Four metro Atlanta Christmas markets and holiday events have confirmed 2026 dates as of mid-September: the Atlanta Christkindl Market (free, Lawrenceville and Senoia, opening Nov. 20 and Nov. 27), Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden (Nov. 14, 2026 – Jan. 10, 2027), the Indie Craft Winter Experience on Marietta Street (Dec. 5-6), and Duluth’s Deck the Hall (Dec. 5). Alpharetta’s tree lighting is on the calendar for Nov. 21. Almost everything else in metro Atlanta — Ponce City Market, Atlantic Station, the Marietta Square tree lighting — has not posted a single 2026 date yet.
That gap is normal — most Atlanta venues post holiday programming in mid-to-late October. This guide separates what is confirmed from what is still a rumor built on last year’s calendar.
The good news for a family budget: the two biggest true Christmas markets in the metro area — the Christkindl Market’s Lawrenceville and Senoia sites — are free to walk into. You pay for glühwein, bratwurst and gifts, not for the gate. The ticketed events are the lights walk at the Botanical Garden, the ice rinks, and the historic home tours.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are Atlanta Christmas markets free? | The Atlanta Christkindl Market is free at both locations. Garden Lights and the ice rinks are ticketed. |
| When do they open? | Garden Lights Nov. 14; Christkindl Lawrenceville Nov. 20; Christkindl Senoia Nov. 27 (Black Friday) |
| What does parking cost? | Free at Lawrenceville decks; $20 at the Botanical Garden; $5 at the Indie Craft market; free first 2 hours at Atlantic Station |
| Cheapest full evening out? | Christkindl Market Lawrenceville — free admission, free deck parking |
| Best for a stroller? | Garden Lights (strollers explicitly welcome) and Duluth’s Deck the Hall on the flat Town Green |
| What is not announced yet? | Ponce City Market, Atlantic Station, Marietta Square tree lighting, and Avalon on Ice’s opening date |
| When should you re-check? | Mid-to-late October, when most metro venues post holiday calendars |
Atlanta Christkindl Market
This is the closest thing Georgia has to a German Christkindlmarkt outside of Helen, and it now runs two metro locations, both with free admission.
The Lawrenceville site sits at 210 Luckie St, Lawrenceville, GA 30046, beside the historic courthouse square. The market lists an opening day of Friday, Nov. 20 and a final day of Thursday, Dec. 24 — day-of-week pairings that match the 2026 calendar exactly. Hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays through Sundays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with extended 11 a.m.-9 p.m. hours during Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve weeks.
The Senoia site, at 158 Seavy Street, Senoia, GA 30276, opens later: Black Friday, Nov. 27, and closes Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24. Same weekly hours, with Dec. 21-23 running 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Christmas Eve itself a short day, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Senoia is the prettier setting and the longer drive — about an hour south of Atlanta — and it pairs naturally with a Georgia Christmas town day trip.
Parking in Lawrenceville is the standout: the market directs visitors to Lots A, B, E, F, G, H or I (C and D are not available), plus the Luckie Street Parking Deck at 225 Luckie Street and the Downtown Lawrenceville Parking Deck at 147 East Crogan Street. Senoia offers street parking downtown and several lots. Neither location publishes a parking charge.
Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Garden Lights runs Nov. 14, 2026 through Jan. 10, 2027, and it is the one big-ticket holiday event in the city with fully published 2026 dates. The Garden says the display “shines nightly until midnight, with the last entry at 11 p.m.” Members get $5 off every ticket plus an exclusive member premiere on Nov. 12.
The budget move is the Night Light tier, which starts at $19.95 for adults after 9:30 p.m. — too late for small children, ideal for teenagers and adults. On-site parking at the SAGE deck is $20 per vehicle, which is the single biggest hidden cost of the evening. Strollers are welcome.
We have a dedicated walkthrough of the route, the timed-entry system and the crowd patterns in our full Garden Lights guide, and it sits alongside the state’s other big displays in our Georgia Christmas lights roundup.
Indie Craft Winter Experience
If “Christmas market” to you means handmade goods rather than glühwein, this is the metro’s best-verified indie maker market with 2026 dates locked: Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. each day, at LOOP, 665 Marietta Street, Atlanta. VIP ticket holders get in at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
It is indoors, which matters in December, and the organizers list more than 100 artisans plus maker stations, workshops and food vendors. The first 100 visitors each day get a tote bag by a local artist. Parking is $5 onsite. Tickets sell through Eventbrite and the price is not printed on the event page, so check before you budget.
