Roswell's 2026 holiday season starts on Bulloch Avenue. The Christkindlmarket at Bulloch Hall opens Friday, Nov. 20, and runs through Wednesday, Dec. 23. By the time the City of Roswell lights its 40-foot tree at Heart of Roswell Park on Friday, Dec. 4, the market will already be on its third Friday.
That sequence shapes everything else on the calendar. The longest-running holiday event, the first tree lighting and the closing weeks of December all happen at the 1839 house on Bulloch Avenue and next door at Mimosa Hall. The Canton Street tree gives the season a big Friday night two weeks in.
The river half of town is sitting this winter out
In a typical year, Roswell's outdoor calendar is split between Historic Roswell up the hill and Riverside Park down on the Chattahoochee. This winter only one of them is open. The City lists Riverside Park at 575 Riverside Road as temporarily closed for a bond-funded renovation under its River Parks Master Plan, with reopening expected in summer 2027. The sprayground is closed too, and the Riverside Sounds concert series that historically played there is on hold until further notice.
If you still walk the river in December, pedestrian routes are being maintained through the project. Alternate parking is at Ace Sand Park, 705 Riverside Road, and Don White Memorial Park, 925(B) Riverside Road. The City's page notes that Azalea Park and River Landing are excluded as alternate parking.
When the redesign is finished, Roswell Connections reports, it will include accessible restrooms, an open-air pavilion and event space, an improved bandstand, a nature-inspired playground and an upgraded sprayground. That gives Roswell a second holiday gathering place by the river, but not before 2027. For this season, everything outdoors and festive happens around Mimosa Boulevard, Bulloch Avenue and Canton Street.
Five weeks on one calendar
With everything in one corridor, the season reads best as a timeline. Every date below comes from the organizer's own 2026 listing.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 18, 4–6 p.m. | Christmas High Tea | Bulloch Hall, 180 Bulloch Ave. | See listing |
| Fri., Nov. 20 – Wed., Dec. 23 | Christkindlmarket | Bulloch Hall | Free |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 6–9 p.m. | Friends of Bulloch Hall Christmas Tree Lighting | Bulloch Hall | Free with market |
| Wed., Dec. 2 – Fri., Dec. 4 | "Trouble In Toyland" | Roswell Cultural Arts Center | $12 reserved |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 6–8 p.m. | City of Roswell Lighting of the Christmas Tree | Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton St. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Roswell Makers Market | Roswell Visual Arts Center, 10495 Woodstock Rd. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 19, 2 p.m. | American Holiday Songbook | Mimosa Hall & Gardens | Free |
The table shows the overlap. The market is open for the Bulloch Hall tree lighting, the City's tree lighting, the Makers Market weekend and the Mimosa Hall carols. Apart from the High Tea, every event on the list happens while those stalls are open.
The season starts with tea two days before the market opens. At Christmas High Tea, volunteers in period attire serve finger foods, miniature desserts and Earl Grey in vintage china. Afterward, guests tour the house, which is redecorated each year around a new theme. Past themes have included "Christmas with Nutcrackers" and "Christmas Through the Decades." For 2026, the rooms celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.
How the market keeps its hours
The Friends of Bulloch Hall listing gives the 2026 schedule:
- Monday through Thursday: 3 to 8 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: noon to 9 p.m.
- Sunday: noon to 8 p.m.
- Photos with Santa: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 4 to 7 p.m., no reservations needed
Admission is free. Organizers describe mulled wine, foods from around the world and a marketplace of vendors. The weekday hours start at 3 p.m., so an after-work visit on a Tuesday is a quieter option than a Saturday night when the market is running at full speed.
On parking, the market's own website describes a free shuttle sponsored by Malon D. Mimms Company. It runs Friday and Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 3 to 8 p.m., with stops at City Hall, church parking lots on Mimosa and the market itself. The QR code linked from that page is labeled with 2024 parking information, so check the shuttle details again in November before planning a Saturday around them.
Two tree lightings, six days apart, doing different jobs
Roswell lights two public trees this season.
