For more than two decades, Buckhead's holiday season started at the Macy's at Lenox Square. A giant tree went up and the lights came on, and much of metro Atlanta treated that as the official start of Christmas. In December 2023, Macy's said it had "retired" the Great Tree Lighting.
Buckhead's 2026 holiday calendar spreads across Charlie Loudermilk Park, a Methodist sanctuary on Peachtree Road, the grounds of the Atlanta History Center and a decorated house on Paces Ferry Road. The malls still take part, mostly as one stop among several. Many of the biggest events also fall on the same day, Saturday, Dec. 5.
The Tree That Left Lenox
The Great Tree didn't start in Buckhead. Rough Draft Atlanta's account of the retirement traces it to 1948, when the first giant tree went up on the bridge between the two wings of Rich's department store downtown. When Rich's closed in 1991, the tree moved to Underground Atlanta. It arrived at Macy's at Lenox in 2002.
Here is how Macy's explained the decision in a statement to WSB-TV, as quoted by Rough Draft:
Each year, we evaluate our event programming and how we can best serve the metro Atlanta community. Recently we made the decision to retire our Great Tree Lighting at our Macy's Lenox Square store.
The Pink Pig had already taken the same route. That rooftop monorail started at Rich's, moved to Macy's at Lenox, and was also retired. Rough Draft reported that the original cars are now on display at the Atlanta History Center on West Paces Ferry Road. One of Buckhead's best-known department-store holiday traditions now sits in a museum. Many of the season's other events have followed the same path out of the stores.
Saturday, December 5, Hour by Hour
The first Saturday in December has taken on the role the Lenox tree lighting used to play. This year you can fill the whole day without leaving Buckhead:
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Winter Fest 2026 at the Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW. The event page lists Santa photos, storytimes, crafts, historic holiday demonstrations, garden activities and carolers. A Jingle Parade starts at 12:30 p.m. Winter Fest is free for members and Insiders, and the public can buy tickets online. The morning Swan House Santa sessions are for members and Insiders only and are already sold out. The afternoon sessions with the locomotive are open to nonmembers.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Holiday Designer Showhouse at 3544 Paces Ferry Road NW keeps its regular Saturday hours.
- 1:30 p.m., an Atlanta Opera holiday performance at Lenox Square, part of the mall's 2026 holiday lineup.
- 3 to 7 p.m., the Miracle on Peachtree Holiday Market at Charlie Loudermilk Park. Livable Buckhead lists the market as a separate attraction that opens before the crawl.
- 5 to 7 p.m., the Hot Chocolate Crawl in Buckhead Village District. Check-in is at The Veranda. Participating boutiques, restaurants and hotels serve hot and cold holiday drinks, some spiked and some not, and musicians perform around the District. Admission is free.
- 7 p.m., Buckhead's Holiday Tree Lighting at Charlie Loudermilk Park, where the 24-foot tree comes on and the night closes with music.
One detail has changed from last year. In 2025, Livable Buckhead gave a commemorative crawl mug to anyone who made a $5 donation. The 2026 Buckhead Village crawl listing prices the mug at $8, and the money still supports Livable Buckhead's community programs. Livable Buckhead's main holiday page also still shows 2025 dates, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13. This year's crawls are on Dec. 5 and Dec. 12.
The Name Now Belongs to a Church on Peachtree
The phrase "Great Tree Lighting" is still on Buckhead's calendar. It now belongs to Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, which lists The Great Tree Lighting for Sunday, Nov. 29, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The church describes it as the start of Advent, with carols from all of its children's and youth choirs. The Sunday after Thanksgiving now opens Buckhead's December with a church choir singing to a lit tree, where it used to open with a store event.
The church's December calendar also runs longer than anything the old tree lighting offered. Its December 2026 events page lists:
- Atlanta Tuba Christmas, Friday, Dec. 4, noon to 1 p.m. The church calls it an Atlanta tradition since 1987.
