Brook Run Park Holiday Lights open Dec. 1 and shine nightly through Dec. 31. Plus Ravinia's lights and Santa Dec. 10, a menorah lighting and a farmhouse Christmas.
Last checked Oct. 5, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Dates come from each organizer’s own page or listing, linked below.
The season’s centerpiece is Holiday Lights at Brook Run Park, a free walk-through display of about 100,000 lights that opens Tuesday, Dec. 1 and stays lit nightly through Dec. 31. The city’s tree and menorah lighting (Light Up Dunwoody, Nov. 15) and the Dunwoody Village lantern parade (Nov. 22) have their own page: tree lighting and holiday parade.
| Date | Event | Time | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 13 to Dec. 23 | Spruill Gallery Holiday Art Fair | Gallery hours | 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road |
| Tuesday, Dec. 1 | Holiday Lights opening night | 4 to 7 p.m. | Brook Run Park |
| Dec. 1-31 | Holiday Lights | Nightly | Brook Run Park |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Country Christmas Open House | 9 a.m. to noon | Donaldson-Bannister Farm |
| Dec. 5-20 | The Winter Wonderettes | Show times vary | Stage Door Theatre |
| Thursday, Dec. 10 | Menorah Lighting | 5 to 7 p.m. | Dunwoody Village |
| Thursday, Dec. 10 | Ravinia Holiday in Lights | From 5:30 p.m. | 5 Ravinia Drive |
Who to call
- Holiday Lights: Dunwoody Parks and Recreation, parks@dunwoodyga.gov, or City Hall, 678-382-6700
- Ravinia Holiday in Lights: Eventbrite page
- Menorah lighting: Mitzvah House
Light displays
Holiday Lights at Brook Run Park, Dec. 1-31. Dunwoody Parks and Recreation sets up a walk-through display in and around the playground at Brook Run Park, 4770 N. Peachtree Road. It is free and open to all, typically features about 100,000 lights, and shines nightly through Dec. 31. The tradition began in 2020. Opening night is Tuesday, Dec. 1, 4 to 7 p.m., according to the city’s listing on Discover Dunwoody. Source: the city’s Holiday Lights page.
The city also runs two letter campaigns. Letters to Santa lets children email Santa and get a personalized reply by mail. Letters to Seniors are collected at City Hall, 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road, and the Spruill Arts Center, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, for residents of Dunwoody assisted living communities.
Ravinia Holiday in Lights, Thursday, Dec. 10, from 5:30 p.m. The seventh annual evening at Ravinia benefits Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Holiday Wishlist program. Bring a new, unwrapped item in its original packaging from the wish list; that gift is your entry to a light display, 360 photos with Santa, takeaway snow, holiday alpacas, crafts, face painting and refreshments. Free parking is at the visitor lots of One, Two and Three Ravinia Drive. RSVP on the organizer’s Eventbrite page.
Hanukkah
Menorah Lighting at Dunwoody Village, Thursday, Dec. 10, 5 to 7 p.m. Mitzvah House holds its fifth annual community menorah lighting and holiday celebration on Dunwoody Village Parkway. Details: Mitzvah House event page. Light Up Dunwoody on Nov. 15 also lights a menorah alongside the city tree.
Christmas events
Country Christmas Open House, Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to noon. The Dunwoody Preservation Trust decorates the circa 1830 farmhouse at Donaldson-Bannister Farm, 4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, for an old-fashioned country Christmas, with a children’s craft station making farm-style ornaments for the tree. It is free and needs no reservation, according to the trust’s listing and its farm page.
The Winter Wonderettes, Dec. 5-20. Stage Door Theatre, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, stages Roger Bean’s holiday musical, in which the girls save the Harper’s Hardware holiday party when Santa goes missing. Tickets on the theater’s season page.
Holiday Art Fair, Nov. 13 to Dec. 23. Handmade gifts by Georgia artists at the Spruill Gallery, 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road. More on our holiday shopping page.
Christmas week: what changes
- Trash: DeKalb County lists no collection change for Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25. Christmas trees are collected at the curb Dec. 28 to Jan. 7, 2027. See our trash and recycling guide.
- Libraries: DeKalb County Public Library branches are closed Thursday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 25, per the library’s holiday schedule.
- Schools: DeKalb County School District’s winter break runs Dec. 21-31, with New Year’s Day off, according to the district’s 2026-27 calendar (PDF).
- Eating out: Fogo de Chão, 4671 Ashford Dunwoody Road, lists hours of 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on its Dunwoody page.
Frequently asked questions
When do the Brook Run Park holiday lights open in 2026? Opening night is Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 4 to 7 p.m., according to the city’s listing. The free walk-through display of about 100,000 lights then shines nightly through Dec. 31.
Are the Dunwoody holiday lights free? Yes. Dunwoody Parks and Recreation says Holiday Lights at Brook Run Park is free and open to all.
When is the Ravinia Holiday in Lights? Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. at Ravinia. Entry is a donation of a new, unwrapped item from the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Holiday Wishlist; parking is free at One, Two and Three Ravinia Drive.
Where is the menorah lighting in Dunwoody? Mitzvah House holds its fifth annual menorah lighting at Dunwoody Village on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Where can kids see Santa in Dunwoody? Santa takes 360 photos at the Ravinia Holiday in Lights on Dec. 10. He also comes with live reindeer to Light Up Dunwoody on Nov. 15, covered on our tree lighting page.
What this means for you
- Go to Brook Run Park any night in December; it is free.
- Dec. 10 is a big night: the menorah lighting in the Village and Santa at Ravinia.
- Put the tree at the curb between Dec. 28 and Jan. 7.
Related: tree lighting and holiday parade, New Year’s Eve in Dunwoody and kids’ activities.
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