Deck the Hall in Duluth
The City of Duluth has posted a firm date: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, 2-7 p.m., in downtown Duluth. The city describes “live entertainment, crafts for the kids, a real snow playground and snow slide, photo ops with Santa, holiday market and holiday light installations.”
This is the most toddler-friendly event on the list — flat, walkable, an afternoon start rather than an evening one, and a snow slide that does the entertaining for you. The city does not publish an admission price on the event page; Duluth’s Town Green events have historically been open to the public, but treat the cost as unconfirmed and check closer to the date.
Alpharetta: Season of Celebration, Avalon on Ice, and the north-metro cluster
Alpharetta’s Season of Celebration tree lighting is listed for Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, 5-8 p.m. in downtown Alpharetta, with a 50-foot tree, live holiday music, snow effects and performances on the main stage in front of City Hall. Santa appears. No admission price is listed, and the City of Alpharetta’s own Season of Celebration page has been moved in a recent website relaunch, so the destination-marketing calendar is currently the more reliable listing.
Two more north-metro dates are confirmed: The Hamilton Alpharetta’s Christmas tree lighting on Nov. 20, 2026, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at 35 Milton Ave., and Once Upon A Merry Maze at 1000 North Point Circle on Nov. 13-15 and Nov. 20-21, 2026.
Avalon on Ice is the rink most Atlanta families mean when they say “Avalon at Christmas.” Current published pricing is $18 per person including skates, $14 for children 12 and under, with weekday hours 3-9 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sundays noon-7 p.m. Avalon advises booking a time slot in advance and accepts walk-ups if space allows. What is not published anywhere official yet is the 2026-27 opening date — Avalon’s own events calendar shows nothing past October. If the rink is the whole point of your trip, book the moment dates drop. Our Atlanta ice skating guide compares Avalon against the other metro rinks.
What has not announced 2026 dates yet?
Three of metro Atlanta’s best-known holiday destinations had published nothing for the 2026 season when we checked on Sept. 13, 2026. That is not a sign they are cancelled — it is simply how these operators work.
- Ponce City Market — the events calendar ran only through the following week with no holiday programming listed. Entry to the market itself is free; parking is the cost. Self-parking is tiered: $3.60 for the first hour, $5.60 up to two hours, $12.60 up to three, $14.60 up to four, rising to $30.60 for 6-24 hours. Valet runs $15 for the first hour, $20 up to two hours and $30 for 4-24 hours. The market is at 675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE and sits directly on the BeltLine.
- Atlantic Station — no 2026 holiday dates. The holiday pages still live on the site describe Skate the Station, the Festival of Lights and Celebration at the Station from earlier seasons; do not plan around those dates. Parking is genuinely useful here though: the first two hours in the deck are free, then $5 for 2-3 hours, $8 for 3-4, $10 for 4-5, $13 for 5-6, $16 for 6-7 and $23 for 7-24 hours. Street parking is ParkMobile at $1 for 20 minutes plus 25 cents per additional 5 minutes, and there are free 15-minute curbside pickup spots.
- Marietta Square’s tree lighting — the most recent Christmas Tree Lighting & Santa on the Square listing on the Marietta visitors bureau calendar is Dec. 4, 2025, 4-8 p.m., and is marked as passed. No 2026 date is posted. We also could not verify a dedicated Marietta Square holiday market from any official city or organizer page, so we have left it out rather than guess.
Marietta does have one confirmed 2026 holiday event, and it is a good one: the Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour, Dec. 4-6, 2026 — Friday 5-8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tickets are $40 in advance or $45 during the event, covering five tour homes plus churches, museums and other historic buildings; a Premier Pass with line-skip and a gala ticket is $125. Online sales close Dec. 3 at 4 p.m.
How do metro Atlanta’s holiday markets compare?
