating its 65th Anniversary Season, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater features four unforgettable performances, including the world premieres “Century” by Amy Hall Garner and “Me, Myself and You” by Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, plus the return of the audience favorite “Are You in Your Feelings?” by Kyle Abraham.
LGBTQ Book Club January 27, 10am Virtual
The LGBTQ Book Club is a group for LGBTQ folks and allies to read queer-themed books and books by queer authors. The aim is to have diverse, thought-provoking discussions about queer identity, history, and topical issues. All are welcome to join. This month's book is “Quietly Hostile” by Samantha Irby. Join at https:// us02web.zoom.us/j/85007056372.
“Hamilton” January 30, 7:30pm, through February 25 Fox Theatre
A revolutionary story of passion, unstoppable ambition, and the dawn of a new nation, “Hamilton” is the epic saga that follows the
rise of founding father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honor, love, and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. Based on Ron Chernow's acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, the Tony Award-winning musical has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.
“Furlough’s Paradise” January 31, 7:30pm, through March 3 Alliance Theatre Hertz Stage
Winner of the 20th annual Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, A.K, Payne's “Furlough's Paradise” is a poignant new play examining the dynamics that shape our lives and lead us to where we make our homes. Cousins Sade and Mina, raised like sisters but now leading very different lives, return to their childhood town for the funeral of their mother and aunt. While Sade is on a three-day furlough from prison and Mina experiences a brief reprieve from her career and life on the West Coast, the two try to make sense of grief, home, love, and kinship. But traumas and resentments from the past, both real and surreal, threaten to pull them apart, all as time ticks towards the correctional officer's arrival.