Holiday Activities Around Metro Atlanta

🌟 Metro Atlanta Holiday Activities by Location and Date

Gwinnett County

Gwinnett County offers a large number of markets and lights, especially in the Lawrenceville, Duluth, and Buford areas.

Dates	Activity	Location/Venue	Notes & Details
11/8 – 1/4	Stone Mountain Christmas	Stone Mountain Park (DeKalb/Gwinnett border)	Winter wonderland with lights, parades, music, and park attractions open.
11/15 – 1/4	Festival of Trees	Southeastern Railway Museum (Duluth)	Dazzling, themed holiday trees, festive photos, and decorations in a historic train setting.
11/24 – 1/4	Magical Nights of Lights	Lake Lanier Islands (Gainesville/Northeast Gwinnett)	Drive-through light display with shimmering scenes; listen to Christmas music from your car.
11/28 – 12/7	Holiday Happenings - A Pop-Up Series	Lawrenceville Lawn	Festive markets, enchanting photo opportunities, and seasonal cheer.
11/28 – 12/24	Christkindl Market	Lawrenceville Lawn	Fusion of traditional German festivities and Atlanta spirit: culinary delights and handcrafted treasures.
12/4 – 1/4	Glow Light Show	Coolray Field (Lawrenceville)	Drive-thru light show synchronized to music (tune your radio).
12/4	Holiday Glow on the Town Green	Peachtree Corners Town Center Green	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
12/5	Norcross Holiday Celebration	Thrasher Park (Norcross)	5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
12/5 & 12/6	Suwanee's Jolly Holly Day	Suwanee Town Center Park	5:00 PM - 9:30 PM
12/6	Buford Holiday Festival & Parade	Buford Amphitheater Park	10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
12/6	Christmas Traditions	Buford Community Center	Celebrate the Magic of the Season at 10:00 AM.
12/6	Lilburn Holiday Parade	Lilburn City Park	Starts at 10:00 AM.
12/6	Deck The Hall	Duluth Town Green	2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
12/6	Historic Norcross Christmas Village	Downtown Norcross	11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
12/7	Christmas in Grayson	Grayson Community Park	2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
12/12 & 12/13	Atlanta International Night Market	Lillian Webb Park (Friday: 5-10 PM, Saturday: 2-10 PM)	Passport to the Holidays theme.
12/13	Holiday Celebration in Sugar Hill	The Landing at City of Sugar Hill	5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
12/19 – 12/21	Lawrenceville Lights Show	The Campground (Lawrenceville)	Drive-through sparkling wonderland with holiday music.
12/20	Grinch on the Green	The Mall of Georgia's Village	4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
12/20	Holiday Open House	Gwinnett Historic Courthouse (Lawrenceville)	5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
12/21	Whoville Pop-Up	Duluth Town Green/Parsons Alley	2:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Visits with the Grinch, games, music, and crafts.

Southside Activities (Henry, Clayton, Macon Area)

Dates	Activity	Location/Venue	Notes & Details
11/14 – 1/4	World of Illumination	Six Flags (Austell/Southwest Metro)	6:00 PM - 10:00 PM. Large-scale drive-through light display.
11/21 – 1/4	Noel Magic Lights	EchoPark Speedway (Hampton)	5:00 PM - 12:00 AM. Drive-through light show synchronized to music.
11/28 – 1/4	Macon Christmas Lights Extravaganza	Downtown Macon	6:00 PM - 11:00 PM.
12/5	Holiday Festival & Tree Lighting	VyStar Amphitheater at the Bridge (Stockbridge)
12/5	Holiday with Hero’s	Sweet Auburn BBQ (Jonesboro Road, McDonough)	5:00 PM - 9:00 PM.
12/6	Christmas Parade	Main Street Hampton	6:30 PM.
12/6	Mistletoe Market	Main Street Hampton	10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.
12/6	Cookies with Mrs. Claus	Main Street Hampton	11:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
12/6	Photos with Santa	Main Street Hampton	12:00 PM - 1:00 PM.
12/6	Donut Breakfast with Santa	Southern Belle Farm (McDonough)	10:00 AM - 11:30 AM.
12/6	Tanger Holiday Market	Tanger Outlet Center	2:00 PM - 6:00 PM.
12/6	Visit with Santa & Mrs. Claus	Fire Station #6 Ellenwood	10:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
12/13	A Christmas Movie Night	6043 N Henry Blvd	Charlie Brown Christmas movie, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM.
12/13	Christmas Festival	Nash Farms (Hampton)	5:00 PM. Features holiday characters, lights, photos with Santa, food, and a drone show.
12/14	Twas The Night Before Christmas Extravaganza	Lemon St, McDonough	5:30 PM - 7:30 PM.
12/18	Christmas Family Night	Chick-fil-A (1321 GA-20 McDonough)	6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.
12/19	Grinch Cookie Decorating (Adult)	Crumbles by Nicole’s (Locust Grove)	6:30 PM (Ages 18+, BYOB optional).
12/19 – 12/21	Holiday Elf Hike Scavenger Hunt	(Location not specified)	9:00 AM / 4:00 PM.
12/20	Grinch Cookie Decorating (Kids)	Crumbles by Nicole’s (Locust Grove)	11:00 AM - 12:00 PM.

Cobb County Activities

Date Range	Activity	Location/Venue	Notes & Details
Mid-Dec – Late Dec	Marietta Christmas Tree Lighting & Santa on the Square	Marietta Square (Glover Park)	Features the lighting ceremony (usually early Dec), caroling, and ongoing visits with Santa throughout the month.
12/5 - 12/7	Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour	Historic Marietta	A self-guided tour of beautifully decorated historic homes in the area (often held the first week of December).
12/6 - 12/27	Atlanta Ballet's The Nutcracker	Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre (Galleria Area)	The traditional holiday ballet, which typically runs throughout mid-to-late December.
All Season	Lights of Life (Drive-Thru)	Life University (Marietta)	A massive, free drive-through holiday light display featuring over a million lights. (Usually runs mid-Nov to early Jan).
Throughout Dec	Winter Wonderland	Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Area	While the park itself is natural, the surrounding Kennesaw area often hosts tree lightings and local holiday markets.

DeKalb/Fulton/General Metro Area

Date Range	Activity	Location/Venue	Category
11/8 – 1/4	Stone Mountain Christmas	Stone Mountain Park (Near Stone Mountain)	Lights/Festivity (Winter wonderland, lights, parades, and attractions open).
Throughout Dec	Tuba Christmas	Stone Mountain Park (Inside the event)	Annual free concert featuring hundreds of tubas playing carols (Date typically early December).
Late Nov – Jan 1	Holiday Cheer in Decatur Square	Downtown Decatur	City tree lighting (usually late Nov/early Dec), followed by festive lights, window decorations, and local shopping.
Specific Dates	Avondale Estates Tree Lighting	Downtown Avondale Estates	Community tree lighting and holiday celebration (Usually early December).