Alpharetta's official events calendar shows no Christmas parade for 2026. It showed none in 2025 either. Alpharetta Now's holiday guide reports that the tree lighting is the city's main holiday gathering. Even so, a parade is set for Saturday, Dec. 12, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. It comes from the Rotary Club of Alpharetta, not City Hall.
The rest of the season follows the same pattern. City Hall hosts one big holiday evening. A hotel, Avalon, the Alpha Loop Foundation, the Alpharetta Business Association and the Rotary Club host the rest. If you only check the city calendar, you'll miss most of your December. And if you plan by host, it becomes clear why three tree lightings land on three nights in a row.
One weekend, three hosts, three trees
The season starts Friday, Nov. 20, about four weeks from now. On three straight nights, three different organizations each light a tree. They aren't competing for one crowd. Each host serves a different crowd and runs its evening differently.
Friday, Nov. 20: The Hamilton Alpharetta, 35 Milton Ave. The hotel's tree lighting runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and the tree is lit at 6:30. Admission is free. The hotel lists live holiday music, a Hot Cocoa Baileys Bar, photos with Santa, and a prime rib special from its restaurant. Outside, carolers from the Alpharetta High School Chorus perform, there's a family photo area, and holiday classics play on a big screen on the Amenity Deck. Since a hotel is hosting, this is the one of the three where an adult drink and a sit-down dinner are part of the plan.
Saturday, Nov. 21: City of Alpharetta, City Hall and the Town Green, 2 Park Plaza. This is the city's evening, from 5 to 8 p.m. The 50-foot tree is donated by the Evans family and lit at 6:30. The event is free and happens rain or shine. The city's Season of Celebration page promises live music, snow flurries, marshmallow roasting and a visit from Santa. The 2026 performer schedule hasn't been posted yet. According to the city, last year's lighting on Nov. 22, 2025, drew more than 3,000 people, and the tradition dates to 1977. If the 2026 crowd is similar, this is the busiest of the three nights.
Sunday, Nov. 22: The Lighting of Avalon, 400 Avalon Blvd. Avalon's version runs all afternoon, from 2 to 7:30 p.m. A student skating performance starts at 2. Avalon on Ice opens to the public at 3. The Atlanta Figure Skating Club appears from 3 to 5, and face painting, holiday crafts and a photo booth line Avalon Boulevard. Santa counts down to the lighting of the 40-foot tree, which "starts promptly at 7:00 pm." These details come from the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau listing. As of Oct. 11, Avalon hadn't posted the event on its own events page, so check there before you go.
Picking your night
Each night fits a different kind of evening, and the hosts' own schedules show it.
Friday works for a dinner out with a tree lighting attached. The Hamilton gives you three hours, a restaurant special and a screen of holiday films outdoors. If your plans center on the meal, this is the night.
Saturday is the one with the longest local tradition and the largest crowd on record. It's also the only one of the three tied to anything after the lights come on. On Nov. 21, the city starts its Holiday Food Drive for North Fulton Community Charities, which runs through Dec. 14. Collection bins are at City Hall at 2 Park Plaza, the Alpharetta Community Center at 175 Roswell St., and the Alpharetta Adult Activity Center at 13450 Cogburn Road. You can drop off cans while you're at City Hall for the lighting.
Sunday is the best fit for families with younger kids, since the activities start at 2 p.m. instead of after dark. Getting there takes the most planning. Avalon's listing names three options: the free parking decks, valet at 3rd Street, or the lot at Gwinnett Technical College across the street, with shuttles running to the property. The listing also warns that parking fills quickly and suggests carpooling or rideshare. The next morning, Santa at Avalon begins its daily run at Santa's Cottage in Palmer Plaza, which lasts from Nov. 23 to Dec. 24.
The weekend after the lightings, the Alpharetta Symphony performs An Alpharetta Holiday on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Innovation Academy, with shows at 3 and 5:30 p.m.
The longest-running holiday event belongs to a trail nonprofit
The tree lightings each last one evening. The event that lasts all season is run by the Alpha Loop Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that counts it as its largest fundraiser of the year.
Lights on the Loop lights a one-mile stretch of the Alpha Loop, between Northwinds Parkway and Old Milton Parkway, every night from Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, through Monday, Jan. 4, 2027, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. It runs on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day too. Here are the basics, from the foundation's event page:
- Entry: 2500 Northwinds Parkway. The nightly display is free and needs no registration.
- Parking: free at 2500 and 2520 Northwinds Parkway.
- Access: an ADA-accessible ramp sits behind 2520 Northwinds Parkway. The trail is 12 feet wide with a hard surface and slight elevation changes, so strollers do fine.
- Pets: well-behaved pets on a leash are welcome.
- Restrooms: only on special event weekends.
- Alcohol: not allowed. It's an alcohol-free event.
Four evenings add the Lights & Delights Village, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with artisan vendors, food and drinks for sale, photos with holiday characters, and live entertainment. Dec. 4 and 5 is the "Sounds of the Season" weekend, with music from the Alpharetta Symphony, the Alpharetta City Band and local musicians. Dec. 18 and 19 is "Paws & Llamas," a pet-friendly weekend with llamas on the Loop. On those two nights, keep pets at least 6 feet from the llamas. These four evenings need free registration on Eventbrite, and registered guests get parking details and weather alerts.
The no-alcohol rule makes the Loop the counterpart to Friday at The Hamilton. One is free, outdoors and stroller-friendly. The other is a hotel evening with a cocoa-and-Baileys bar.
December's busiest Saturday, then the parade
Saturday, Dec. 5, packs in more than any other day of the season, and three different organizers share it.
| Time | Event | Host | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Alpharetta Christmas Market | Alpharetta Business Association | Innovation Academy, 125 Milton Ave. |
| 10 a.m. to noon | Free photos with Santa | Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau | Alpharetta Welcome Center, 178 South Main St., Suite 200 |
| 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Lights & Delights Village, night two | Alpha Loop Foundation | Alpha Loop, entry at 2500 Northwinds Parkway |
The city's Hop and Shop event falls on the same day.
The Christmas Market is held indoors. The association lists more than 80 vendors and live music, and says it typically draws 2,500 to 4,000 visitors. That makes it one of the season's biggest crowds, close in size to the city's tree lighting. A downtown Saturday could start with Santa photos at the Welcome Center, continue at the market, and end on the lit trail after dark.
A week later comes the parade the city calendar leaves out. The Rotary Club of Alpharetta's Winter Parade is set for Saturday, Dec. 12, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The club describes it as a celebration of Alpharetta's youth, civic organizations and the Rotary Club itself. The visitors bureau lists it under its downtown and family categories. Groups that want to march can apply through the Rotary page, and participants drop off in the rear parking lot of Innovation Academy. The route is shown only as a map graphic on the Rotary page, so check that map for street-by-street details before you choose a viewing spot.
So the season begins at a hotel on Nov. 20 and wraps up with the light trail on Jan. 4, and the Rotary parade on Dec. 12 is the one big event the city calendar doesn't show.
If a spring move is on your list along with this season's events, Jamie Mock can help you work out timing and pricing over the holidays. Request your free home valuation, and you'll go into January with a clear number.
