We read the organisers’ schedule, the visitors bureau and the venues, and sort every item into published or not yet. This post is the short version. The 2026 schedule is the full one.
Published for 2026
Lighting of the Square
Published for 2026The season opener on the Friday after Thanksgiving, with carolers, hot cocoa and a visit from Santa.
Santa at the Visitors Center
Published for 2026Visit Santa for a photo and to share Christmas wishes.
Free photo Source: Old Fashioned Christmas committee schedule
Christmas Market
Published for 2026An annual fundraising market with gifts, homemade sweets and holiday decor.
Dahlonega Christmas Parade
Published for 2026Floats decorated by community groups and music through the square.
Also dated: Annie at the Holly Theater and A Christmas Carol at The Menagerie Theatre, both on December weekends, a free family movie on December 21, and Kid’s Day on December 19.
Not published yet
- Santa’s days and daily hours.
- Carriage ride days, hours, prices and booking.
- Road closure times for the lighting and the parade.
- A parade route map. The route is described in a sentence, which we have set out in order in the parade guide.
- The Festival of Trees, the Christmas Art Market and the concert after the lighting. All three happened last season.
- The date the lights come down.
- New Year’s Eve plans.
- The 2026 date for taking the lights down is not published. In the 2025 season they stayed up through January 6, according to the visitors bureau. Discover Dahlonega (visitors bureau)
- The visitors bureau page gives no 2026 days, hours, price or booking details for the carriage rides. Discover Dahlonega (visitors bureau)
Where sources disagree
- The visitors bureau says the tree lighting ceremony is at 6 PM in front of the Visitor Center. Its page still carries one line dated from 2025, so check the time again closer to the day. Discover Dahlonega (visitors bureau)
- The visitors bureau describes the celebration as running from the day after Thanksgiving through the first week of January. Discover Dahlonega (visitors bureau)
- The organisers' site says Christmas in Dahlonega began in 1963. Its footer also reads 'Est. 1996', so we do not print a founding year as fact. Old Fashioned Christmas committee
None of these changes your plans much. They are the reason we link every fact to the page it came from.
How we will keep this current
We re-read the official pages through the autumn and update the date at the top of each guide when we do. If you spot a change before we do, tell us.
Written by the Christmas Dahlonega Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.
Dates can change. The organisers have the final word: Official Old Fashioned Christmas schedule
