On Saturday, November 7, Create Dunwoody will hold a lantern workshop at Diwali in Dunwoody from 5 to 7:45 p.m. A second one follows Sunday morning, November 8, at the Shops of Dunwoody Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The lanterns made at those tables will be carried in a parade through Dunwoody Village two weeks later, on November 22, and judged before a tree is lit in the courtyard.
That is a newer way for the season to begin here. Light Up Dunwoody at the farm is the long-standing tradition. Since 2024, the season has had two lightings, on back-to-back Sundays, run by different groups at different places. The newer one starts two weeks early because it asks people to show up with something they made.
Two Sundays, two hosts
None of the November events are city productions. Volunteer and civic groups run both tree lightings. The Dunwoody Homeowners Association and the Dunwoody Preservation Trust, working with Economos Event Production, put on the first one. Create Dunwoody and the Dunwoody Village Merchant Alliance put on the second.
| Light Up Dunwoody | Village Holiday Celebration and Lantern Parade | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, Nov. 15 | Sunday, Nov. 22 |
| Time | 2 to 6 p.m. | 3 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Place | Donaldson-Bannister Farm, 4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Road | Greater Dunwoody Village area, kids market at Shops of Dunwoody |
| Hosts | Dunwoody Homeowners Association and Dunwoody Preservation Trust | Create Dunwoody and Dunwoody Village Merchant Alliance |
| What gets lit | Tree and menorah | Courtyard tree, with Santa |
| Running since | A long-standing tradition | 2024 |
| Admission | See lightupdunwoody.com | Free |
At the farm you come to watch. In the Village you're invited to take part.
The farm keeps the familiar script
Light Up Dunwoody returns to Donaldson-Bannister Farm on Sunday, November 15, from 2 to 6 p.m. The city calendar listing calls it "a Dunwoody holiday tradition," and the program runs the way longtime attendees expect. Local musicians and dancers perform, Santa poses for professional photos, reindeer are on site, and the Spruill Center for the Arts runs a craft corner. The afternoon ends with the lighting of the tree and the menorah.
The organizers' site lists the full schedule as coming soon. Check lightupdunwoody.com closer to the date for timing, parking and admission.
The farm setting suits the hosts. The Dunwoody Preservation Trust holds the event at what the city calls "one of Dunwoody's most historic homes," so the season opens at a place the Trust works to keep standing.
The Village asks you to bring something
The Village Holiday Celebration and Lantern Parade is only in its third year. Create Dunwoody held the first one in 2024. It's free, and it covers the Greater Dunwoody Village area from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 22.
The lanterns are what set it apart. Besides the two workshops on November 7 and 8, Create Dunwoody lists lantern kits at Village Ace Hardware. Parade entries line up behind the Courtyard Funwoody screen before judging. If you plan to walk in the parade, the workshop weekend is the last organized chance to build a lantern with help.
The posted 2026 schedule, which organizers say may change, runs on tight time slots.
- 3:00 p.m. The kids market opens at Shops of Dunwoody.
- 4:00 p.m. Opening comments on the main stage, followed by James Violin Studio Group and Stayin' Alive Crew.
- 4:45 to 5:08 p.m. Expressions in Motion Dance, North Georgia School of Ballet, and the Dunwoody Elementary singers.
- 5:15 to 5:50 p.m. Georgia Dance Force, The Collective Dance Project, and the Dunwoody High School Choir.
- 5:45 p.m. The lantern parade steps off.
- 6:00 p.m. The Lantern and Tree Award Ceremony.
- 6:15 p.m. The courtyard tree lighting with Santa.
Breaks between performances leave time for the activities around the Village. For 2026, Discover Dunwoody lists a mobile petting zoo and train rides as new. Dunwoody United Methodist Church covers two backup needs. It's the listed overflow parking, and if the weather turns, performances, awards and some activities move into its gym.
The 3 p.m. kids market and the 6:15 lighting are about three hours apart. If you have young children, it can make sense to arrive for one end of the program and leave after a single anchor moment.
Spruill connects the two Sundays
Spruill shows up in both weeks. The Spruill Gallery Holiday Art Fair at 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road opens Friday, November 13, with an opening night from 5 to 9 p.m. It runs through December 23 and sells handmade work by Georgia artists and artisans.
Spruill's own Pictures with Santa runs Sunday, November 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Light Up Dunwoody starts at the farm at 2 p.m. that same afternoon, and Spruill runs its craft corner there. A family could book Santa photos at the gallery and arrive at the farm for the lighting without giving up either.
Spruill has two evening events later in the fair. A wine tasting is set for Wednesday, December 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. Mistletoe & Margaritas is Friday, December 18, from 6 to 8 p.m.
December brings the city's lights, and both hosts return
After the two November Sundays, the season moves to Brook Run Park. Dunwoody Parks and Recreation hosts Holiday Lights, a free walk-through display of about 100,000 lights in and around the playground at 4770 North Peachtree Road. Opening night is Tuesday, December 1, from 4 to 7 p.m., and the display stays lit nightly through December 31. It began in 2020 as a way to bring the community together, so it's newer than Light Up Dunwoody and four years older than the lantern parade.
Both November venues host events again in December. Here are the dates Dunwoody Journal lists in its 2026 holiday roundup:
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to noon: Country Christmas Open House at Donaldson-Bannister Farm.
- Dec. 5 to 20: The Winter Wonderettes at Stage Door Theatre, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
- Thursday, Dec. 10, 5 to 7 p.m.: The menorah lighting in Dunwoody Village, hosted by Mitzvah House.
- Thursday, Dec. 10, from 5:30 p.m.: Ravinia Holiday in Lights at 5 Ravinia Drive.
The full rotation goes like this. The farm and the Village each hold a November Sunday and come back for a December date. Spruill's fair runs through all of it. Brook Run keeps the lights on every night in December. For families booking school-break care around the calendar, Dunwoody Nature Center runs Thanksgiving Break camps on November 23 and 24, the Monday and Tuesday right after the lantern parade. Its winter break camps run December 21 to 23 and December 28 to 30.
The city calendar lists each event with an add-to-calendar link, which helps when two of them fall on the same weekend.
At Barnes Young Team, we put dates like these on our own calendars every fall. If you'll be in the Village on November 22, look for the lanterns, and if a move is part of your plans for the new year, schedule a consultation to discuss your next move once the lights come down.