| Event | Where | 2026 dates | Cost | Parking | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Christkindl Market | 210 Luckie St, Lawrenceville | Nov. 20 – Dec. 24 | Free admission | Free decks and lots | Biggest free market; evening crowd |
| Atlanta Christkindl Market | 158 Seavy St, Senoia | Nov. 27 – Dec. 24 | Free admission | Street and lots, price not published | Prettiest setting; pairs with a day trip |
| Garden Lights, Holiday Nights | Atlanta Botanical Garden, Midtown | Nov. 14 – Jan. 10, 2027 | Ticketed; Night Light from $19.95 | $20 per vehicle (SAGE deck) | Strollers welcome; best lights walk |
| Indie Craft Winter Experience | LOOP, 665 Marietta St, Atlanta | Dec. 5-6 | Ticketed via Eventbrite | $5 onsite | Handmade gifts; indoors, rain-proof |
| Deck the Hall | Downtown Duluth | Dec. 5, 2-7 p.m. | Not published | Not published | Toddlers; snow slide; daytime |
| Season of Celebration | Downtown Alpharetta | Nov. 21, 5-8 p.m. | Not published | Not published | Tree lighting with snow effects |
| Marietta Pilgrimage Home Tour | Marietta Square | Dec. 4-6 | $40 advance / $45 at event | Not published | Adults; historic houses, no stroller |
| Ponce City Market | 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE | Not published | Free to enter | $3.60 first hour, up to $30.60 | BeltLine walk-up; check back in Oct. |
| Atlantic Station | Midtown / 17th St | Not published | Not published | First 2 hours free, then $5-$23 | Free parking window; check back in Oct. |
Where do you park, and what does it actually cost?
Parking is the difference between a free night out and a $40 one. Lawrenceville is the cheapest by a wide margin — two downtown decks plus lettered lots, none of which the market lists a charge for. The Indie Craft market’s flat $5 is the next best deal, and it puts you in the building rather than six blocks away.
Atlantic Station’s free first two hours is the most underrated parking rule in the city. Ponce City Market is the opposite — the third hour is where the rate jumps from $5.60 to $12.60, so dinner plus shopping costs more in parking than a movie ticket. Walk or bike in on the BeltLine instead. The Botanical Garden’s $20 SAGE deck fee is fixed and unavoidable on a Garden Lights night unless you take MARTA to Arts Center and walk through Piedmont Park.
Which markets work with a stroller, and which are evening-crowd events?
Garden Lights states plainly that strollers are welcome, and its paths are paved and wide. Duluth’s Deck the Hall is flat downtown pavement with a 2 p.m. start — the single easiest option with a child under three. The Indie Craft Winter Experience is indoors and level, but a crowded maker market with 100+ booths means aisles fill quickly; go at 11 a.m. rather than 2 p.m.
The evening-crowd events are the Christkindl Market after about 6 p.m., the Alpharetta and Hamilton tree lightings — single-evening events that draw everyone at once — and Garden Lights on a December Saturday. If your kids melt down in crowds, aim for a Wednesday or Thursday at the Christkindl Market, when it opens at 3 p.m. and runs quiet until dark. The Marietta Pilgrimage home tour is the outlier: historic houses with narrow halls, stairs and breakable decorations, so leave the stroller at home.
What should you do in your situation?
| If you… | Do this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Only have a couple of hours | Christkindl Market Lawrenceville, Wednesday or Thursday from 3 p.m. | Free gate, free deck, and the quietest hours of the week |
| Have a toddler or a stroller | Deck the Hall in Duluth, Dec. 5, 2-7 p.m. | Flat downtown, daytime start, snow slide and crafts on site |
| Are on a tight budget | Christkindl Market plus Atlantic Station’s free two-hour deck window | Free admission at one, free parking at the other; spend only on food |
| Want to avoid crowds | Garden Lights Night Light entry after 9:30 p.m., from $19.95 | Cheapest tier and the thinnest crowd of the night |
| It rains | Indie Craft Winter Experience, Dec. 5-6, indoors at LOOP | Fully indoor market with $5 onsite parking |
| Are shopping for handmade gifts | Indie Craft Winter Experience, Saturday at 11 a.m. | 100+ artisans and the best selection before booths sell through |
| Want a grown-up evening | Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour, Dec. 4-6, $40 advance | Five historic homes plus churches and museums; buy before Dec. 3 |
How does this fit with the rest of the season?
Metro Atlanta’s markets are the December half of a long seasonal run: most families work through pumpkin patches near Atlanta and Halloween events for Atlanta kids in October, then move into Georgia Christmas tree farms the weekend after Thanksgiving. If you would rather drive than shop, see our guide to Georgia’s best Christmas towns, our Christmas in Helen guide, and Georgia’s holiday train rides, several of which sell out in October.
FAQ
Is the Atlanta Christkindl Market free?
Yes. The Atlanta Christkindl Market advertises free admission at both of its metro locations, Lawrenceville and Senoia. You pay only for food, drink and gifts inside. Parking in Lawrenceville is also free across two downtown decks and several lettered lots, which makes it the cheapest full holiday evening in metro Atlanta.
What are the 2026 dates for the Atlanta Christkindl Market?
