Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Photos courtesy of AIDS Walk Atlanta
On Saturday, September 27, 2025, Atlanta’s Piedmont Park comes alive not just with the energy of footfalls and live music—but with purpose and community. The AIDS Walk Atlanta Music Festival & 5K Run is an annual gathering that blends fitness and activism to raise vital support for people living with HIV/AIDS in metro Atlanta. It’s one of the most visible ways queer, allied, and caring communities come together to say: we see you, we care, and we will not stop until the epidemic ends.
Though HIV/AIDS may not always be at center stage in media attention, the impact remains acute. Thousands in Georgia are living with HIV; many are marginalized by race, income, housing status, or sexual identity. The AIDS Walk helps amplify awareness, reduce stigma, and provide resources directly where they’re needed. “While HIV and AIDS have fallen out of the spotlight in recent years, the epidemic is far from over.” For many in our community, this walk is more than an event — it’s an act of solidarity, survival, and remembrance.
How You Can Participate
- Walk or Run — The 5K route is open for both serious runners and walkers, early risers or late movers. Everyone is welcome, whatever pace you keep.
- Form or Join a Team — You can register individually or as part of a team. Many teams set their own goals, rally friends, workplaces, or social circles for fundraising, friendly competition, and collective impact.
- Virtual Participation — Not in town, busy, or prefer a different kind of connection? Virtual walking or fundraising options are available. Your support still counts.
Registering online at aidswalkatlanta.org is the easiest way, but for those who prefer paper, there are registration forms that can be mailed in (by a certain date) or you can register the morning of the event at the Registration/Tickets tent. Children 5 and under participate free; those 6 and up need registration.
How To Donate (Even If You Can’t Walk)
- Use the donate link on the AIDS Walk Atlanta site to give what you can. Every dollar goes to local HIV/AIDS organizations in Georgia.
- Tell your friends. Your individual fundraising page or team page are tools you can personalize and share widely — via email, social media, or in person. Matching gift programs are also encouraged.
- On the day, QR codes will be posted throughout the site so attendees can contribute via mobile phones.
Who Benefits: The Organizations You’re Supporting
Funds raised at AIDS Walk Atlanta benefit a wide spectrum of nonprofits working on the frontlines of HIV/AIDS, homelessness, health equity, LGBTQ+ youth support, and social justice. Key beneficiaries include:
- Positive Impact Health Centers, providing medical, prevention, screening, immunization, emotional wellness, and recovery programs.
- Lost-n-Found Youth, which serves unhoused LGBTQ+ youth with support, shelter, and resources.
- I Am Human Foundation, focusing on wellness and equity in the Black trans community, especially around HIV awareness and stigma reduction.
- Many more: AID Atlanta; Georgia Equality; Center for Black Women’s Wellness; Bridge of Light; Trans Women of Color Healing Project; Status: Home; Aniz, Inc.; A Vision for Hope; among others. All these groups work on everything from housing, medical care, mental health, legal advocacy, to daily vital services.
Festival & Music Highlights
It isn’t all sweat and cause — there’s also music, community, and joy. The schedule includes a high-energy line-up after the 5K, with performances that help transform the park into a celebration space. Artists like King Jai, CeeLo Green, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue bring soul, horns, and star power. The festival kicks off early—site opens around 9:00 a.m., run/walk starts about 11:00, then after the finish, the music festival carries things forward.
This Walk Is Critical to the Community
For many in the queer community, the AIDS Walk is more than history; it’s living present. It fights invisibility, ensures services for those too often overlooked, supports LGBTQ+ youth, trans folks, people of color, those facing homelessness—groups disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. It’s a reminder that epidemics are not solved by silence, but by action, visibility, compassion. The walk educates, it connects, it restores dignity.
If you care about ending HIV stigma, supporting marginalized lives, or just want to be part of something bigger than a single day—this is for you. Lace up your sneakers, donate what you can, bring your voice, bring your love.
Key Event Details
- What: AIDS Walk Atlanta Music Festival & 5K Run
- When: Saturday, September 27, 2025
- Where: Piedmont Park, The Meadow, Atlanta
- Registration: www.aidswalkatlanta.org (or onsite)
- Schedule Highlights: Site opens ~9:00 a.m. → Opening program at ~10:30 → 5K Run/Walk at 11:00 → Music acts including King Jai, CeeLo Green, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue following the walk → Festival ends ~2:00 p.m.