What does an evening on Canton Street cost before you've ordered anything? On Thursday, Nov. 19, the City of Roswell holds a make-up Alive in Roswell from 5 to 9 p.m. on Historic Canton Street and the Roswell Antique and Interiors Lot. The City added the date after the June 18 festival was canceled for weather. The festival is free and open to the public, and leashed dogs are welcome.
The answer depends on where you leave the car, and that has changed since the original June date was set. Downtown Roswell's parking pilot was retuned in August to favor daytime visits. A festival that starts at 5 p.m. lands two hours after the free window closes. For this one Thursday, the cheapest parking is a few blocks off Canton Street.
The August rate change, read from a 5 p.m. arrival
The City Council approved the downtown parking pilot 4–2 on March 9, 2026, and set it to run through Dec. 31, 2026. On-street charges started May 15 at $2 an hour. Appen Media reported that more than 100 people came to a March 30 open-mic session to speak about the fees, including residents and representatives of Canton Street businesses.
On Aug. 1 the City restructured the rates. Every day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the first two hours are free. After that, parking costs $3 an hour, up to $24 a day. The $3 rate also applies to all parking outside the free window. The paid zone covers:
- Canton Street between Magnolia Street and Norcross Street
- Elizabeth Way between Canton Street and Alpharetta Highway
- East Alley between Canton Street and Norcross Street
- The East Alley Parking Lot
The rate change is what matters for the festival. Per the City's FAQ, a car that starts a session after 3 p.m. pays the full hourly rate from the start. The East Alley lot is in the paid zone, and the festival's own parking guide lists it as a place to park. Parking there from 5 p.m. until the music stops at 9 runs four hours at $3, or $12. In May, the same four hours would have cost $8.
Every paid space needs an active session, even during the free daytime hours. You can pay by scanning the QR code or texting the number on the posted sign, or at one of two kiosks. One kiosk is at Canton Street and Elizabeth Way, and the other is on East Alley. No app download is needed. If you paid by phone, a text near the end of your session lets you add time. If you paid at a kiosk, you have to go back to it.
Where a festival night stays free
Much of the paid zone closes for the festival anyway. The festival's parking guide gives a staggered closure schedule:
| Time | What closes |
|---|---|
| 2 p.m. | Elizabeth Way and Webb Street |
| 3:30 p.m. | Roswell Antique and Interiors Lot |
| 5 p.m. | Canton Street |
The guide calls parking near the festival "very limited." These are the options it lists, roughly from closest to farthest:
- Roswell City Hall and Cultural Arts Center lots. These lots have a trolley stop that serves drop-off points around the festival, and they are the closest walk to both Canton Street and the Antique Lot. The November event listing calls City Hall parking free.
- Green Street Parking Lot, near Fire Station 21.
- Woodstock Soccer Complex lots, near the north end of Canton Street.
- Street parking on Mimosa Boulevard and Hill Street, first come, first served.
- East Alley Parking Lot, which is paid at the full evening rate. Private paid lots near Canton Street are also an option.
The guide's map is still labeled "Alive in Roswell 2025," and the deck below does not appear on its list.
The 394 spaces the festival map leaves out
On May 4, the City opened a 394-space public parking deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street (SR 9), between Green Street and Alpharetta Street. It was paid for with $20 million in voter-approved bond funds. The City has said the deck stays free while Green Street is under construction.
That tie to construction is what to check before Nov. 19. The Green Street Activation Plan closed Green Street from Cherry Way to Alpharetta Street. The work turns Green Street into a one-way southbound street with a brick-paved multi-use trail, underground utilities, lighting, landscaping and a trail link from Plum Tree Street to Canton Street. The Roswell Ledger reported in August that the work runs on a $3.1 million construction contract and that reopening was still expected in the fall. If Green Street reopens before the festival, the free-deck promise may no longer apply. A separate Roswell Ledger report said the City plans to review parking data in January 2027 before deciding whether to charge at the deck. Check the City's notices the week of the festival. You can also text ROSWELLEvent to 888777 for ALERTRoswell updates on traffic and weather during the event.
The November listing doesn't name a band, theme or vendor lineup. The main Alive in Roswell page still shows the regular April through October season. Drinks are usually sold in tents run by From the Earth Brewing Company, which pours Gate City Brewing beer, wine and sangria.
What's new on the walk in from Webb Street
Webb Street closes at 2 p.m. that Thursday, and it has filled in since the summer. The Roswell Ledger reported that West + Peak relocated and Roswell Supply Co. opened at 34 Webb Street. In September, V's Coffee Collab opened next door in Suite 104 as its first brick-and-mortar shop. The shop is 473 square feet, with four two-top tables and a service window. Owner Harrison Bernard roasts all the coffee in-house and sorts it into three groups named for musical modes, Lydian, Dorian and Locrian, based on tasting notes rather than roast level. Each retail bag carries a local artist's work. The current bag features "Fox and Friend" by Ali Leja, a Johns Creek artist.
"I prefer if people come with a friend and sit and have a conversation."
Bernard said that to Business Debut in April, as reported by the Roswell Ledger. V's is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., so it will be closed by the time the festival starts. The better match is Friday morning. A coffee stop that day falls inside the 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. window, when the first two hours on the paid blocks are free. That's the visit the August rates were designed for.
A few blocks over, Social House opened at 1098 Green St. as a nonprofit event venue. Roswell Inc's roundup also reported that Hugo's Oyster Bar added an enclosed patio and more dining space, and that Spice of Thai has a new owner and a redesigned interior. Bellini Osteria Toscana held a grand reopening this summer.
The corner that is still only a plan
On the south end of Canton Street, the former Go With The Flow building at 4 Elizabeth Way looks the same for now. The Roswell Ledger reported that Hal's "The Steakhouse," a Buckhead restaurant open since 1989, plans to open its first suburban location there in spring 2027. The plans include a rooftop patio, which would be the first on Canton Street, and valet parking. Citing Roswell Pulse, the Ledger reported that owner Sammy Jimenez called valet a deal-maker for diners driving in. So far, the only timeline is spring 2027. No groundbreaking, permit hearing or construction milestone has been announced. Elizabeth Way is part of the paid zone, and the City set aside two free 30-minute spaces there for quick stops.
Downtown dates through early December
The festival is one of several downtown dates on the calendar:
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day ceremony at City Hall, 38 Hill St. Arrival starts at 8:30 a.m., the honor walk is at 9:15, and the ceremony begins at 9:30.
- Nov. 22: "A Little Peace of the Holidays" with jazz vocalist Karla Harris and the Tritone Chamber Orchestra, 4 p.m. at Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St.
- Dec. 4: The City's Christmas tree lighting at Heart of Roswell Park, 6 to 8 p.m.
Each of these starts outside the 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. window except the Veterans Day ceremony, and that one is at City Hall, next to the free lots the festival guide recommends. The pilot is set to end Dec. 31, 2026, and the City has described it as a way to gather data on parking demand for longer-term decisions.
Downtown parking and new restaurants are among the things buyers ask about when they look at homes near Canton Street. Whatever the City decides about the deck in January, The Mike Price Team tracks these downtown changes block by block. If you own near Historic Roswell and want to know what your home is worth this fall, start with your Free Home Valuation.
