Lawrenceville holiday lights 2026: Light Park, tree lighting

Last checked Nov. 2, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Dates come from each organizer’s own page, linked. Where only last year’s date is out, we say so.

Christmas is Friday, Dec. 25, 2026. Lawrenceville’s season starts Friday, Nov. 13, when The Light Park, a walk-through light show, opens at Gwinnett Field. On Friday, Nov. 20, the free Atlanta Christkindl Market opens on the Lawrenceville Lawn for its run to Christmas Eve. On Thanksgiving night, Nov. 26, Santa lights the great tree at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, and the Lawrenceville Arts Center fills December with Aurora Theatre’s Christmas Canteen, The Nutcracker and the Gwinnett Symphony’s Holiday Pops.

Who to call

• Aurora Theatre and arts center box office: 678-226-6222
• Gwinnett Historic Courthouse: 770-822-5450
• Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation: 770-822-8840

Updated Nov. 2: The Light Park, a new walk-through light show at Gwinnett Field, runs Nov. 13 to Jan. 3. The Christkindl Market has named free parking at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. Nutcracker single tickets go on sale Nov. 19.

Updated Oct. 25: the Atlanta Christkindl Market returns to the Lawn Nov. 20 to Dec. 24; the city closes the Green and Silver lots Nov. 1 to Dec. 25 for it.

The Light Park at Gwinnett Field, Nov. 13 to Jan. 3

The ballpark at 2500 Buford Drive becomes a walk-through Christmas light show with millions of lights in eight themed areas, a Christmas market, train rides and visits with Santa, according to the Gwinnett Stripers. It opens 6 p.m. nightly, closing at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with later nights Dec. 18-27 and New Year’s Eve. It is closed Nov. 16-19, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Tickets are online only, children 2 and under are free, and parking is free, according to the organizer. Full hours and rules: our Light Park page.

Atlanta Christkindl Market, Nov. 20 to Dec. 24

The German-style holiday market is open 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, plus 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 23-25 and Dec. 21-23. It is closed Thanksgiving Day and closes at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve, its final day. Admission is free; Santa photos are $25 a group, according to the market’s Lawrenceville page. Parking is free at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive. Full hours and parking are on our Christkindl Market page.

Tree lighting and Santa

Lighting of the Tree, Thursday, Nov. 26, 5:30 to 8 p.m., Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, 185 W. Crogan St.: Santa lights the great tree, with live entertainment, courthouse tours, kids’ activities, s’mores and a gingerbread house contest. Free, according to Gwinnett County’s fall 2026 program guide. More on our Thanksgiving page.

Santa at the Christkindl Market: photos are $25 a visit for the whole group; the market had not posted its 2026 Santa dates on Nov. 2.

Santa at The Light Park: every open night through Dec. 23, with Mrs. Claus on Fridays and Saturdays; photos cost extra, the organizer says.

Holiday Jubilee, Saturday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bethesda Park, 225 Bethesda Church Road: more than 50 local merchants, photos with Santa, s’mores and hot cocoa. Free.

Last year at the courthouse. The county’s December 2025 guide listed Brunch with Santa at the courthouse on Dec. 7 and 13, free family holiday photo sessions on weekdays Dec. 1-19 and an evening open house on Dec. 20 with a mailbox for letters to Santa (December 2025 to February 2026 guide). The 2026 dates will be in the county’s next program guide; we will add them.

On stage at the Lawrenceville Arts Center

• Christmas Canteen, Nov. 19 to Dec. 23: Aurora Theatre’s holiday revue of Christmas classics, dance numbers and comedy, which Aurora calls suitable for all ages (show page).
• Southern Ballet Theatre’s A Very Grinchy Christmas, Nov. 20-22 (details).
• Gwinnett Symphony: Holiday Pops with Joe Gransden, 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 (details).
• Southern Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19; 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, with the Lawrenceville Symphony Orchestra. Single tickets on sale Nov. 19. See our Nutcracker page.
• Motown Christmas, listed Dec. 20-21, starting 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20 (details).

Morning family shows, each about an hour: The Holiday Science Show, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 5; The Holiday Magic Extravaganza, 10 a.m. Dec. 12; and The Holiday Juggling Show, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 19, all listed on the arts center calendar.

At the library

Gwinnett County Public Library programs at the Lawrenceville-area branches, from its events calendar:

• Seasonal Strings, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, Lawrenceville Hooper-Renwick Branch, 56 Neal Blvd.: student string musicians play classical favorites (details).
• Pajama Storytime, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, Hooper-Renwick, for ages 5 and under (details).
• Christmas Craft-ernoon, 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, Hooper-Renwick: historic Christmas traditions and handmade decorations (details).
• Holiday Circuitry, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, Collins Hill Branch, 455 Camp Perrin Road, for ages 6 to 11 (details).
• Glowforge Holiday Ornaments, 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, Five Forks Branch, for adults (details).

Lights in the water

The county’s Merry & Bright River Night at the Bethesda Park Aquatic Center floated swimmers through a lazy river lined with lights, with Santa, on Dec. 12, 2025, according to last winter’s guide. The center is closed for renovations Oct. 5 to Nov. 15, 2026 (pool page); 2026 holiday dates are not out yet.

Light displays and menorah lightings

The Light Park at Gwinnett Field is the one light display in Lawrenceville with 2026 dates on its organizer’s page (above). Lawrenceville First United Methodist Church’s free drive-through Lawrenceville Lights had not posted 2026 dates on its blog as of Nov. 2. We found no public menorah lighting with 2026 dates. If you are organizing one, send us the details.

Closings over Christmas

• Library: closed Dec. 24-26, 2026, on its holiday schedule.
• Schools: Gwinnett County Public Schools’ winter break is Dec. 21 to Jan. 4 (2026-27 calendar).

Frequently asked questions

When is the Lawrenceville Christmas tree lighting in 2026? Thanksgiving night, Thursday, Nov. 26, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, where Santa lights the great tree. It is free.

When is Christmas Canteen 2026? Aurora Theatre’s Christmas Canteen runs Nov. 19 to Dec. 23, 2026, at the Lawrenceville Arts Center. Aurora calls it suitable for all ages.

Where can I see The Nutcracker in Lawrenceville? Southern Ballet Theatre performs The Nutcracker Dec. 18-20, 2026, at the Lawrenceville Arts Center, 125 N. Clayton St., with the Lawrenceville Symphony Orchestra. Single tickets go on sale Nov. 19.

Where can kids see Santa in Lawrenceville? Santa is at the Holiday Jubilee at Bethesda Park on Saturday, Nov. 21, and lights the tree at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 26.

Is there a holiday light display in Lawrenceville? Yes. The Light Park, a walk-through show of millions of lights, runs Nov. 13, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027, at Gwinnett Field, 2500 Buford Drive, from 6 p.m. nightly, according to its organizer. Tickets are online only; parking is free.

What this means for you

• The Light Park opens Nov. 13; its presale prices end Nov. 12.
• Most December shows are ticketed; book through the arts center box office.
• Watch for the county’s next program guide for 2026 Brunch with Santa dates.
• Return library books before Dec. 24; branches close for three days.

Related: Thanksgiving in Lawrenceville, Black Friday and holiday shopping, New Year’s Eve and kids’ activities.