On Saturday, November 21, the stage in front of Alpharetta City Hall opens at 5 p.m. for a 50-foot tree, with live holiday music, artificial snow flurries and Santa in the crowd. The next evening at 7 p.m., Santa counts down to a 40-foot tree at Avalon.
That makes two trees on back-to-back nights, and it sets the pattern for this year. Almost every major Alpharetta holiday event in 2026 falls on one of two weekends: the November tree weekend and the December weekend when the Alpha Loop lights up. The rest of the calendar either leads into those weekends or carries on after them. If you have those two weekends planned, you have most of the season covered.
The Saturdays that close out fall
The week this post goes live is the start of the countdown. Paint The Town: Alpharetta Plein Air has painters working outdoors in downtown Alpharetta through Saturday, October 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Scarecrow Harvest has more than 150 community-made scarecrows up throughout downtown until Sunday, November 1.
Also on October 24, Halloween at Halcyon runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with entry sessions at 11 and 1. Tickets were $20 per child in advance and go up to $25 the week of the event.
After that come two more Saturdays that move the calendar into the holidays:
- November 7: Halcyon's Holiday Artists Market fills the Village Green from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- November 14: The Alpharetta Farmers Market holds its last Saturday of the 2026 season, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on the Alpharetta City Center Town Green at 2 Park Plaza.
The Saturday-morning market season, which began April 4, ends exactly one week before the downtown tree lights a short walk away. Downtown goes straight from its last market morning to the holiday kickoff the following Saturday.
November 21 and 22: one tree each night
The tree weekend is built to be done on foot on Saturday and with a short drive on Sunday. Here are the times, in order:
| When | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | Arts Alpharetta Artist Holiday Market | Alpharetta Arts Center, 238 Canton St. | Not listed |
| Sat., Nov. 21, 5 to 8 p.m. | Season of Celebration Tree Lighting, 50-foot tree | Main stage in front of City Hall | Free |
| Sun., Nov. 22, 2 p.m. | Skating performances on Avalon on Ice | Avalon | Not listed |
| Sun., Nov. 22, 2 to 5 p.m. | Activity Row: face painting, crafts, photos | Avalon | Not listed |
| Sun., Nov. 22, 7 p.m. | Avalon Tree Lighting, 40-foot tree, then Bogey and the Viceroy | Avalon | Not listed |
On Saturday, the Artist Holiday Market at the Alpharetta Arts Center closes at 4:30 p.m., and the Season of Celebration Tree Lighting starts half an hour later, a few blocks down the street. Since one ends just before the other begins, an afternoon of gift shopping on Canton Street can run straight into the evening program. The city asks guests to bring portable chairs for the main stage.
Sunday's Lighting of Avalon is the longer of the two days, running 2 to 7:30 p.m. It also opens Avalon on Ice for the season. The afternoon starts with skaters and ice dancers of all skill levels performing on the center ice. Skating hours and ticket prices for the winter are not on the event page yet, so check Avalon's events page before planning a skate around them.
Whichever night you choose, Santa is on the schedule both days. Saturday is the free city event downtown. Sunday is the longer afternoon-into-evening program at Avalon, with skating to start.
Two quiet weeks, then December 4 and 5
After the tree weekend, nothing major is scheduled until Friday, December 4. That night at 5:30 p.m., the Alpha Loop Foundation holds its "Switch On The Lights" celebration and turns on Lights on the Loop, a light display along a one-mile stretch of the Alpha Loop between Northwinds Parkway and Old Milton Parkway. It's free, and the lights stay on nightly from 5:30 to 11 p.m. through January 4, 2027.
On Saturday, December 5, the season's busiest day, a daylong market runs alongside a string of shorter events:
- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free Alpharetta Christmas Market opens at Innovation Academy, 125 Milton Ave.
- 10 a.m. to noon. Free Photos with Santa at the Alpharetta Welcome Center, 178 South Main St., Suite 200.
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Snow Day at ACC, free, at Alpharetta City Center, 2001 Commerce St.
- 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Holiday Music Showcase on the Loop, with the Alpharetta Symphony, the Alpharetta City Band, local musicians and a holiday DJ.
That leaves a gap between Snow Day ending at 1 p.m. and the music starting at 5:30, and City Center has a newer option for a meal in between. Amasa Mexican Kitchen, at 15 Academy St., Suite 1E, made Rough Draft Atlanta's list of August 2026 openings. Rough Draft described its menu as Baja-style, entirely gluten-free and leaning into seafood. This will be its first holiday season at City Center.
On themed weekends, the evening events center on the Lights & Delights Village behind 2500 Northwinds Parkway. The village has artisan vendors, seasonal food and nonalcoholic drinks for sale, a holiday DJ and costumed characters for photos. Free parking is available at 2500 Northwinds Parkway. Themed weekends go on rain or shine unless there is heavy rain or severe weather, and the Foundation sends weather updates to registered attendees through Eventbrite. If the forecast looks uncertain, it's worth registering ahead of time.
What runs after the second weekend
The December weekend is the last one with several events stacked together, but it starts the longest-running event of the season. Lights on the Loop stays lit every night for a month, so the mile between Northwinds and Old Milton becomes an evening walk you can repeat any night through the holidays, without tickets.
The second themed weekend falls on December 18 and 19, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It's a pet-friendly weekend with Llamas on the Loop. The Foundation calls the event its largest fundraiser of the year, and the money supports the continued growth of the Alpha Loop trail.
The year ends at Avalon. Noon Year's Eve runs Thursday, December 31, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Hotel at Avalon & Alpharetta Conference Center, 9000 Avalon Blvd. Tickets are $20 per person for adults and children over age two. It's a midday countdown, so families can celebrate the new year and still be home well before evening.
Here is the season at a glance:
- Through Oct. 24: Paint The Town, downtown
- Oct. 24: Halloween at Halcyon
- Through Nov. 1: Scarecrow Harvest, downtown
- Nov. 7: Holiday Artists Market, Halcyon
- Nov. 14: Final Alpharetta Farmers Market of 2026
- Nov. 21: Artist Holiday Market on Canton Street, then the downtown tree lighting
- Nov. 22: Lighting of Avalon and opening day of Avalon on Ice
- Dec. 4: Lights on the Loop switches on
- Dec. 5: Christmas Market, Santa photos, Snow Day, Holiday Music Showcase
- Dec. 18–19: Pet-friendly weekend with Llamas on the Loop
- Dec. 31: Noon Year's Eve at Avalon
- Through Jan. 4, 2027: Lights on the Loop, nightly
Whether you live near Canton Street, near City Center or near the Loop, I'm always happy to talk about which corners of Alpharetta come alive this time of year and what that means for the homes nearby. Reach out to Keisha Williams any time this season. Let's Connect.
