Made it to Friday. This week's email is simple: everything worth leaving the house for this weekend, in one list.
Jesus, Editor at The CSRA Brief
Coming Up: this weekend
1. Augusta Symphony opens its 72nd season. Miller Theater, 708 Broad St, Augusta. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Tickets from $21. Dirk Meyer conducts Raise the Roof, a program built around principal timpanist Denis Petrunin as soloist in Michael Daugherty's timpani concerto. The night opens with Liszt's Mazeppa and closes with Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony.
2. PWE Friday Night Fights. Mosh Pit Plaza & Event Center, 250 Bobby Jones Expressway, Martinez. Friday, 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets from $19.28.
Wrestling Experience is back with Charlie Kills making his promotion debut and Amanda Kiss appearing at the venue for the first time. VIP tables get the private catering room and pre-show meet-and-greets with the wrestlers.
3. Barks N' Brews. The Market Pavilion, 1005 Market St, Evans. Friday, 5 to 8 p.m. Free. Bring the dog. Vendors with pet accessories, treats, and toys, on-site grooming and nail clipping, and local rescues with adoptable dogs. Food trucks and local craft beer cover the humans.
4. Augusta Oktoberfest. Ready Player One, 875 Broad St, Augusta. Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m. Tickets from $7. A bar-crawl style Oktoberfest: German beer, bratwurst and pretzels, live music, and lederhosen encouraged. The $7 tier is 2-for-1 admission with 4 to 8 p.m. check-in, and prices rise closer to the day, so don't wait on this one.
5. "Harvest" Moon Hike. Phinizy Swamp Nature Park, 1858 Lock and Dam Rd, Augusta. Saturday, 6 to 11 p.m. $15, registration required. The Phinizy Center's guided full-moon walk through the swamp: tree frogs, barred owls, and a campfire with s'more kits and hot dog plates before you head out. Full, mini, and kid-friendly hike options; tickets are limited.
6. Ironman 70.3 Augusta. Savannah River, the Augusta Riverwalk, the North Augusta Greeneway, and the Reynolds Street finish downtown. Sunday, first start 7:15 a.m. Free to watch. About 3,000 athletes swim 1.2 miles in the Savannah River, bike 56, then run 13.1 along the Riverwalk and Greeneway. Good viewing spots: the swim start at the Sharon Jones Amphitheater in North Augusta, the 5th Street Marina transition, and the finish on Reynolds Street. Heads up on roads: parking bans start at the marina at noon Friday, and expect backups on 13th Street on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
More around town: the locals' list
7. Friday Night Trivia at Top Dawg Tavern. Top Dawg Tavern, 2821 Washington Road, Augusta. Friday, 7 to 9 p.m. Trivia is walk-in; martinis are $5 tonight. Kick your weekend off with brain cells and a deal. Trivia is hosted by Dr. Factenstein every Friday, and tonight's special is $5 martinis while you play. Bring a team, grab a table, and thank us when you win the tiebreaker.
8. The Augusta Market. 15 8th St., Augusta. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free. This is where the locals go to stock the kitchen before the weekend really starts. Expect fresh produce, baked goods, local meats and cheeses, and handmade crafts from growers and makers right here in the CSRA. Go early for the best pick of the produce tables.
9. Augusta Card Fest 8. Riverview Park Activities Center, 100 Riverview Park Drive, North Augusta. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. $7. Collectors, this one's for you. Card Fest 8 brings together dealers and collectors for trading cards, memorabilia, and hard-to-find items across every sport. Seven bucks at the door gets you in for the whole afternoon.
10. Aiken County Farmers Market. 115 Williamsburg St. SE, Aiken. Saturday, 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Free to enter. This market has been running since the 1930s, making it the oldest county farmers market still operating in its original spot in South Carolina. The tables are loaded with fresh produce, baked goods, local meats and cheeses, and crafts from Aiken County growers. It runs Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, so this weekend is just your excuse to finally go.
11. Tales and Ale Live Storytelling. Le Chat Noir, 304 8th Street, Augusta. Saturday, 8 to 10 p.m. $21.98. Augusta's little black-box theater hosts an evening of storytelling, where local tellers share real stories on stage. There's a full-service bar, a cabaret-style room, and a chance to win a painting created live during the show. It's intimate, it's unscripted, and it's the kind of night out that feels like a find.
12. Free Sunday at the Morris Museum of Art. Morris Museum of Art, 1 10th St., Augusta. Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Free. Every Sunday admission at the Morris is free, thanks to Bank of America, so Sunday is the day to finally go. You'll walk through 5,000-plus works of Southern art, and this weekend you can catch the brand-new America 250 exhibit that opened Friday. Park it on the Riverwalk after for the full downtown Sunday.
Heading downtown after dark for the symphony or the fights? We published an honest look at Augusta's crime numbers this week, with the county-by-county data and no neighborhood verdicts: Read the Augusta safety guide.
New to the area? Get the lay of the land with our newcomer guide.
Friday Night Lights: Week 6
The headline game: undefeated Richmond Academy (4-0) hosts Benedictine (3-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Two of the area's best records, one field.
Also on the slate tonight: Wayne County (1-3) at Evans (2-2), 7:30 p.m. at Evans High School; Lakeside (0-4) hosts Glynn Academy at 7:30; Harlem (2-2) is home against Long County (1-3); and across the river, May River visits North Augusta.
Confirm kickoff times with the school if you're driving any distance. Most Friday games kick at 7:30.
Local deals
McAlister's Deli, 3602 Exchange Lane, Augusta: a $25 gift card bundle at 27% off on LivingSocial.
Moe's Southwest Grill, 4239 Washington Rd, Evans: a $25 gift card plus a free guac or queso, also 27% off. And in North Augusta, The Dinner Detective's immersive murder-mystery dinner show is 39% off on LivingSocial.
Weekend weather
Friday: 76 and sunny, low 57.
Saturday: 81 and mostly sunny, low 55.
Sunday: 83 and partly cloudy, low 55. Dry all three days, with rain chances under 5%. Evenings drop into the 50s, so bring a layer for the moon hike. (weather.com, Sept 25, 2026)
The CSRA Brief: Local knowledge. Better mornings.
Three mornings a week. Two minutes to read. Free.
Reply to this email: [email protected]
You're getting this because you signed up at thecsrabrief.com.
