August 21, 2026 — Under the Friday night lights, it is normal to see the Pope High School football team take the field and bring thousands from the Cobb community together. 

What's not typical is seeing thousands of the same people from the surrounding community take the field themselves to help celebrate the Pope’s 40th anniversary. 

At Matt Hobby Field, PopeFest brought live music, food, an artisan market, fireworks, and activities for families of all ages.

"I have worked here for 10 years, and this is the first thing we've ever done like this to this large of a scale. We have different theme nights and invite people back for different sporting events, but nothing to this extent of having just the huge stage and just really incorporating every aspect of the community and what we're doing," said Pope Social Media Coordinator, Hayden Fraker.

"It was awesome to see a lot of alumni coming back and then a lot of familiar faces, and then also just seeing your friends in a different environment but still celebrating your school," said Reid, a Pope senior.

In the midst of all the fun, a portion of the proceeds benefited the American Heart Association. Superintendent Chris Ragsdale joined the celebration and presented a donation of more than $12,000. This comes shortly after the Cobb Schools community's historic donation of over $1 million, which was the first time it has ever happened nationwide.

With six hours of live music, PopeFest showcased talent from across Cobb and Pope High School. One of the bands was student-led, while another performance was led by teachers, which is just one example of how the arts are being taught at Pope and in Cobb Schools. 

"It was electric, it was the best night ever," said Kyle, a junior at Pope.

As the night came to an end, a firework show by the group Pyrotecnico lit up the sky and provided an exciting moment for all in attendance. This is the same group that recently produced fireworks displays for the Super Bowl and America’s 250th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C. 

"I want people to know that we are all one big community. We're all together, we're here together, and we've got each other's back. And this is the best community, I think, that we have in East Cobb," said Mac, a junior at Pope.

To learn more about PopeFest and all the performances and vendors in attendance, click HERE.