HOT FESTIVALS

Art, music, theater and Bastille Day events on tap

Heritage Arts and Soul Festival

The 19th annual festival at Underground Atlanta is set for July 25-27 and will feature music, art, food, demonstrations, lectures and a variety of events. There will be more than 30 artists and designers in the Artist Market with fine art, wearable art and home décor in the mix. For more information, visit heritageartsfestival.net.

National Black Arts Festival

Events are taking place in July and August for this year’s NBAF, which kicks off July 19 with the annual gala, followed by a jazz concert at Atlanta Symphony Hall with Wynton Marsalis on July 25 and hot reggae from Third World and Maxi Priest at the Atlanta Tabernacle on Aug. 17. Dance, music, theater, visual art and film are all on tap this summer. For a full schedule of events, visit NBAF.org.

Bastille Day 2014

Celebrate the beginning of the French Revolution with Alliance Française d’Atlanta at its annual Bastille Day Celebration on July 19 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the law offices of Nelson Mullins, located at 201 17th Street in Atlantic Station. Soirée Blanche is the theme for this year’s celebration, so guests are asked to wear white casual chic. There will be music, dancing, conversation, food and more. Tickets are $35 for Alliance Française members and $50 for non-members. Visit afatl.com to purchase online. Paris on Ponce, 716 Ponce de Leon Place, in Midtown is also hosting Bastille Day festivities on July 19-20 with artists, aerialists, burlesque dancers, films, music and more. There will also be shows in the Le Maison Rouge space with a $5 suggested donation. All proceeds benefit nonprofits LifeLine, which helps decrease kill rates at animal shelters, and Haven House, a domestic violence shelter. For more information, visit parisonponce.com.

Essential Theatre Play Festival

Essential Theatre continues its tradition of premiering new work by Georgia playwrights for Atlanta audiences with this summer’s Essential Theatre Play Festival, taking place July 18 through Aug. 17 in its new home at the West End Performing Arts Center, 945 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. Essential will be presenting the world premieres of this year’s playwriting award co-winners, That Uganda Play by Theroun D’Arcy Patterson, and Ravens and Seagulls by Karla Jennings, along with staged readings of six other new works by Georgia authors in the Bare Essentials Reading Series. For more information and the latest updates, visit EssentialTheatre.com.