STAGING
Atlanta, Georgia

Nobody has started anything in Atlanta yet

Fazool has Muslims in Atlanta and nothing on the calendar. Whatever you put up first becomes the page this city lands on when it goes looking for something to do at the weekend.

Free to host. About a minute of work.

Where people already gather in Atlanta

Worth knowing before you pick a time and a place, because the metro is not one crowd.

Clarkston and Stone Mountain

A large refugee and East African community, much of it without a car. Anything on a MARTA line will outdraw somewhere nicer that is not.

Alpharetta and Johns Creek

Suburban, professional, family-heavy. Weekend daytime, and expect people to bring children whether or not you said they could.

Decatur and the east side

Students and converts, younger on average, and the most likely crowd for something informal and repeating.

What tends to work in a new city

The first few events in a metro follow a pattern. These are the ones that fill.

Something with a time and a door

Football on Saturday morning beats an open invitation to hang out. A fixed slot gives people permission to turn up alone.

Small and repeated

Twelve people every fortnight builds a room. One large launch that never repeats builds nothing.

Say who it is for

Sisters only, brothers only, families, students. The vaguer the audience, the fewer people feel invited.

Atlanta is waiting on somebody

It may as well be you.