Main content
May: 10 free things to do at Emory

On May 17, the Friday after Commencement, Staff Fest celebrates Emory employees with food and festivities on the Quad, including dancing, the fun run/walk, a volleyball tournament, games, a rock wall and more. Emory Photo/Video

The month starts out with the events and activities that lead up to Commencement on May 13, followed by Staff Fest, Emory’s annual employee celebration, and then the slower pace of campus during summer.

Here are 10 things to do, all free, for you to consider adding to your May calendar:

1. Choose from a variety of musical performances.

Members of the Emory Voice and Piano faculty perform selections from their repertoire of songs on Friday, May 3, at noon in Ackerman Hall of the Michael C. Carlos Museum. On Wednesday, May 8, a concert by the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Junior Chamber Orchestra will feature music by Wagner, Dvořák, Respighi and more. It will be held in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts’ Emerson Concert Hall at 8 p.m. The Candler Singers host their Spring Concert on Saturday, May 11, at 5 p.m. in the sanctuary of Cannon Chapel.

All of these concerts are free.

2. Come to the last weekly Emory Farmers Market until the new academic year starts.

May 7 is the last weekly market before the summer season begins, when the Emory Farmers Market usually changes to a monthly schedule. Enjoy fresh and prepared foods and other products from the locally-owned, food-based businesses there.

3. Hear a conversation on a groundbreaking African American photography exhibition.

Kimberly Wallace-Sanders, associate professor in Emory’s Department of African American Studies, and Spelman College President Mary Schmidt Campbell will discuss their shared interests in African American photography and African American cultural studies. The discussion, moderated by WABE radio producer Rose Scott, is based on the exhibition “Framing Shadows: Portraits of African American Nannies from the Robert Langmuir African American Photograph Collection.”  The event is Wednesday, May 8, with a reception and exhibition viewing in the Schatten Gallery of the Woodruff Library followed by the talk at 7:30 p.m. in Cannon Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

4. Get a guided tour of a Pitts Theology Library exhibition.

The exhibition “Word for Word, Sense for Sense: The English Bible in History and Worship gives visitors an appreciation for the history and demands of significant English translations of the Bible. Items include those from the collections of Pitts Theology Library and loaned by private collectors. Sign up for a free guided tour on Friday, May 10, at 1 p.m. at the third floor exhibition gallery of the Pitts Theology Library. The exhibition is free as well and on view through July 15.

5. Attend a film screening and discussion on addiction.

The Emory University Psychoanalytic Institute presents “Beautiful Boy,” based on a bestselling pair of father-son memoirs. A discussion and Q&A with an opioid expert and parent coach will follow. The screening and discussion, which are free, will be Saturday, May 11, at 4 p.m. in Room 205 of White Hall.

6. Join a bike ride.

Celebrate National Bike to Work Day. If you ride a bike, advocate for biking and riders, or if you are interested in riding a bike, you are invited to Emory Point on Friday, May 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. to get breakfast, information and meet others interested in biking. The free event will be at the park, which is next to the General Muir, at Emory Point. Keep up with developments through Bike Social Emory, which is also having its last free bike information and clinic of the academic year on May 9.

7. Celebrate being an Emory staff member.

Staff Fest, Emory’s annual celebration of its staff, will be Friday, May 17, on the Quad. There will be a run/walk, a DJ and dancing, Zumba, a rock wall, face painting, caricatures and green screen photos. Grames will include a basketball hoop, cornhole, giant Connect Four, and football inflatable games as well as the friendly but fierce volleyball tournament. A full lunch catered by Jim ‘N Nick's Bar-B-Q, drinks donated by Coca Cola, popcorn, and ice cream treats will be served.

8. Grab the last chance to see an exhibition about the impact of the Carlos Museum.

“The Carlos as Catalyst: The Transformation of the Museum” looks at how the Emory museum has acted as a catalyst for teaching, research, collaboration and collecting. The exhibition, celebrating the Carlos Museum’s centennial, will end May 31. It is on view in the Rose Library and is free.

9. Explore meditation.

With the campus slowing down after move-out and Commencement but before summer programs start, consider the opportunity to attend a session of Compassion Meditation. Held every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Room 106 of Cannon Chapel, it is free and open to all. No prior experience is required.

10. Get outdoors to a beautiful place before it gets too hot.

Take the opportunity walk, run, bike or just ramble through Lullwater Preserve before the temperatures rise to oppressive levels. The beautiful 154-acre urban oasis has a waterfall, shaded hiking trails, suspension bridge, the ruins of an octagonal shaped powerhouse with stone walls and open roof, and wildlife.


Recent News