Music Midtown, Atlanta United, Falcons games bring thousands downtown

ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta is ready for another huge weekend with big events starting today.

Both Atlanta United and the Falcons play at home this weekend as Music Midtown takes over Piedmont Park.

Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach talked to Atlanta police about some of the challenges they anticipate this weekend, the biggest which they said will be getting everyone downtown and keeping traffic moving. There are new traffic patterns around the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium that drivers will have to get used to.

Gehlbach saw crews finishing the setup for Music Midtown Saturday morning with a lane closed on 10^th Street and cones out to keep two-way traffic going.

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The two-day music festival began Saturday, with the gates opening at noon and the first musical act beginning at 1:30 p.m. Fans were anticipating the headliner of the night, Bruno Mars.

By 8 a.m. there were already several concert-goers outside the gates ready to get a good spot for the shows.

Thousands of fans packed the park to see more than a dozen different acts. One woman said she and her husband drove from Tennessee for the festival.

"There's such a variety of music and a little bit of everything for everybody, so you can move around to the different stages," she said.

The festival starts back up Sunday at 1 p.m.

Atlanta United played Orlando City Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game set an MLS record for single-game attendance with 70,425 tickets sold. The game was a 3-3 draw.

The Atlanta Falcons host the Green Bay Packers Sunday at 8:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Weather permitting, the roof at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be open for the first time.

Cox Media Group