- Carols by Candlight, a community carol sing conducted by Neal Campbell and Kathy Fletcher, Sunday, Dec. 6, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- The Many Moods of Christmas, Sunday, Dec. 13, 7 to 8 p.m., with James Kennerley conducting the PRUMC Chancel Choir, the Georgia Boy Choir, soloists and an orchestra.
- Christmas with the Georgia Boy Choir, Friday, Dec. 18, and Saturday, Dec. 19, both 7 to 8 p.m.
A little farther down Peachtree, the Cathedral of St. Philip's 2026–2027 handbook lists Christmas Lessons & Carols for Sunday, Dec. 20, at 4 p.m. Counting the Nov. 29 tree lighting, these two congregations have six dates on the calendar before Christmas week.
What the Malls Kept
The shopping centers haven't stepped back from the season. Their role is smaller and more specific now.
Lenox Square's 2026 lineup runs from November through December. Santa photos run Nov. 14 to Dec. 24. Santa Paws pet photos are on Nov. 22 and Dec. 13. A Caring Santa session is on Dec. 6, and the Atlanta Opera performs on Dec. 5. Across Peachtree, Phipps Plaza hosts Grinch on The Green on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. This free evening on The Green at 3500 Peachtree Road NE includes an outdoor screening, seasonal food and drinks, and free photos with the Grinch.
The malls' biggest night of the season is now a stop on a community crawl. Livable Buckhead's second Hot Chocolate Crawl, on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 4 to 7 p.m., checks in at Lenox Square and runs between Lenox and Phipps.
The hotels fill the gaps on the calendar. InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta holds Storytime with Santa on Nov. 28 and Dec. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m., at $75 per child. Its Santa Brunch on Sunday, Dec. 20, runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Santa available for photos from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A House on Paces Ferry, Open Through Mid-December
One of the season's longest runs takes place in a house. The 19th annual Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Holiday Designer Showhouse opens at 3544 Paces Ferry Road NW on Nov. 19 and runs through Dec. 13. Hours are Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $50 in advance or $55 at the door, subject to availability. This year's house features wellness-focused design, and proceeds go to Earn2Give. It opens a week before Thanksgiving, ahead of every tree lighting on this list.
Buckhead Village District holds a fashion event before December starts. The Village Edit: Holiday Edition runway show is Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m.
The Season on One Page
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 6, 6 p.m. | The Village Edit: Holiday Edition | Buckhead Village District | Not listed |
| Nov. 14 to Dec. 24 | Santa photos | Lenox Square | Not listed |
| Nov. 19 to Dec. 13 | Holiday Designer Showhouse | 3544 Paces Ferry Rd NW | $50 advance, $55 on site |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 6 p.m. | Storytime with Santa | InterContinental Buckhead | $75 per child |
| Sun., Nov. 29, 5:30 p.m. | The Great Tree Lighting | Peachtree Road UMC | Not listed |
| Thu., Dec. 3, 5 p.m. | Grinch on The Green | Phipps Plaza | Free |
| Fri., Dec. 4, noon | Atlanta Tuba Christmas | Peachtree Road UMC | Not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m. | Winter Fest 2026 | Atlanta History Center | Free for members |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 3 to 7 p.m. | Market, crawl and tree lighting | Charlie Loudermilk Park and Buckhead Village District | Free; mugs $8 |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m. | Carols by Candlight | Peachtree Road UMC | Not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 4 p.m. | Hot Chocolate Crawl | Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 13, 7 p.m. | The Many Moods of Christmas | Peachtree Road UMC | Not listed |
| Dec. 18 and 19, 7 p.m. | Christmas with the Georgia Boy Choir | Peachtree Road UMC | Not listed |
| Sun., Dec. 20, 4 p.m. | Christmas Lessons & Carols | Cathedral of St. Philip | Not listed |
| Sun., Dec. 20, 10 a.m. | Santa Brunch | InterContinental Buckhead | Not listed |
David Kaufman has been selling homes in Buckhead since 2003. He's seen the Great Tree years and the neighborhood calendar that followed, and he knows which December traditions families plan around. If you're thinking about what a Buckhead home means for the way your household spends the holidays, David Kaufman is glad to talk it through, whenever the timing suits you.
