When does the holiday season start in Historic Roswell? Most years the answer is the day Christkindlmarket opens at Bulloch Hall. In 2026 it starts one night earlier, on Canton Street, because weather canceled a June festival.
The City of Roswell's Alive in Roswell page lists a rescheduled festival for Thursday, November 19, 2026, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. According to Roswell365's event listing, the city added it after the June 18 festival was canceled because of weather. The next afternoon, Friday, November 20, the Christkindlmarket opens on the Bulloch Hall grounds and runs through December 23. Those two events on back-to-back nights make the first leg of a holiday calendar that runs about two weeks, with stops on both ends of Historic Roswell.
Halloween weekend comes first. Southern Post at 1035 Alpharetta Street hosts a Fall Movie Night on Friday, October 30, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Roswell's Boos & Booze Halloween Bar Crawl runs Saturday, October 31, from 3:00 to 10:00 p.m., starting at North End Kitchen & Bar at 1170 Canton Street, with admission listed at $18. After that, Canton Street has a quiet stretch until the 19th.
Alive in Roswell Usually Ends in October
The city's regular 2026 Alive schedule ended with the October 15 festival. The make-up date comes five weeks later, after the end of daylight saving time, so this Alive happens almost entirely after dark. It still uses the usual footprint, with booths and crowds spread across Historic Canton Street and the Roswell Antique and Interiors Lot. It's free, and leashed dogs are welcome.
The city hasn't named a November theme or a November band. The 2026 band list on the Alive in Roswell guide stops at October. No later Alive date shows up in the 2026 listings, so November 19 looks like the year's final festival, although the city hasn't called it that.
The timing matters because of what follows it. On a typical year, the last Alive and the first night of Christkindlmarket are more than a month apart. This year you can walk Canton Street on Thursday and stroll the market at Bulloch Hall on Friday afternoon.
The Calendar, Night by Night
| Date | Event | Where | Hours | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Alive in Roswell, make-up date | Historic Canton Street and the Roswell Antique and Interiors Lot | 5:00–9:00 p.m. | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 20 to Wed., Dec. 23 | Christkindlmarket at Bulloch Hall | 180 Bulloch Avenue | Mon–Thu 3–8 p.m.; Fri–Sat noon–9 p.m.; Sun noon–8 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Christmas Tree Lighting, Friends of Bulloch Hall | Bulloch Hall | 6:00–9:00 p.m. | Not listed |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | City of Roswell Christmas Tree Lighting | Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton Street | 6:00–8:00 p.m. | Free |
How Canton Street Closes on a Festival Afternoon
The city hasn't posted a traffic notice for November 19. The standing closure schedule in the city's Alive guide sets the order streets usually close in on festival days. The map in that guide is labeled for 2025, so treat this as the usual pattern, not confirmed plans for this date.
- 2:00 p.m. Setup closures begin at Elizabeth Way and the Webb Street entrance.
- 3:30 p.m. The Roswell Antique and Interiors Lot and Webb Street close.
- 5:00 p.m. Canton Street closes, and the festival begins.
For parking, the same guide points to the City Hall and Cultural Arts Center lots, where trolley stops serve the festival drop-off points. It also lists Green Street, the Woodstock Soccer Complex, East Alley and street parking. The November listing itself confirms free public parking at City Hall. Drinks have to be in clear plastic cups, and glass and outside alcohol aren't allowed.
34 Webb Street Is Inside the Festival Footprint
Webb Street is one of the first streets to close, and it now has one of Historic Roswell's newest small-business clusters. Roswell Inc's summer 2026 welcome roundup reported that West + Peak had moved into an expanded storefront, Roswell Supply Co. had held its grand opening, and V's Coffee Collab had debuted. All three are at the same address.
- West + Peak, the candle studio, workshop space and curated shop, lists 34 Webb Street, Units 102 and 103.
- Roswell Supply Co., a local lifestyle shop, opened next to West + Peak's move and shares that address.
- V's Coffee Collab, a specialty coffee shop, lists its new shop at 34 Webb Street.
On a Thursday, West + Peak's posted hours are noon to 5:00 p.m. If the usual closure order holds, the store closes about when Canton Street does, and Webb Street will already have been shut for an hour and a half. To shop for the holidays here before Alive, plan for early afternoon and leave the car in a festival lot. A holiday candle from a local studio makes a good host gift for the gatherings that follow the next two weekends.
A block over, Social House is a nonprofit event venue that Roswell Inc's roundup listed among the summer's grand openings. Its address is 1098 Green Street, the same Green Street the Alive guide lists for parking. If you're planning a holiday party for this season or next, add it to your list.
Friday Afternoon at Bulloch Hall
The Christkindlmarket opens at noon on Friday, November 20. The Friends of Bulloch Hall listing promises traditional mulled wine, foods from around the world and a marketplace of vendors. Admission is free.
Monday through Thursday, the market runs only from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday it's open noon to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday noon to 8:00 p.m. Santa photos happen only Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., and no reservations are needed. Opening Friday is the first chance of the season for a Santa photo in Historic Roswell. It also comes the day after Alive, so if you're hosting out-of-town guests that weekend, you can plan both nights around Historic Roswell.
For the 2026 schedule, use the Friends of Bulloch Hall listing. The market's own website shows the same November 20 to December 23 dates in its banner, but parts of its page still carry 2024 copy.
Two Tree Lightings, Six Days Apart
Roswell lights two trees this season, at two different venues.
The first is at Bulloch Hall on Saturday, November 28, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., during the market's run on Thanksgiving weekend. The market is open noon to 9:00 p.m. on Saturdays, so the lighting happens while the vendors are open.
The second is the city's annual lighting at Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton Street, on Friday, December 4, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. According to the Roswell365 listing, the evening includes choral performances, hot chocolate, fire pits and s'mores, a reading by Mayor Mary Robichaux, a visit from Santa and the lighting of a 40-foot tree. It's free.
The two dates are easy to mix up when a neighbor just says "the tree lighting." The November 28 event is at Bulloch Hall. The December 4 event is the city's, on Canton Street. The two events bookend the season the same way Alive and the market open it, with one night on Canton Street and one at Bulloch Hall.
Canton Street may look different by next holiday season. Rough Draft Atlanta reported that Hal's "The Steakhouse" plans a downtown Roswell location near the corner of Canton Street and Elizabeth Way, with an opening planned for "next spring." Elizabeth Way is one of the first streets to close on an Alive afternoon.
Hosting family between Alive on November 19 and the city tree lighting on December 4 often brings up questions about your home, like how the entry looks when guests arrive after dark or whether the dining room seats everyone. Whether you're getting ready for this season's visitors or thinking ahead to a spring listing, Pamela Bills can walk through your rooms with you and plan the presentation. Schedule a Free Consultation.
