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More than 500,000 people will flock to metro Atlanta this weekend

Avondale Estates Decatur Kirkwood and East Lake Metro ATL

More than 500,000 people will flock to metro Atlanta this weekend

File photo of cosplayers at Dragon Con 2014 by Dan Whisenhunt
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File photo of cosplayers at Dragon Con 2014 by Dan Whisenhunt

File photo of cosplayers at Dragon Con 2014 by Dan Whisenhunt

Labor Day weekend in Atlanta is nigh, and local police and transportation officials are anticipating hundreds of thousands of additional people will be in town.

The Atlanta Police Department estimates there will be 610,000 people visiting Atlanta this weekend. That’s down from last year’s estimate of 800,000.

Decaturish asked why this year’s estimate would be lower.

“We are checking again, but we get these estimates from venues and sometimes they under report the numbers,” APD spokesperson Elizabeth Espy said.

Decatur Police Lt. Jennifer Ross said Decatur is expecting 95,000 people to attend this year’s Decatur Book Festival.

But really, give or take a few hundred thousand people, it’s still going to be ridiculously crowded.

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Among the events on this weekend’s to-do list …

Decatur Book Festival

– Dragon Con

Vice President Joe Biden will visit Atlanta on Thursday, Sept. 3. The announcement says, “”Vice President, Joe Biden and his motorcade are expected to travel The Connector for a speech at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Buckhead.” Estimated time for the event is 7:30 p.m.

– Georgia Tech vs. Alcorn State on Sept. 3

Atlanta Falcons vs. the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 3

The Chick-fil-A Kickoff game on Sept. 5 between Auburn and Louisville

Atlanta Black Pride Weekend

Labor Day at Six Flags

37th Annual Labor Day Race in Avondale Estates

The Georgia Department of Transportation isn’t going to even try to get any work done this weekend.

From GDOT:

To ease Labor Day weekend traffic congestion statewide, the Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending construction-related lane closures on Interstate highways and heavily traveled state routes from noon on Friday, September 4 until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8.

“Labor Day weekend is the last holiday of the summer and we expect heavy traffic on our roads. We want to make travel to Georgia’s lakes, parks and attractions easier and safer for all,” said GDOT State Construction Engineer Marc Mastronardi. “Traffic fatalities have increased this year in comparison to last year. We encourage the public to Drive Alert and Arrive Alive. Take responsibility for yourself and your passengers. Make sure you buckle up, put down the cell phone and do not drive distracted or impaired. Just focus on driving.”

It’s going to be busy in Atlanta over the next few days. Brace yourselves.

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