At the end of October, the only holiday-season dates set for Vinings proper are on restaurant menus. Elsewhere the calendar is already crowded. The Battery Atlanta has dated its tree lighting, its markets and its Santa evenings. Smyrna has set the night Santa lights the tree at Market Village. Cobb Energy Centre has posted every curtain time for the Nutcracker, through December 26.
The 2026 holiday season around Vinings is spread across weeknights about as much as weekends, and a lot of what is planned sits a short drive from the village. The planning comes down to which Tuesdays and Thursdays you are willing to give up.
Same ZIP Code, Different Address Line
The Battery Atlanta lists its address as 800 Battery Avenue Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30339. That is the same 30339 printed on mail across much of Vinings. On a holiday map, that makes The Battery the closest place nearby with a full, dated program. Its holiday guide runs from late November through a New Year's Eve Bash presented by Xfinity, which includes a family-friendly early countdown.
Smyrna sits on the other side, with its season centered on Market Village and the civic buildings along Atlanta Road. Cobb Energy Centre hosts the season's longest run of performances. With all three dated, Vinings has a planned holiday season close by whether or not the village itself adds anything.
Thanksgiving Week Sets the Order
The season starts at the table. South City Kitchen Vinings has posted its 2026 Thanksgiving plans for Thursday, November 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Guests can have a three-course feast in the dining room and take leftovers home, or pick up a take-and-bake supper. The take-home option is listed as the Classic Southern Thanksgiving Supper for 4 at $165, tagged for Vinings. For a household hosting family that has flown in, that price set against four plates is the figure to weigh against a day in your own kitchen.
Two days later comes the biggest single evening of the season nearby. The Battery's Tree Lighting presented by Wellstar is Saturday, November 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Georgia Power Pavilion. It is tagged as a free, kid-friendly event, with live entertainment, guest appearances from A-Town A-List and Santa on hand to light the tree. Afterward, families can settle onto the green for an outdoor movie on the plaza screen. If your Thanksgiving guests stay through the weekend, that Saturday evening is the obvious outing.
Some other things start that same week and run past it:
- Santa's Post Office opens November 21 and runs through December 24 at the Truist Holiday Community Corner, on Power Alley and Battery Avenue. It is free and first-come, first-served, and hours vary. Papa Elf is listed for November 21, 27 and 28 and December 4, 5, 11, 12, 18 and 19.
- Letters to Santa at the Smyrna Public Library, 100 Village Green Circle SE, runs from November 28 through December 11 during library hours.
- Marietta Melt Yard at 800 Whitlock Avenue NW in Marietta starts its "Home Alone" theme on November 13, with themed decor, menu and cocktails, according to Cobb Travel & Tourism's holiday pop-up roundup.
The Tuesday That Starts December
Smyrna doesn't hold its tree lighting on a weekend. Home for the Holidays, which the city calls its annual kickoff to the season, is Tuesday, December 1, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Market Village. The evening includes local school choirs around Market Village, Santa lighting the tree and staying for photos, and the Kris Kringle Market for gifts and treats.
The same day, the Glover Park Brewery pop-up at 65 Atlanta Street SE in Marietta opens its "Christmas Vacation" theme, which runs through December 27. Two days after that, on Thursday, December 3, The Battery holds the first of three Santa Paws evenings, also set for December 10 and 17. Its holiday guide lists Santa Paws as free, from 4 to 8 p.m.
So a Tuesday and a Thursday carry the season's first week of December, before the first full weekend arrives. Households with work and school schedules will feel that more than a weekend-heavy calendar would suggest.
December 5 and 6 Stack Three Events
The first weekend of December is the most crowded of the season. In order:
- Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Smyrna Holiday Market opens at Brawner Hall and Reed House, 3180 Atlanta Road.
- Saturday, December 5, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Atlanta Ballet's The Nutcracker opens at Cobb Energy Centre, with the Tchaikovsky score played live by the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra.
- Sunday, December 6, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Smyrna Holiday Market's second day.
- Sunday, December 6, 1 to 4 p.m. The Battery's Kids Holiday Market, made up of kid-run businesses.
- Sunday, December 6, 2 p.m. The Nutcracker's only performance that day.
The Sunday afternoon slots overlap, so a family can't do the Kids Holiday Market and the Sunday Nutcracker matinee on the same day. The Nutcracker has other dates and the Kids Holiday Market does not, so the ballet is the one to move. The following Sunday, December 13, The Battery holds its Holiday Gift Market from 1 to 4 p.m., with vendors, live holiday music and family activities. Shoppers who miss the Smyrna weekend get a second chance there.
The Rest of December, at a Glance
After the first weekend, most of the dated events shift to weekdays.
| Date | Day | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 10 | Thursday | Santa Paws | The Battery Atlanta | 4–8 p.m. |
| Dec. 11 | Friday | The Nutcracker | Cobb Energy Centre | 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 12–13 | Sat.–Sun. | The Nutcracker | Cobb Energy Centre | 2 and 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 13 | Sunday | Holiday Gift Market | The Battery Atlanta | 1–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 14 | Monday | Sensitive Santa | The Battery Atlanta | 1–3 p.m. |
| Dec. 17 | Thursday | Santa Paws | The Battery Atlanta | 4–8 p.m. |
| Dec. 18 | Friday | The Nutcracker | Cobb Energy Centre | 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 19–20 | Sat.–Sun. | The Nutcracker | Cobb Energy Centre | 2 and 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 21 | Monday | Sensitive Santa | The Battery Atlanta | 1–3 p.m. |
| Dec. 22–23 | Tue.–Wed. | The Nutcracker | Cobb Energy Centre | 2 and 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 24 | Thursday | The Nutcracker | Cobb Energy Centre | 1 p.m. |
| Dec. 26 | Saturday | The Nutcracker | Cobb Energy Centre | 2 p.m. |
Sensitive Santa is a low-sensory visit, and The Battery says registration details are still to come. The Nutcracker's Christmas week has two performances each on Tuesday and Wednesday and a single 1 p.m. show on Christmas Eve. For a family with children out of school that week, those weekday matinees are the easiest way to see the ballet without fighting the weekend crowds.
For a holiday gallery away from the busy commercial centers, Cobb County's Tree Jubilee is at the Mable House Arts Center, 5239 Floyd Road in Mableton. The free gallery is open November 12 through December 11, and the main event is November 21.
What Is Still Happening at the Jubilee
The village has its own events running this week. As of the Thursday this post goes out, two are still going at Vinings Jubilee. The Partners Card fundraiser for Camp Twin Lakes runs through Sunday, November 1. HOBNOB's Bourbon & Bites series runs through Tuesday, November 3. Both are an easy way to spend an evening close to home before the holiday dates get crowded.
The Jubilee's events page doesn't list a holiday program yet, and neither does the Vinings Historic Preservation Society, which asks visitors to check back for upcoming events. Treat any dates you remember from past seasons as unconfirmed until those two pages post 2026 plans.
Holiday weeks are often when neighbors start talking seriously about what comes next, whether that is a bigger house, a smaller one, or staying put. If that conversation is starting at your table this season, Robert Peterson is glad to talk through it quietly and at your pace, on whichever evening the calendar leaves open. Let's Connect.
