The City of Marietta lights its Christmas tree on Thursday, December 3, during the Ugly Sweater Parade & Christmas Tree Lighting in Glover Park, which runs from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. Over the next 72 hours, the Marietta Pilgrimage holds its gala, Santa moves into the Marietta History Center, the 40th annual Christmas Home Tour opens five decorated private homes, and the Saturday farmers market sets up on Mill Street. Four different organizations run these events, and all of them fall between Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon. The planning has to happen sooner, because the decisions that shape the weekend come due on December 1 and December 3.
Four days, four organizers
Read in order, the stretch looks like this:
| Day | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Ugly Sweater Parade & Christmas Tree Lighting | Glover Park, 50 N Park Square NE | 4:00–8:00 PM |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Marietta Pilgrimage Gala | The Whitlock Inn | 7:00–10:00 PM |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Pictures with Santa begin | Marietta History Center, 1 Depot Street | Reservations required |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Christmas Home Tour, evening session | Church-Cherokee Historic District | 5:00–8:00 PM |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Marietta Square Farmers Market | 41 Mill Street | 9:00 AM–noon |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Christmas Home Tour | Church-Cherokee Historic District | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Christmas Home Tour, final day | Church-Cherokee Historic District | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM |
The two bookend events overlap. The tree lighting is still underway when the gala opens at 7:00, and on Saturday the farmers market and the home tour both start at 9:00 AM a few blocks apart. Nobody can attend everything at full length, so the useful plan is to pick an order.
The deadlines arrive before the weekend does
Most of the weekend's tickets have cutoffs that fall before December 3.
- December 1 at 4:00 PM: Last call for Pilgrimage Gala tickets, which cost $100 per person and are sold online in advance only. The $125 Premier Pass has the same deadline.
- December 3: Online sales for the Christmas Home Tour close. Advance tickets cost $40. Tickets bought during the tour cost $45.
- Before December 4: Santa sessions at the Marietta History Center require reservations, and the Marietta Winter Wonderland booking page lists them as coming soon.
The Premier Pass is the easiest call to make with numbers. It bundles a home tour ticket, the gala ticket, a pass to skip the lines at the tour homes, and a listing in the Pilgrimage program, all for $125. Bought separately, the gala and an advance tour ticket come to $140, so anyone planning to attend both pays $15 less with the pass and gets the line-skip as well. Both options close at the same 4:00 PM cutoff on December 1, two days before the gala.
The tour ticket rules matter for anyone who decides late. The Marietta Pilgrimage FAQ says tickets are not sold at the tour homes. Once online sales end, tickets are available in person at the Marietta Welcome Center or the William Root House. Children under 8 are not permitted on the tour, and orders can't be placed by phone. For families with young children, the tour suits an adults-only afternoon better than a whole-household outing, and Santa at 1 Depot Street is the stop for the kids.
Thursday night splits between Glover Park and The Whitlock Inn
The tree lighting is the city's own event, listed on the City of Marietta calendar for Thursday, December 3, 2026, at Glover Park, 50 N Park Square NE. Cobb Travel & Tourism describes the evening as local choir performances, an ugly holiday sweater parade, and Santa's arrival to help the mayor light the tree. Afterward, Glover Park stays decorated for all of December with trees, lights, and displays. The city lists the event window as 4:00 to 8:00 PM and has not posted a separate time for the lighting itself.
At 7:00 PM, the Marietta Pilgrimage Gala opens at The Whitlock Inn. The Pilgrimage describes food, seasonal drinks, and live music, and festive cocktail attire is required. Gala guests can get to the Square early for the choirs and the parade, then change for an evening that runs until 10:00. The same Thursday is also the last day to buy home tour tickets online.
Friday through Sunday belongs to the Church-Cherokee district
The 2026 tour is the 40th annual Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour. It opens five private homes in the Church-Cherokee Historic District, each decorated for the season, along with a number of churches, museums, and historic sites. Proceeds support Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, Inc. and Visit Marietta.
Friday's session is the only evening slot, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, when the homes are seen with holiday lights. Saturday and Sunday run from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Friday is also the first day of Santa season at the Marietta History Center. Hadley's Photography offers two formats: a five-minute photo op, or a 25-minute "Magical Moments" session with story time, crafts, milk, and cookies. This year also adds a Sensory Santa Experience, which the organizers describe as an inclusive, sensory-friendly way to meet Santa. A household could book a Santa session Friday afternoon and still reach the tour's evening hours.
Saturday morning overlaps. The Marietta Square Farmers Market runs from 9:00 AM to noon at 41 Mill Street on December 5, the same hour the home tour reopens. Because the tour runs until 4:00, shopping the market first and touring the homes after lunch avoids a conflict.
Where a cold-weather dinner fits
This is Glover Park Kitchen's first holiday season. The Southern restaurant at 72 Atlanta Street sits directly across from Glover Park Brewery and has the same owners. According to Marietta.com, it announced a soft opening on October 7 and a grand opening on October 9, 2026.
The restaurant has a covered, climate-controlled veranda, so outdoor-style seating still works on a December night. It also has an outdoor lawn, an indoor-outdoor bar, and a chef's table with limited seating. Executive Chef Lance Hagan's menu includes Charleston shrimp and grits, Springer Mountain fried chicken, and the Hagan Pot Roast, made with beer-braised short rib. Sides are served family-style for two or three people, including Buford Highway collards with gochujang and turkey burnt ends. For a Thursday after the lighting, the Fireside Orchard cocktail combines brown butter maple bourbon, apple, walnut, and citrus. Lunch has its own smaller menu at lunch prices, a fit for Saturday between the market and the tour. Menus and reservations are linked from Glover Park Kitchen's website.
The Strand fills the weeks before and after the opening weekend
The Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre starts its holiday movies in mid-November, and its December calendar continues after the opening weekend:
- November 17: A Christmas Story
- November 24: Home Alone
- November 25: ELF
- November 28: Departure, a Journey tribute band
- December 15: Die Hard
- December 22: It's a Wonderful Life movie marathon
- December 26: Comedian Tom Cotter
- December 27: When Harry Met Sally
- December 31: We Are The Champions, a Celebration of Queen New Year's Eve concert
The November films come before the ticket deadlines. Anyone seeing Home Alone on November 24 or ELF the next night still has until 4:00 PM on December 1 to buy the gala ticket or Premier Pass. After the opening weekend, the farmers market is listed for Saturdays December 12, 19 and 26 on the same 9:00-to-noon schedule, and Glover Park stays decorated through the end of the month.
The Church-Cherokee homes on this year's Pilgrimage show what decades of care do for a historic Marietta house. If you own a home near the Square and want to know where its value stands this season, The Mike Price Team can walk you through it. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
