Christmas shopping in Dahlonega, 2026: dates, hours and the Christmas Market

Christmas shopping in Dahlonega in 2026 opens on Friday, Nov 27 with the Lighting of the Square and runs through December with the Christmas Market in Hancock Park, the parade on Dec 12 and evening shopping hours downtown. Every 2026 date below is from the organizer, Christmas in Dahlonega, checked Oct 19, 2026.

The Visitors Bureau describes the season as a month-long celebration from the day after Thanksgiving through the first week of January, set in motion by the Lighting of the Square (Visitors Bureau).

The 2026 calendar, in order

1. Lighting of the Square: Friday, Nov 27, 2026, 3 to 8 p.m. At the Dahlonega Visitors Center, 13 South Park Street. The Black Friday kickoff, with carolers, hot cocoa and Santa.
2. Visit Santa: from Nov 27 to Dec 29, 2026. The organizer lists 3 to 6 p.m. at the Visitors Center and says to check its schedule for exact dates and times.
3. Small Business Saturday: Saturday, Nov 28, 2026. The national shop-small day on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (SBA). We found no 2026 Dahlonega promotion published for it yet.
4. Christmas Market: Dec 5 to Dec 13, 2026, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In Hancock Park, off Hawkins Street. The Women’s Club’s annual fundraiser, with gifts, homemade sweets and holiday decor.
5. Dahlonega Christmas Parade: Saturday, Dec 12, 2026, noon to 1 p.m. Community floats through the Square. The organizer’s page points to a route map; the Visitors Bureau says the parade runs through the historic district.
6. Kid’s Day: Saturday, Dec 19, 2026, 2 to 4 p.m. In Hancock Park. Holiday activities and crafts for kindergarten to 5th grade; a parent or guardian stays with each child.
7. Free Christmas movie: Monday, Dec 21, 2026, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Santa Clause (PG) at the Holly Theatre, 69 West Main Street.

Why we use the organizer’s dates

When we checked on Oct 19, 2026, the Visitors Bureau’s Christmas page still carried 2025 details: a Nov 28 start and a 6 p.m. tree lighting. The DDA’s Old Fashioned Christmas page dates from 2019. Neither has 2026 dates, so we use the organizer’s schedule, which lists Friday, Nov 27, 2026. If the organizer posts an exact lighting time, its page wins.

Evening shopping in December

The Visitors Bureau says downtown has extended merchant hours every evening of December, with wine sampling and carriage rides (Visitors Bureau). It does not list which shops stay open late, and we found no shop on our list that publishes December hours yet.

What shops do publish year round: on Fridays and Saturdays, Paul Thomas Chocolates, Kilwins and the Dahlonega General Store stay open until 9 p.m., and Grapes & Ghosts and Old Storehouse Art until 8 p.m. The DDA’s 2019 page described the Lighting of the Square as a Merchant Open House, with extended hours in many shops after the lighting (Dahlonega DDA); it has not restated that for 2026. The shop hours table has every shop’s published hours.

The Christmas Market

The organizer lists the 2026 market in Hancock Park from Saturday, Dec 5 to Sunday, Dec 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with gifts, homemade sweets and holiday decor. It is the Women’s Club’s annual fundraiser. Older pages may give a different venue or days; we list the organizer’s 2026 schedule, so check it for the hours on a given day.

Parking on parade day

No parade-day parking plan was published when we checked. Two sourced things help. The DDA says UNG’s deck on South Chestatee (entrance next to the Smith House, 84 South Chestatee) is free to the public from Friday 5:30 p.m. to Monday 7:30 a.m., which covers Saturday, Dec 12. And the 3-hour limit on the Square’s spaces is enforced Monday to Friday only. Come early: the parade starts at noon.

Gifts to send and gifts to keep

• The Fudge Factory ships chocolate only from November 1 to February 28, because of the heat, with a one-pound minimum on mail orders (Fudge Factory).
• Cranberry Corners keeps a year-round Christmas corner and makes custom gift baskets to order by phone.
• The General Store ships most orders in 1-2 days from its website.
• Dahlonega Dollars, the downtown gift card, works at participating downtown businesses.

For ideas by person, try the Gift Finder. The whole season is laid out in our 2026 Christmas shopping calendar.

Planning a December visit

The Visitors Center at 13 South Park Street is where the Lighting of the Square and Visit Santa take place, and the Visitors Bureau lists it open every day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Visitors Bureau). The Gold Museum keeps its usual hours through December except Christmas Day. For parking on a busy December weekend, start with the UNG deck or the all-day lots on our parking page.

Closed days

The Gold Museum closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day (Georgia State Parks). Crisson Gold Mine is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Visitors Bureau notes that several businesses close on New Year’s Day (Visitors Bureau, written for the 2024-25 season), so call before a Jan 1 trip.

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