Where does Roswell gather for the holidays when its riverfront park is fenced off and the Chattahoochee Nature Center has called off its market? The Christkindlmarket opens tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 20, on the grounds of Bulloch Hall. Two weeks later, the city lights its 40-foot tree at Heart of Roswell Park on Canton Street. Between those two addresses, Bulloch Avenue and Canton Street carry the free downtown side of the season.
The concentration comes from what is missing elsewhere this season.
Two Familiar Venues Are Out This Year
The City of Roswell's Riverside Park page lists the park and its sprayground as temporarily closed, with reopening expected in summer 2027. The Riverside Sounds concert series is on hold until then.
Across town, the Chattahoochee Nature Center's Back to Nature Holiday Market is a one-day December event. In 2026 it is "taking a break" because of "campus wide construction on our grounds," according to the nature center's Holiday Market page. That page has already posted the market's return date, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2027, "with brand new and enhanced venue spaces."
That construction is the nature center's $9.8 million "Growing Tomorrow's Nature Enthusiasts" campaign. It includes renovations to Kingfisher Hall, the conversion of a former maintenance building into a Meadow Learning Center, and a new River Welcome Center with ticketing, guest services and restrooms.
Even Breakfast with Santa has moved. This year it is in the ballroom of the Roswell Adult Recreation Center at 830 Grimes Bridge Road, which the city calls a new location.
With those venues out, the free downtown events carry more of the season.
Bulloch Avenue Carries the Weeks
Bulloch Hall at 180 Bulloch Ave. and Mimosa Hall at 127 Bulloch Ave. sit on the same street. Between them they host most of the season's free programming.
The Christkindlmarket runs Nov. 20 to Dec. 23 and is free to enter. Munich Event Group runs it with the City of Roswell. Expect mulled wine made to a traditional German recipe, food vendors, gift stalls, Christmas trees for sale and photos with Santa. Well-behaved pets on leashes are welcome. Daily hours are on the market's own site, and it is worth checking there before you head over.
Next door, Mimosa Hall hosts two free events:
- Kid's Holiday Corner, 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12, with ornament making, stories and games for ages 4 to 10.
- American Holiday Songbook, 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, with carols from the "Like the Dickens" a cappella quartet in period dress.
On those Saturdays, a family can do the market and the craft table in one stop and park only once. Parking is the main logistical challenge of a season this concentrated.
Getting Onto a Street That Takes Traffic From One End
During the market, the city says Bulloch Avenue stays two-way, but you can reach it only from Mimosa Boulevard. The Bulloch Hall lot is closed to through traffic and is reserved for accessible parking. Rideshare drop-off and pick-up go to the area near Roswell Town Square, not Highway 120 or Bulloch Hall itself.
The city's Christkindlmarket page on Roswell365 lists these parking options:
- City Hall and Roswell Cultural Arts Center lots
- Three church lots along Mimosa Boulevard
- Street parking on Mimosa Boulevard and at Mimosa Hall
- Park Square Court
- Paid parking at Platt Family Law
The same page describes a free weekend shuttle with stops at City Hall, the three Mimosa Boulevard churches and Bulloch Hall, running Friday through Sunday afternoons and evenings. Check that page for current times.
The City Hall lot at 38 Hill St. matters most on the night the season moves from Bulloch Avenue to Canton Street.
The Weekend of Dec. 4 Is When It All Overlaps
The tree lighting runs 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, at Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton St. The city's listing promises choral performances, fire pits and sweet treats, a mayoral reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and a visit from Santa.
Last year, the city closed Canton Street between Norcross and Magnolia streets starting at 5 p.m., and Elizabeth Way starting at 2 p.m. Treat that as the pattern to plan around.
The rest of that weekend is just as full:
| Day | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Trouble in Toyland, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. | Roswell Cultural Arts Center | $12 |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Works in Clay Holiday Show and Sale, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Art Center West, 1355 Woodstock Road | Free |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Tree lighting, 6 to 8 p.m. | Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton St. | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Breakfast with Santa, 9 to 11 a.m. | Roswell Adult Recreation Center, 830 Grimes Bridge Road | $16 residents, $24 nonresidents |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Roswell Makers Market, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Roswell Visual Arts Center, 10495 Woodstock Road | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | The Roswell City Spectacular, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. | Roswell Cultural Arts Center | $20 |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Kid's Holiday Corner, 1 to 4 p.m. | Mimosa Hall, 127 Bulloch Ave. | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Sail On Christmas Concert, 4 p.m. | Roswell Cultural Arts Center | From $31 |
Breakfast with Santa needs planning ahead. The city's listing requires both parents and children to register online in advance, and there are no tickets at the door.
The Works in Clay sale features ceramics from more than 80 artists in the Roswell Clay Collective. Its opening night is Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. It returns Dec. 10 through 12, so the busy weekend is not the only chance to shop it.
One shopping date comes earlier. The Roswell Holiday Expo runs Nov. 27 and 28 at the Mimms Museum of Technology and Art, 5000 Commerce Parkway, and it is free.
Forrest Street Takes the Evenings After That
Once the tree is lit, much of the ticketed calendar moves to the Roswell Cultural Arts Center at 950 Forrest St., whose lot the city lists alongside City Hall's for downtown parking.
- The Nutcracker, Atlanta Dance Theatre, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12; 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. Standard seats are $29.50, premium seats $38.25.
- Atlanta Vocal Project: Ringin' in the Holidays, with Song of Atlanta, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, $27.50 to $38.25.
- Joe Gransden's Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas, 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, from $44.75.
- Too Fast, Too Festivus, a Dad's Garage holiday sketch comedy show, 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21, from $31.
According to the Roswell Journal's holiday roundup, Roswell has a second Nutcracker this year. Roswell Dance Theatre's production runs Nov. 27 to Dec. 6 at the Byers Theatre in Sandy Springs. Box office tickets for the Cultural Arts Center are available at 770-594-6120.
East Roswell and the Nature Center Close Out the Month
Two of the season's later events take place away from Historic Roswell.
On Friday, Dec. 11, East Roswell Park at 9000 Fouts Road hosts the Candy Cane Hunt from 6 to 7:30 p.m., a pizza dinner followed by a flashlight search. Registration closes Dec. 9 at $14 for residents and $21 for nonresidents. Bring a flashlight and a bag.
The Chattahoochee Nature Center has no market this year, but it does have a winter event. Its Enchanted Woodland Trail, with fairy houses and gnome homes along the path, runs Dec. 19, 2026, through Feb. 28, 2027. It is included with general admission and free for members. That makes it one of the few holiday outings that continues into the new year, after the Christkindlmarket closes on Dec. 23.
City of Roswell facilities close Thursday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 25, for Christmas, and Friday, Jan. 1, for New Year's Day.
At The Jenny Doyle Group, we know Historic Roswell's streets well, from Bulloch Avenue's historic homes to the blocks off Mimosa Boulevard. If this season has you considering a home within walking distance of Bulloch Hall and Heart of Roswell Park, we would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a Private Consultation.
