AJMF Hosts Purim Party for the Ages

For the past three years the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival has held its main Spring Fest event at Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points, but the 7-year-old festival is moving its headliners to one of the hottest music venues in Atlanta.

Terminal West, which opened in West Midtown in 2012, is the location for the AJMF Purim party, featuring A-WA and Jaffa Road.

The festival moved from Variety because of concerns over the venue’s availability and because of the need to find a space better suited to the AJMF crowd, Executive Director Russell Gottschalk said.

“We knew the ownership of Variety was going to be in flux,” Gottschalk said. “We weren’t sure when it would be sold and when it would be closed for renovations. The other reason we switched is the size.”

Terminal West has a room with a capacity of 625 people; Variety holds more than 1,000, he said. “We’re usually in the 400 to 700 range at our Spring Fest, which is a perfect-size crowd for Terminal West.”

An added bit of fun to the festival’s main event is the Purim theme, with attendees invited to dress up in costumes. Purim actually is March 23 and 24, but the AJMF event March 26 promises to offer enough upbeat music and drinking to make people forget that small fact.

Want to go but can’t afford a ticket? The Marcus Jewish Community Center’s Young Adults group purchased 200 tickets and is giving them on a first-come, first-served basis at atlantajcc.org/pldb-live/purim-party-31972.

“Terminal West is an amazing venue,” AJMF programming team co-chair Eli Sperling said. “The sound is incredible, and it’s in a great convenient location. We feel that A-WA is one of the most cutting-edge bands in Jewish music today, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to bring them to Atlanta and share their sound.”

The building that now houses Terminal West operated as an Iron and steel foundry for more than 100 years before being converted into a concert venue in 2012. The site now regularly hosts lesser known musical acts with small but passionate followings.

The music of A-WA and Jaffa Road should fit right in at the 7,000 square foot venue.

“We are extremely excited to have booked and be hosting the AJMF Purim Party at Terminal West this year,” added Trent Allison, one of the general managers at Terminal West. “I myself, am of Jewish faith, so it hits pretty close to home for me. Needless to say, we are counting down the days till the AJMF Purim Party on March 26th and are looking forward to the incredible weeks full of live music.”

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What: Purim party featuring A-WA and Jaffa Road

Where: Terminal West, 887 W. Marietta St., West Midtown

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 26

Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the door, 18 and older