Dahlonega Christmas Shopping Calendar 2026

The 2026 Christmas season in Dahlonega opens on Friday, November 27, 2026, with the Lighting of the Square from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the shopping dates run through the Christmas Market in Hancock Park (December 5 to 13) and the parade on December 12. Every date below comes from the organizer’s 2026 schedule at Christmas in Dahlonega, checked Oct 19, 2026.

Why the organizer and not the Visitors Bureau? On the day we checked, the Visitors Bureau’s Christmas page still showed the 2025 details: a November 28 start at 5:30 p.m. and a 6 p.m. tree lighting. The downtown authority’s Christmas page is from 2019. Neither is a 2026 schedule, so we used the organizer’s.

The 2026 calendar, in order

Lighting of the Square, Friday, Nov 27

This is the Black Friday kickoff, with carolers, hot cocoa and a visit from Santa, based at the Visitors Center on South Park Street. The Visitors Bureau describes the season as running from the day after Thanksgiving through the first week of January, set in motion by the lighting. If you want the exact moment the lights go on, check the organizer’s schedule closer to the day.

Visit Santa, Nov 27 to Dec 29

Santa visits with a chance for a free photo. The organizer lists a window from November 27 to December 29 and says to check its schedule for exact dates and times, so do that before you promise anyone.

Small Business Saturday, Nov 28

The national shop-small day falls on Saturday, November 28, 2026, per the SBA. It is always the Saturday after Thanksgiving, per American Express, which founded it in 2010. We found no Dahlonega-specific 2026 promotion published yet. In practice it is the day after the lighting; check each shop’s Saturday hours in our table.

Christmas Market in Hancock Park, Dec 5 to 13

The organizer lists the Christmas Market in Hancock Park from December 5 to December 13, 2026, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is the Women’s Club’s annual fundraiser, with gifts, homemade sweets and holiday decor. Hancock Park is the city park just off the Square at North Park and Warwick streets, per the City of Dahlonega.

Parade, Saturday, Dec 12

The parade of community floats runs from noon to 1 p.m. The organizer posts its route as a map; the Visitors Bureau places it in the historic district. Streets on the route will be busy, so park early (see below).

Kid’s Day, Dec 19, and the Holly Theatre movie, Dec 21

Kid’s Day in Hancock Park, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., is holiday crafts and activities for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, and a parent or guardian must stay. On Monday, December 21, the Holly Theatre on West Main Street shows The Santa Clause (PG) free; the organizer lists the window as 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Evening shopping in December

The Visitors Bureau holiday page says downtown has extended merchant hours every evening in December, with wine sampling and carriage rides. What no source publishes is a list of which shops stay open late or until when. A few shops publish evening hours year-round: Paul Thomas Chocolates lists 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 8 p.m. the other days, and Kilwins lists 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, both on their own sites. For everyone else, ask in the shop or call; our shop hours table shows what each shop publishes.

Dates to plan around

• The Gold Museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, per Georgia State Parks.
• Crisson Gold Mine is open all major holidays except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, per Crisson Gold Mine.
• The Grapes & Ghosts office and tasting room close for the first two weeks of January, per Dahlonega Walking Tours.
• Cranberry Corners closes Mondays and Tuesdays in January and February and keeps a Christmas corner all year, per Cranberry Corners.

Gifts that travel

The Fudge Factory ships chocolate only between November 1 and February 28 because of the heat, so the Christmas season is its shipping window, per the Fudge Factory. Vickie Lynn’s Gifts makes personalized items in any name and color and ships, per its Facebook page. If you cannot decide, Dahlonega Dollars is the downtown gift card, good at participating downtown businesses and sold online through Yiftee. For ideas by person, try the Gift Finder.

Parking on the big days

Parking on and around the Square is free. The 3-hour spaces are enforced 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, which matters on Friday, November 27. For a long day, the Park & Stay spaces are in the North Park Street and Warwick Street lots, per the Visitors Bureau parking guide. The UNG deck next to the Smith House is free to the public from Friday at 5:30 p.m. to Monday at 7:30 a.m., per the Dahlonega DDA, which covers the parade Saturday. More on our Christmas shopping guide.

Questions people ask

Written by the Dahlonega Shopping Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact against its source before it publishes.