A block off Main Street, on the tree-lined stretch at 158 Seavy Street, wooden booths are about to go up around a German Christmas pyramid 15 to 20 feet tall. The Atlanta Christkindl Market opens there on Friday, November 27, the first time the market has come to Senoia. It stays open until Christmas Eve.
Senoia's December has centered on a handful of annual traditions, including the Light Up Senoia parade and tree lighting and the Candlelight Tour of Homes. Both are on the 2026 calendar again. The difference this year is the time between them. Downtown will have something going on most days of the week for close to a month, and the town's main events now fall on days when the market is open as well.
A Market Built to Sit Inside Downtown
The market comes from GA Events Corp., which has run the Atlanta Christkindl Market since 2016. The company is opening Senoia as its second metro Atlanta location this year, and its Lawrenceville market returns November 20 after what the company calls a record first season in Gwinnett County.
The organizers made clear the Senoia site works differently. "In Senoia, the city is the destination for visitors, not just our market," GA Events Corp. COO Marco Foelske told The Citizen. "We are practically embedded into Main Street."
City officials had the same idea from the start. When the market was confirmed in March, Mayor Scott Tigchelaar told The Citizen that the city would "work closely with organizers to ensure the event complements our existing Light Up Senoia festivities, parade, tour of homes and other traditions." He credited Ashley Wood and Stephanie Reeder, the Senoia Downtown Development Authority's events coordinators, with making the case for Senoia.
That plan now has a name. The DDA has grouped the market, the parade and the home tour together as Christmas in Senoia, presented by BMW of South Atlanta.
What Will Be in the Booths
Plans call for about 50 booths from about 35 vendors. Many of the market's regular vendors will work both Senoia and Lawrenceville, and artisans from Senoia and nearby communities will fill out the Seavy Street lineup.
The menu is traditional Christmas market food:
- Chimney cakes
- Bratwurst
- Raclette
- Roasted nuts
- Hot chocolate
- Glühwein
Shoppers can expect ornaments, décor, jewelry, toys and other handmade gifts. The names of the local vendors haven't been announced. The market's Senoia page also has no entertainment program or Santa photo dates posted yet, and the organizers say those details will come in the next few weeks.
The Hours Decide When Downtown Is Busy
These hours matter most for residents, because they show which days Seavy Street and the blocks around it will see the most foot traffic.
| Days | Hours |
|---|---|
| Wednesdays and Thursdays | 3 PM to 9 PM |
| Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays | 11 AM to 9 PM |
| Monday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Dec. 23 | 11 AM to 9 PM |
| Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24 | 11 AM to 4 PM |
The regular schedule has no Monday or Tuesday hours. Those days open up only during Christmas week. Going by that schedule, the market has 22 open days: opening weekend, three full Wednesday-through-Sunday weeks in December, and then Monday through Christmas Eve.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays the market opens at 3 PM for a six-hour evening, which makes those the shortest regular market days. Only Christmas Eve, at five hours, is shorter. Friday through Sunday runs a full ten hours, the longest stretch of the week.
Admission and parking are free. The organizers point visitors to downtown's street parking and its several lots but don't name specific lots for the Senoia site.
How the Season Builds, Week by Week
The market fills the time between events that were already on the town's calendar. Here is the full stretch from now until Christmas Eve.
Saturdays in November before the market opens. Autumn Nights at the Veranda Historic Inn, 252 Seavy St., runs November 7, 14 and 21 from 4 to 9 PM, with local vendors and seasonal shopping. It's on the same street as the market site, a few weeks earlier. The Senoia Farmers Market is also open Saturdays from 8:30 AM to 1 PM through December.
November 1. Tickets go on sale for the 2026 Candlelight Tour of Homes. They cost $30.
Saturday, November 21. The DDA's Senoia Turkey Trot 5K starts downtown at 8 AM, six days before the market opens.
Friday, November 27. The Christkindl Market opens for Black Friday and stays open through the weekend from 11 AM to 9 PM.
Saturday, December 5. Light Up Senoia falls on a full market day. Santa's Workshop opens at 4 PM at the Senoia Farmers' Market, 40 Travis Street. Pre-parade entertainment starts at 4:15 PM in front of the stage on Main Street, and Santa's Workshop closes at 6 PM so families can head to the parade route. The DDA event schedule lists a 6:30 PM start, though one Enjoy Senoia post gives 6:00 PM, so arriving early covers either one. This year's theme is "Christmas Through the Decades." The Main Street tree lighting comes right after the parade, and Santa takes visitors on his sleigh until 8:30 PM. The market's posted hours run until 9 PM that evening.
Monday, December 7. Booklet pickup for the Candlelight Tour starts at the Welcome Center.
Sunday, December 13. The Candlelight Tour of Homes runs from 3 to 8 PM with eight stops. The market is open from 11 AM to 9 PM the same day, so the tour fits inside the market's hours, with four hours of market time before it starts and one hour after it ends.
December 21 through 24. The market adds Monday and Tuesday hours for Christmas week and closes at 4 PM on Christmas Eve.
A Few Ways to Plan Around It
- For the market at its fullest, go on a Friday through Sunday. Those days have the longest hours, and they line up with the parade and the home tour.
- For a shorter evening visit, go Wednesday or Thursday after 3 PM. It's the easiest window on a weeknight.
- Remember Mondays and Tuesdays before Christmas week. The market has no posted hours on those days, so they're not the night to bring guests.
- Combine the market with a big event. On December 5 you can pair it with Santa's Workshop on Travis Street and the parade on Main Street, and on December 13 you can fit it in before or after the tour. The market is open during both events.
- Check the market's Senoia page again before Thanksgiving. The entertainment schedule, the local vendor list and Santa's hours are still to come.
In 2026, Light Up Senoia is one Saturday night and the Candlelight Tour is one Sunday afternoon. Both dates sit inside a four-week market on Seavy Street that runs from Black Friday until 4 PM on Christmas Eve.
Holidays are when people tend to notice how much their town has changed, and this year's Senoia calendar is a clear example. If you'd like to talk about what that change means for your own plans, whether that's staying, moving up nearby or simply understanding your home's place in the market, Jessica Mottola is glad to talk it through over a cup of Glühwein or a phone call. Let's Connect.
