Events · Holiday · Dahlonega, Lumpkin County
Dahlonega Tree Lighting 2026
The Lighting of the Square is the official kickoff of Dahlonega's Old Fashioned Christmas. On Friday, November 27, 2026, festivities and Santa's arrival begin around 3:00 PM, and the 30-foot Christmas tree on the Historic Public Square is lit at 6:00 PM, with live caroling and holiday music from the Visitor Center balcony leading up to the lighting. It is free to attend, and it is the night the square in the North Georgia mountains turns on for the season.
Friday, November 27, 2026 · 6:00 PM · Free
Date
Friday, November 27, 2026
The day after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the holiday season in Dahlonega.
Time
From 3:00 PM
Festivities and Santa's arrival begin around 3:00 PM, with the tree and square lighting ceremony at 6:00 PM.
Where
The Historic Public Square
Downtown Dahlonega, Georgia, in Lumpkin County in the North Georgia foothills.
Cost
Free to attend
No admission to gather on the square and watch the tree light up.
What to expect
The night the square turns on
The Lighting of the Square and the 30-foot Christmas tree mark the official start of Dahlonega's Old Fashioned Christmas. Festivities begin around 3:00 PM, with live caroling, musical performances, and Santa's arrival by horse-drawn carriage filling the afternoon. In the minutes before the 6:00 PM lighting, live holiday music plays from the Visitor Center balcony, building toward the moment the tree comes on. The square, the shops, the restaurants, and the inns are all decorated in holiday lights, so the whole downtown glows once the season begins.
- Festivities and Santa's arrival from around 3:00 PM
- Santa arrives by horse-drawn carriage
- Live caroling and musical performances
- The 30-foot Christmas tree lighting at 6:00 PM
- Live holiday music from the Visitor Center balcony
- Holiday lights across the square, shops, restaurants, and inns
- Free to attend on the square
The kickoff
The lighting is the official kickoff of Dahlonega's Old Fashioned Christmas, the mountain town's month-long holiday season. Once the tree is lit, the season is officially underway, and the square stays decorated and busy through the holidays.
The events hubThe 2026 season
Old Fashioned Christmas in Dahlonega
The lighting opens Old Fashioned Christmas, which runs from the day after Thanksgiving through the first week of January. The lights and decorations stay up through early January, so the square keeps its holiday glow well past Christmas Day.
Through December the season brings extended shopping hours, holiday music, trolley and horse-drawn carriage rides, caroling, wine sampling, and live theater Christmas events throughout the month. Dahlonega is a gold-rush town in the North Georgia mountains, and its square is the heart of it all once the tree is lit.
Festival of Trees
The Festival of Trees at Hancock Park is part of the Old Fashioned Christmas season, coordinated by the Dahlonega Downtown Business Association. Local businesses and community members sponsor the trees, and each one is decorated in its own festive theme, so a walk through the park becomes a tour of the town's holiday creativity.
The season at a glance
- Runs from the day after Thanksgiving through the first week of January
- Lights and decorations remain through early January
- Extended shopping hours, holiday music, and caroling in December
- Trolley and horse-drawn carriage rides around the square
- Wine sampling and live theater Christmas events through the month
- Festival of Trees at Hancock Park, with trees sponsored by local businesses
Getting there and parking
Plan for a busy evening around the Square
The Historic Public Square sits downtown in Dahlonega, in Lumpkin County in the North Georgia foothills. On the night of the lighting, expect traffic delays and limited street access around the Square in the evening. The streets closest to the square fill early and close as the evening goes on, so give yourself time to get in and find a spot before the afternoon festivities begin around 3:00 PM.
The square, the shops, the restaurants, and the inns are all decorated in holiday lights, so the whole downtown is worth a slow walk once you are parked. Arriving early is the simplest way to beat the evening rush.
Tips for visitors
A few things worth knowing before you go
Arrive early
The square fills up on the night of the lighting. Getting in early means a better spot on the square and time to catch the afternoon festivities, which begin around 3:00 PM, before the crowd gathers for the 6:00 PM lighting.
It is a free event
There is no admission to gather on the square and watch the tree light up. The shopping, the rides, and the tasting are separate, but the lighting itself costs nothing.
Expect street closures
Traffic delays and limited street access around the Square are part of the evening. Plan your route in and accept that the closest streets may be closed or crowded by the time you arrive.
Dress for the mountain weather
Dahlonega sits in the North Georgia mountains, and a late-November evening there is cold. Bring a warm coat, gloves, and comfortable shoes for standing on the square and walking the decorated downtown.
Before you go
The Lighting of the Square runs Friday, November 27, 2026, with festivities and Santa's arrival from around 3:00 PM and the tree lighting at 6:00 PM on the Historic Public Square in downtown Dahlonega, and it is free to attend. Facts on this page were checked against the official Dahlonega sources on October 5, 2026. Events can change: dates, times, and details come from the official source and may shift without notice, so confirm with the organizer or the official source before you go.
Make a mountain weekend of it
Dahlonega is a North Georgia mountain town, and the tree lighting is a natural anchor for a holiday weekend. The scenic drive guides already cover the gold country loop through Dahlonega and the mountain roads around it, which pair well with a visit to the square.
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