How a German Christmas Market Fits Into Senoia's December This Year

"We are practically embedded into Main Street," the Atlanta Christkindl Market's Mr. Foelske told Global Atlanta this summer, when he described the market's new second location in downtown Senoia. That line explains the whole season. In past years, Senoia's December was a short list of nights: the parade, the tour of homes, a third-Friday street party. This year a free market opens on Black Friday, November 27, and stays open through Christmas Eve. Every one of those familiar nights now falls inside its run.

Senoia's holiday season has turned into four straight weeks. If you live a few minutes from Main Street, that changes how you plan the month.

A smaller market by design

Most people in the south metro know the Christkindl Market from its earlier runs in Buckhead and Lawrenceville. Lawrenceville is still hosting this year, and it is growing. Organizers expect about 100 booths there, up from 75, plus a 100-foot Ferris wheel and a 50-foot Christmas tree. It will also stay open five weeks by starting the week before Thanksgiving.

Senoia gets about half that. Global Atlanta reported roughly 50 booths and 35 curated vendors, with a 15-foot Christmas pyramid at the entrance and a four-week run. Organizers described the goal as "intimacy over spectacle." The difference is deliberate. A market with 50 booths fits inside a historic downtown without taking it over, and Senoia's Main Street businesses stay part of the visit.

Senoia also gets one feature Lawrenceville doesn't. Steinbach, the German company best known for hand-crafted wooden nutcrackers and traditional wooden toys, plans to set up a workshop off the town square where visitors can learn about its craftsmanship.

The city worked to land it. Mayor Scott Tigchelaar announced the market in March and credited Downtown Development Authority event coordinators Ashley Wood and Stephanie Reeder with making the case for Senoia. He said the city would work with organizers so the market "complements our existing Light Up Senoia festivities, parade, tour of homes and other traditions." City Council approved a memorandum of understanding at a June 8 special called meeting. The vote was 4-0, and the mayor recused himself.

The four weeks, laid over the calendar Senoia already had

The market's regular hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free. It's closed on regular Mondays and Tuesdays, which gives downtown two quiet days a week until the final stretch before Christmas.

Here is how the DDA's December calendar lines up with those hours, week by week.

Thanksgiving weekend: November 27 to 29

Senoia's season starts before the market opens. Alive After Five on Friday, November 20, has the theme "Gather & Give." The next morning brings the first Senoia 5K Turkey Trot, starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, November 21, at 30 Gin Street, with BMW of South Atlanta as presenting sponsor. Six days later, on Black Friday, the market opens at 11 a.m. and runs Friday through Sunday that first weekend.

Light Up Senoia: Saturday, December 5

This is the busiest day of the month on paper. The DDA's ticket listing runs Light Up Senoia from 4 to 10 p.m. The schedule:

1. 4:00 p.m.: Santa's Workshop opens at the Senoia Farmers' Market, 40 Travis Street.
2. 4:15 p.m.: Pre-parade entertainment starts in front of the stage on Main Street.
3. 6:00 p.m.: Santa's Workshop closes, and the crowd moves toward Main Street.
4. 6:30 p.m.: The parade begins, with this year's theme "Christmas Through the Decades."
5. After the parade: The Main Street tree lighting, then Santa greets visitors on his sleigh until 8:30 p.m.

The market is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. that day, so a family could arrive in late morning and stay through the tree lighting without leaving downtown. Parade rules say no float may carry a Santa, because Santa rides at the end of the parade on his fire truck.

Candlelight Tour of Homes: Sunday, December 13

The DDA's 2026 Candlelight Tour of Homes is listed for December 13 from 4 to 9 p.m. The DDA's tour page still says details and tickets are coming soon, so check there before you plan around a price or start time. The market's Sunday hours run to 9 p.m., the same closing time as the tour.

Alive After Five: Friday, December 18

The third-Friday street party runs from 5 to 9 p.m. with food, artisan vendors, live music and family activities. The December theme isn't announced yet. The listing still says "Stay tuned, something special is coming…." Both Alive After Five and the market's Friday hours end at 9 p.m., so downtown has two sets of vendors open at once for those four hours.

Christmas week: December 21 to 24

The market changes its schedule for the final stretch. After its regular Friday through Sunday hours on December 18 to 20, it also opens Monday through Wednesday, December 21 to 23, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and closes for the season at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24. That makes it open every day from December 18 through Christmas Eve. December 21 and 22 are the only Monday and Tuesday of the run with market hours.

What the weekday hours add

Senoia's big December events mostly fall on weekends or Friday nights. The market's Wednesday and Thursday hours, 3 to 9 p.m., fill the middle of the week. From Thanksgiving weekend through Christmas Eve, downtown has a holiday attraction open every day except Mondays and Tuesdays, and Christmas week adds those two days back. In past years it was a few scheduled evenings.

That makes the event-day crowds easy to avoid. On a weeknight, a Senoia resident can visit Steinbach's workshop and the booths without the parade crowd. On December 5, the same market is the backdrop to the town's biggest night of the year.

Global Atlanta reported that German companies in the south metro, along with their employees and clients, are key targets for the Senoia market. Foelske said that with the extra week in Lawrenceville and the new location, total traffic could pass half a million. That number covers both markets, but some of those visitors will come to Senoia from outside Coweta County.

Before your first visit

• Entrance. The main entrance and drop-off point is 158 Seavy Street.
• Parking. The market directs guests to street parking throughout downtown and several lots, but it doesn't name specific lots or a shuttle.
• Santa photos. They are free, and you take your own photos. A staffer or volunteer can take a group shot, and a Polaroid keepsake is also offered. No Senoia appearance dates are posted yet.
• Santa Bucks. These are $5 vouchers that work like cash at vendor booths. They give no change, and they can't be used at Käthe Wohlfahrt or for Santa pictures.
• Entertainment. The Senoia events calendar is still empty, so no performers or themed days have been announced.
• Sidewalk work. On September 29, the City notified neighboring property owners about planned sidewalks and parallel parking along Pylant Street and parts of Seavy Street, including the stretch from Barnes Street east to the CSX railroad at the Seavy Park entrance. The notice gives no construction dates.

This year Senoia's December calendar stretches from the Turkey Trot to Christmas Eve. If you're hosting family for the holidays, or you're new to Senoia and want help understanding how the town's calendar works, you can Schedule a Consultation with Angela Yoder. I'm happy to talk through Senoia and the season ahead.