At about 6:15 on Sunday evening, Santa will be in the Dunwoody Village courtyard as the tree comes on. A lantern parade will have just finished, and a crowd will be standing on the parking lot that served as a main stage all afternoon. This year, that familiar Dunwoody scene is the first of three.
Dunwoody has three lighting moments this year. The Village goes first on November 22, four days before Thanksgiving. Brook Run Park follows on Tuesday, December 1. High Street holds its first tree lighting on December 6. All three fall within 14 days, and each is in a different part of the city. So the season has three hubs this year, each with a different feel and each with newer restaurants nearby.
| Event | Date and time | Where | Newer spots nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Village Holiday Celebration and Lantern Parade | Sun., Nov. 22, 3 to 6:30 p.m. | Greater Dunwoody Village | {S}table, Dunwoody Village Parkway |
| Holiday Lights season opening | Tue., Dec. 1, 4 to 7 p.m.; display runs nightly through December | Brook Run Park, 4770 North Peachtree Road | A short drive to either cluster |
| Sparkle on the Green | Sun., Dec. 6, 6 p.m. | 101 High Street | Varuni Napoli, Rosetta Bakery, Van Leeuwen, Le Faucheur, Patrones |
The Village goes first, and it fills the whole afternoon
Create Dunwoody and the Dunwoody Village Merchant Alliance run the Village celebration. It's free and spreads across the Greater Dunwoody Village instead of sitting on one stage. Rough Draft Atlanta reported that this year's event reaches shopping centers, restaurants and commercial properties throughout the Village. Dozens of local businesses and community groups will host activities, and some activities come with chances to win prizes.
Because the event is spread out, timing matters more than location. Create Dunwoody's published schedule, which it marks as subject to updates, runs like this:
- 3:00 p.m. The Kids Market opens at the Shops of Dunwoody. Rough Draft counts more than 35 young entrepreneurs selling handmade goods.
- 4:00 p.m. Main-stage performances begin in the Dunwoody Village parking lot, including James Violin Studio Group, Stayin' Alive Crew, North Georgia School of Ballet, Georgia Dance Force and The Collective Dance Project. Short breaks between sets give people time to visit activities.
- 5:25 p.m. Parade judging begins, and lantern carriers line up behind the Courtyard Funwoody screen.
- 5:45 p.m. The Lantern Parade steps off.
- 6:00 p.m. Lantern and tree awards.
- 6:15 p.m. Santa and the tree lighting in the courtyard.
The best parts are spread out. Rough Draft lists a mobile petting zoo and train rides at the Shops of Dunwoody, llamas at Dunwoody Gallery, a classic car display, and a new Holiday Tree Grove of Fraser firs decorated by local businesses. Businesses and community groups will also host cookie and ornament decorating, face painting, and seasonal treats like hot chocolate, apple cider, s'mores and latkes. You can decorate a lantern at the event, so you can still join the parade if you missed the earlier workshops.
There are two practical details. Overflow parking is at Dunwoody United Methodist Church. If the weather turns, performances, awards and some activities move into the church's gym. Since the Kids Market opens at 3 and the tree lights around 6:15, families who want to see both should plan on most of the afternoon.
For dinner after the tree lighting, {S}table is at 1317 Dunwoody Village Parkway, Suite 101. Discover Dunwoody listed it among the city's recent restaurant additions in October. Tenku Sushi was announced as a new tenant at the Shops of Dunwoody, so it's part of the same small cluster.
Brook Run turns one evening into a month
The Village celebration is over by 6:30. The display at Brook Run Park stays up all December. According to the City of Dunwoody's calendar, Holiday Lights returns for its sixth year with a self-guided walkable display of 100,000 lights. This year's theme is "Chasing Aurora."
The season opens Tuesday, December 1, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 4770 North Peachtree Road, with a ceremonial lighting and free hot cocoa. After that, the free display runs every night for the rest of the month.
This changes how you can plan the rest of the season. The Village and High Street each light up on one evening, but Brook Run can be a different night for anyone. If the Sunday crowd and the 5:45 parade are too much with small kids, a weeknight walk through the lights later in December is an easy alternative. The opening night is the one with the ceremony. Every other night in December, you can walk the display on your own schedule.
High Street adds a third hub at Perimeter Center
The newest of the three is in Perimeter Center. Discover Dunwoody describes Sparkle on the Green as High Street's inaugural tree lighting. It starts Sunday, December 6, at 6 p.m. at 101 High Street, with entertainment, seasonal treats and holiday activities on The Green before the tree lights up. High Street is still finalizing the program, and the listing points readers to High Street's website for updates.
Location is a big part of what makes this event different. High Street has the city's newest concentration of restaurants within walking distance of the tree. Varuni Napoli opened at 120 High Street, Suite 100, on August 5, as reported by the Dunwoody Brookhaven Ledger. Rosetta Bakery is at 120 High St.
Close by on Ashford Dunwoody Road, Perimeter Center Parkway and Campus Way, the newer spots fit an evening at the tree:
- Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE, #150
- Le Faucheur Tea Room, 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Suite 190
- Patrones Taqueria & Bar, 4705 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Suite C
- KruaThai, 237 Perimeter Center Parkway NE, Suite H31, in the former Yao space
- Stäge Kitchen & Bar, 110 Campus Way at Campus 244
The Village celebration is built on merchants and community groups working together across several shopping centers. High Street's event centers on one green surrounded by restaurants that opened in 2026. The two events have different settings and a different pace, and they're two Sundays apart.
The openings that won't be ready this December
Several restaurants announced for the Perimeter side won't be open in time for this season. Saints + Council signed a lease at Perimeter Mall and is targeting the latter part of the first half of 2027, according to the Dunwoody Brookhaven Ledger. Cooper's Hawk is coming to Perimeter Village at 3725 Ashford Dunwoody Road and is expected to open by the end of 2027, as Tone to ATL reported.
Both will add to the Perimeter Center restaurant cluster that makes High Street's first tree lighting an easy dinner outing this year. For December 2026, plan around the restaurants already open on High Street and the nearby Perimeter Center streets.
Planning the two weeks
The calendar is simple once it's laid out. Spend the Sunday before Thanksgiving in the Village, from the Kids Market at 3 to the tree lighting with Santa around 6:15. Catch the opening of the Chasing Aurora display at Brook Run on December 1, or save it for any other night that month. On December 6, go to The Green at High Street for 6 p.m. and have dinner within walking distance. Any of the three can be a full evening, and since they're spread across two weeks, you can make all of them.
If spending time in the Village, at Brook Run and around High Street has you thinking about what your own Dunwoody home is worth before the spring market, The Mike Price Team can give you a current number based on local sales. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
