The Georgia Theatre is one of three venues hosting PopFest performances Aug. 10-13, 2016

Athens’ dual roots as a music and a college town have always been intertwined. These two cultures will converge even more than usual on Wednesday, Aug. 10 when Athens PopFest returns to town, mere hours before University of Georgia students resume classes for the fall.

“It’s their first weekend back, so the kids all want to go out, and townies can have a last bit of fun downtown before it’s full-on students and football,” jokes festival organizer Mike Turner. Launched in 2004, PopFest established itself as a highlight of Athens’ summer calendar before going on hiatus in 2012. According to Turner, one of three promoters behind the earlier run, both fans and bands worldwide continually asked when the party would resume, and this year he finally felt sufficiently recharged to give it another go.

His Name Is Alive

PopFest has always championed the outsiders and up-and-comers, with a heavy dose of local flavor. This year is no exception. Headliners include legendary Austin eccentric Daniel Johnston and long-running Athens favorites Elf Power. My personal picks include the newly reformed Love Tractor — who deserve to be uttered in the same sentence as R.E.M., the B-52’s and Pylon as the apex of 1980s Athens — and genre-smashing Detroit iconoclasts His Name Is Alive, who are equally likely to dispense cosmic jazz as swirling dream pop. Meanwhile, the roster of Georgia bands stands at 18.

One of the changes from past years is a smaller number of shows, but at larger venues with more extensive lineups. “None of the performances overlap this year, which was a really big thing for me,” explains Turner. “I hated that the festival had grown to a point where you had to make choices between which bands to see.” The nighttime bills at the iconic Georgia Theatre run into the wee hours, while Little Kings Shuffle Club is hosting afternoon throwdowns and World Famous (recently named one of the 100 Best Bars in the South by Southern Living) a pair of early evening interludes on Friday and Saturday.

Featured on the back cover of R.E.M.’s 1983 debut album, the Dudley Park railroad trestle is one of the stops on the Athens Music Walking Tour.

There’s enough music to keep you busy from Wednesday through Saturday (assuming you sleep in, or spend the morning scrambling for textbooks), but Turner also recommends spending any spare time at the following:

• Wuxtry Records & Bizarro Comics

• The Athens Music walking tour (starting from the Athens Welcome Center, self-directed or by appointment)

• Zombie Donuts

• Ted’s Most Best (pizza and salads)

From the Georgia Department of Economic Development: Georgia.org