Light Up Dunwoody's tree and menorah lighting is Sunday, Nov. 15, at Donaldson-Bannister Farm. The Dunwoody Village lantern parade is Sunday, Nov. 22.

Last checked Oct. 5, 2026. This page is updated each year. Sources: the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, Create Dunwoody and the City of Dunwoody.

Dunwoody’s holiday season opens with Light Up Dunwoody on Sunday, Nov. 15, the city’s community tree and menorah lighting at Donaldson-Bannister Farm. A week later, on Sunday, Nov. 22, the Dunwoody Village Holiday Celebration ends with a lantern parade and a tree and snowflake lighting. It is the closest thing Dunwoody has to a Christmas parade.

Who to call

Light Up Dunwoody: Sunday, Nov. 15

Co-presented by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and the Dunwoody Preservation Trust since 1996, Light Up Dunwoody is held at Donaldson-Bannister Farm, 4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. The association says about 2,500 people attend. The posted schedule:

Time What happens
2 p.m. Doors open; DJ, photos with Santa and his reindeer
3 p.m. North Georgia School of Ballet
3:30 p.m. Dan and Co Dancers
4 p.m. DCS cheerleaders
4:30 p.m. North Georgia School of Ballet
5 p.m. Dunwoody High School Marching Band
5:30 p.m. Dan and Co Dancers
6 p.m. Tree and menorah lighting

There are also crafts, sponsor tents and family activities, according to the association’s event page.

Dunwoody Village Holiday Celebration and Lantern Parade: Sunday, Nov. 22

Create Dunwoody and the Dunwoody Village Merchant Alliance hold the celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. along Dunwoody Village Parkway. This year it expands from Dunwoody Village and Dunwoody Plaza to the Shops of Dunwoody, Create Dunwoody says.

The 2026 running order has not been posted. In 2025, according to Discover Dunwoody, activities began at 3 p.m., performances at 4:30 p.m., lantern line-up and judging at 5:30 p.m. and the lantern parade at 5:50 p.m., followed by awards and a tree and snowflake lighting at 6:30 p.m. Families bought lantern kits ahead of time and decorated their own. In bad weather, performances and awards moved to the Dunwoody United Methodist Church gym.

Holiday Lights at Brook Run Park

Dunwoody Parks and Recreation runs Holiday Lights, a free walk-through display in and around the Brook Run Park playground, 4770 N. Peachtree Road, in December. The city says the display typically features 100,000 lights, shining nightly through Dec. 31, and has been held since 2020. The 2026 opening date had not been announced when we checked.

The parks department also runs Letters to Santa, where children email Santa and get a mailed reply, and Letters to Seniors, with drop-offs at City Hall, 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road, and the Spruill Center for the Arts, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, according to the city’s Holiday Lights page.

More holiday events

  • Spruill Holiday Art Fair, Nov. 13 to Dec. 23: handmade gifts from Georgia artists at the Spruill Gallery, 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road, per the Spruill Center for the Arts.
  • The Winter Wonderettes, Dec. 5-20: Stage Door Theatre’s holiday musical at the Dunwoody Cultural Arts Center, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, per the theater’s season page.

What this means for you

  • Get to Donaldson-Bannister Farm before 6 p.m. on Nov. 15 for the lighting.
  • Buy or make a lantern before Nov. 22 if your family wants to march.
  • Holiday Lights at Brook Run Park is free every night in December.

Related: things to do in Dunwoody this month and Dunwoody history and landmarks.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Dunwoody tree lighting in 2026?

Light Up Dunwoody is Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, at Donaldson-Bannister Farm, 4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. Doors open at 2 p.m., and the tree and menorah lighting is set for 6 p.m.

Does Dunwoody have a Christmas parade?

Dunwoody’s holiday parade is the Lantern Parade at the Dunwoody Village Holiday Celebration, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026, from 3 to 7 p.m. along Dunwoody Village Parkway. In 2025 the lanterns stepped off at 5:50 p.m.

Is Light Up Dunwoody free?

The Dunwoody Homeowners Association does not list an admission charge. It says about 2,500 people attend each year, with Santa and his live reindeer as the stars.

When are the Brook Run Park holiday lights in Dunwoody?

Dunwoody Parks and Recreation runs a free walk-through display of about 100,000 lights around the Brook Run Park playground in December, lit nightly through Dec. 31. The 2026 opening date has not been announced.