The first is on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Bulloch Hall, from 6 to 9 p.m. The Friends of Bulloch Hall describe guests gathering on the porch of the Bulloch Hall Gift Shoppe, singing carols and then watching the tree light up. Afterward, people head back into the Christkindlmarket and the gift shop. The lighting happens during the market, and the evening is built around it. It also falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when out-of-town family may still be in town.
The second is the City's own event on Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton St. The City's listing promises choral performances, hot chocolate, fire pits and s'mores, and a visit from Santa. Mayor Mary Robichaux will read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas before the 40-foot tree in the center of the park is lit. It is free and open to the public.
That same Friday is the busiest day of the week on the calendar. "Trouble In Toyland," a holiday puppet show from That Puppet Guy Productions, has two performances at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center that day, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. It closes a three-day run that opens with 10 a.m. shows on Dec. 2 and 3. Reserved seats are $12, and groups of 10 or more pay $11 each. Tickets are sold through the Cultural Arts Center box office at (770) 594-6120. The Christkindlmarket is open from noon that Friday, and Santa photos run from 4 to 7 p.m. Families who want to see Santa twice in one day have two chances that Friday.
The weekend after, and the one before Christmas
The next morning, Saturday, Dec. 5, the Roswell Makers Market opens at the Roswell Visual Arts Center, 10495 Woodstock Road. This one-day indoor market of handmade goods runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It has both adult and youth vendors, plus a "Winter Wonderland" photo installation. Admission is free, the listing promises ample free parking, and the event goes on rain or shine. Vendors are already chosen, and the next open call for makers starts Oct. 1, 2027. It is the one major event this season held away from the historic district.
The last free event on the calendar is next door to Bulloch Hall. On Saturday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m., Roswell's Historic House Museums and the City present "American Holiday Songbook" at Mimosa Hall & Gardens. "Like the Dickens," an a cappella quartet in period clothing, will sing old-fashioned holiday songs and invite the audience to join in on some of them. Mimosa Hall will be decorated for the season, and the event is free. The listing suggests walking next door to Bulloch Hall's market afterward. That Saturday is the market's last weekend, with Santa photos still running from 4 to 7 p.m.
Put together, Dec. 19 makes an easy afternoon:
- Carols at Mimosa Hall at 2 p.m.
- A walk next door to the Christkindlmarket for mulled wine and the vendor stalls.
- Santa photos between 4 and 7 p.m. if you have young children.
- Dinner on Canton Street before the market closes at 9 p.m.
Where Canton Street fits between stops
Two Canton Street area spots have changed since last holiday season.
Rough Draft Atlanta reported that Truth Be Told, at 1104 Canton St., introduced an American-French dinner menu this summer. It features steak frites au poivre, steamed PEI mussels, barbecue octopus and crêpe suzette. Sunday brunch started Aug. 9, with tartines, omelets, quiche Florentine and a Croque Madame. Owner Jonathan Yu told Rough Draft that the goal is "an approachable dining experience without compromising on quality." The restaurant serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday and recommends reservations, which helps on tree-lighting night.
For something warm before an afternoon at the market, V's Coffee Collab appeared on Rough Draft's list of September openings. The shop's own site gives its new address as 34 Webb Street.
One more name is on the way. Rough Draft reported in August that Hal's "The Steakhouse," a Buckhead institution since 1989, plans a downtown Roswell location at Canton Street and Elizabeth Way, a few doors from Little Alley Steak. It is expected to open next spring with a rooftop patio and valet parking. It will not be open for this year's tree lighting, but it is part of the same pattern. Canton Street keeps adding reasons to stay in the historic district for dinner after the music ends.
Mark these three dates
If you only pin three dates on the fridge this year, make them Friday, Nov. 20, when the Christkindlmarket opens at Bulloch Hall; Saturday, Nov. 28, when the Friends of Bulloch Hall light their tree; and Friday, Dec. 4, when the City lights the 40-foot tree at Heart of Roswell Park. With the river parks quiet until 2027, the rest of the season fills in around those three nights.
If your home is a short walk from Canton Street or Bulloch Hall, these weeks show what that location is like at its busiest. If you're curious how that location shows up in your home's value, Kenna Daws is happy to talk it through over a cup of mulled wine. Get your instant home valuation whenever you're ready, and enjoy the season close to home.