The Lawrenceville location lists an opening day of Friday, Nov. 20 and a final day of Thursday, Dec. 24. Senoia opens Black Friday, Nov. 27 and also closes Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. Both sets of day-and-date pairings match the 2026 calendar, but the market does not stamp a year on the page — confirm before you drive.
Which is better, the Lawrenceville or the Senoia Christkindl Market?
Lawrenceville is the easier trip for most of metro Atlanta and has free deck parking plus a full week of extra opening days, since it opens Nov. 20 rather than Nov. 27. Senoia is the more atmospheric visit — a small, film-famous downtown — and works better as a half-day trip combined with lunch than as a quick weeknight stop.
Does Ponce City Market have a Christmas market in 2026?
Nothing is announced. As of Sept. 13, 2026, Ponce City Market’s events calendar listed no holiday programming at all — no tree lighting, no skating, no market. The venue typically posts its holiday lineup in mid-to-late October. Entry to the market is free either way; parking starts at $3.60 for the first hour and reaches $30.60 for a long stay.
Is Atlantic Station doing Skate the Station in 2026?
Unconfirmed. Atlantic Station’s website still hosts holiday pages describing Skate the Station, the Festival of Lights and Celebration at the Station, but those pages are from earlier seasons and carry no 2026 dates. Do not plan around the dates printed on them. The first two hours of deck parking are free regardless of whether the rink returns.
How much does Garden Lights cost in 2026?
Garden Lights, Holiday Nights runs Nov. 14, 2026 to Jan. 10, 2027. The Garden publishes tiered pricing — Premium+, Premium, General Admission and Night Light — with the Night Light tier starting at $19.95 for adults after 9:30 p.m. Members save $5 on every ticket. Budget an extra $20 for on-site parking at the SAGE deck.
Which Atlanta holiday event is best with a stroller?
Garden Lights states that strollers are welcome and its paths are paved and wide, making it the strongest ticketed option. For a free alternative, Duluth’s Deck the Hall on Dec. 5 runs 2-7 p.m. on flat downtown pavement with a snow playground and kids’ crafts. Avoid the Marietta Pilgrimage home tour, which involves stairs and narrow hallways.
When does Avalon on Ice open for 2026?
Not announced. Avalon’s own events calendar showed nothing past October when we checked in September 2026. Currently published pricing is $18 per person including skates and $14 for children 12 and under, with reservations advised for a time slot and walk-ups accepted if space allows, but the opening date for the 2026-27 run has not been posted. Watch for an October announcement.
What is the cheapest Christmas thing to do in Atlanta with kids?
The Atlanta Christkindl Market in Lawrenceville: free admission, free parking in the downtown decks, and open six days a week from Nov. 20. Duluth’s Deck the Hall on Dec. 5 is a close second for a single afternoon. Both beat any ticketed lights event on cost, and our free things to do in Atlanta with kids guide has more year-round options.
Do I need tickets in advance for Atlanta holiday markets?
For the free markets — Christkindl Lawrenceville and Senoia, Deck the Hall, the Alpharetta tree lighting — no. For ticketed events, yes: Garden Lights uses timed entry, Avalon on Ice advises an advance reservation for a time slot though walk-ups are accepted if space allows, the Indie Craft Winter Experience sells through Eventbrite, and Marietta Pilgrimage online sales close Dec. 3 at 4 p.m.
How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on . Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.
Sources
- Atlanta Christkindl Market — official site (free admission, two metro locations)
- Atlanta Christkindl Market — Lawrenceville dates, hours and parking lots
- Atlanta Christkindl Market — Senoia dates, hours and address
- Atlanta Botanical Garden — Garden Lights, Holiday Nights 2026-27 dates, pricing tiers and $20 parking
- Indie Craft Winter Experience — Dec. 5-6, 2026 dates, hours, venue and $5 parking
- City of Duluth — Deck the Hall, Dec. 5, 2026
- Awesome Alpharetta — Season of Celebration tree lighting, Nov. 21, 2026
- Awesome Alpharetta — holiday events calendar (Hamilton tree lighting, Merry Maze)
- Awesome Alpharetta — Avalon on Ice pricing and hours
- Ponce City Market — parking rates, valet rates and transit access
- Ponce City Market — events calendar (no 2026 holiday programming listed)
- Atlantic Station — parking rates and free two-hour window
- Atlantic Station — events list (no 2026 holiday dates)
- Marietta Visitors Bureau — Christmas Tree Lighting & Santa on the Square listing
- Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour — Dec. 4-6, 2026 dates and ticket prices
Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.
