"We've outgrown the Burger King parking lot." Dunwoody Homeowners Association president Tim Brown said that to Rough Draft Atlanta in October 2025, when the DHA announced that Light Up Dunwoody would leave the Shops of Dunwoody for the lawn of the Donaldson-Bannister House. One season later the move looks permanent. It also changed more than the event's address.
Dunwoody now has three holiday lightings, and each one belongs to a different part of the community. The homeowners association and the preservation trust open the season at the farm. Create Dunwoody and the Village merchants hold their own tree lighting a week later. The city switches on Brook Run in December. Each has its own date, its own host and its own corner of town, so the season unfolds over several weeks instead of one crowded evening.
The lawn at Chamblee Dunwoody and Vermack
Light Up Dunwoody returns Sunday, Nov. 15, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Donaldson-Bannister Farm, 4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. The DHA's event page lists the time and location. Rough Draft Atlanta's preview covers the program: live music, photos with Santa, children's crafts, dance performances, and food trucks serving dinner and desserts, followed by the lighting of the Christmas tree and the menorah.
The first year at the farm worked. Rough Draft reports that organizers estimated the 2025 crowd at about 3,500 people. Brown told the paper:
"After last year's success, I think we have found our place for Light Up Dunwoody. We are excited to have this venue and to deepen our relationship with the Dunwoody Preservation Trust."
That partnership shapes the evening. The DHA and the Dunwoody Preservation Trust co-host the event, and Jimmy and Leah Economos of EEP Events LLC are producing it. This year, members of the Chesnut family, who owned and lived at Donaldson-Bannister Farm from 1975 to 2005, will light the tree and the menorah. The lighting is done by a family who lived on the property for 30 years, which makes the farm the setting of the ceremony and part of its subject.
The sponsor list on the DHA page is local too. It includes Rough Draft Atlanta, J. Kaplan Orthodontics, United Community Bank, Hollywood Feed, ISI Elite Training, School of Rock and Classic Tents, among others. The DHA's event page is the place to check for the day's schedule and parking before Sunday.
Who lights what this season
Here is how the season divides among its hosts:
| Lighting | Hosts | Location | Date and time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Up Dunwoody, tree and menorah | Dunwoody Homeowners Association and Dunwoody Preservation Trust | Donaldson-Bannister Farm, 4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd. | Sun., Nov. 15, 2 to 6 p.m. |
| Village tree lighting with Santa | Create Dunwoody and the Dunwoody Village Merchant Alliance | Dunwoody Village courtyard, 5521 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd. | Sun., Nov. 22, 6:15 p.m. |
| Holiday Lights opening night | Dunwoody Parks and Recreation | Brook Run Park | Tue., Dec. 1 |
Two of the three are on Chamblee Dunwoody Road, on consecutive Sundays. The homeowners' tree and the merchants' tree each get their own afternoon, and the city's display follows nine days after the Village lighting.
The Village kept a lighting of its own
Light Up's departure did not leave the Village without a celebration. Create Dunwoody and the Dunwoody Village Merchant Alliance host the Village Holiday Celebration and Lantern Parade on Sunday, Nov. 22, from 3 to 6:30 p.m. The Discover Dunwoody listing gives the address as 5521 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. Admission and activities are free. The optional lantern workshops charge a fee.
Here is the afternoon in order:
- 3 p.m.: The Kids Market opens, with more than 35 young entrepreneurs selling.
- 4 to 6 p.m.: Live music and dance performances.
- 5:45 p.m.: The Lantern Parade.
- 6 p.m.: Lantern awards.
- 6:15 p.m.: Tree lighting with Santa in the Dunwoody Village courtyard.
The listing marks a mobile petting zoo and train rides as new this year. It also lists live llamas, a classic and exotic car display, ornament decorating, hot chocolate and s'mores. The event falls on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and it spreads across the Greater Dunwoody Village rather than one lot, which suits a merchant-run event. Create Dunwoody's page will post participating businesses and an event map as details are finalized. For more on the Village shops, see our resident's map to Dunwoody Village's fall openings.
Spruill opens the gift season two days earlier
The arts calendar starts before either tree lighting. Spruill Gallery's Holiday Art Fair, which Spruill Center for the Arts calls a Dunwoody tradition for more than 30 years, runs Nov. 13 through Dec. 23 at 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road. Opening night is Friday, Nov. 13, from 5 to 9 p.m. Everything for sale is made by Georgia-based artists and artisans, including ornaments, pottery, candles, blankets and jewelry.
November hours are noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The gallery is closed Mondays and on Thanksgiving Day.
Spruill's free events fit around the other lightings rather than competing with them:
- Sun., Nov. 15, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Pictures with Santa at the gallery. It ends when Light Up Dunwoody begins at the farm.
- Sat., Nov. 21, 1 to 4 p.m.: The AMPLIFY mural unveiling, the day before the Village parade.
- Wed., Dec. 9, 6 to 8 p.m.: Wine tasting.
- Fri., Dec. 18, 6 to 8 p.m.: Mistletoe & Margaritas.
Spruill has a tie to the farm as well. At last year's first Light Up on the farm lawn, Rough Draft reported that Spruill supplied the materials for children to make an ornament to take home or hang on the DHA tree.
The city takes December at Brook Run
The city-run display opens after the neighborhood lightings. Dunwoody Parks and Recreation has scheduled Holiday Lights Opening Night at Brook Run Park for Dec. 1, according to the city manager's September 2026 monthly report. The city's Holiday Lights page describes a free walk-through display in and around the Brook Run playground. It typically features 100,000 lights shining nightly through Dec. 31, and it has run every year since 2020.
The two Sunday lightings are one-time events. Brook Run stays lit every night for a month, so it works for a weeknight walk after dinner or a stop with out-of-town guests on Dec. 30.
Walking there is easier this year. The same city manager's report says new trail lighting between Pernoshal Park and Brook Run Park is complete, and the full trailway between Brook Run Park and Georgetown Park has been restriped. That finished stretch connects to a display that only works after dark.
The farm keeps the season through New Year's Eve
The season returns to Donaldson-Bannister Farm after the lights. The Dunwoody Preservation Trust runs Camp Flashback for ages 6 to 12 on the farm at 4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Road over both school breaks. The Thanksgiving session runs Nov. 23 to 27 and is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. The winter session runs Dec. 28 to 31. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the rate is $100 per child per day. The winter program includes a Snow & Snowman Day, a Holidays Around the World theme and a New Year's day with fizzing fireworks and goal jars.
On Roberts Drive, the Dunwoody Nature Center offers break camps at 5343 Roberts Drive on Nov. 23 and 24, Dec. 21 to 23, and Dec. 28 to 30, with half-day and full-day options for preschool and elementary-age children.
The same farm lawn that opens the season on Nov. 15 has campers on it through Dec. 31.
Bobbie Schmitt has spent more than 50 years helping homes look their best for buyers. If you plan to list your Dunwoody home in the new year, the holiday weeks are a good time to work out what it needs: staging, photography, and the right time to go live. Bobbie Schmitt will put together a plan for your specific home and its corner of Dunwoody. Request a Custom Marketing Plan.
