McDonough Square's Holiday Season Runs on Saturdays, and December 5 Is the Busiest
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
The City of McDonough's 2026 calendar puts a Main Street event on the Square almost every Saturday from November 21 through December 19, then two more events on New Year's Eve. Each date has its own focus, from a market and a shopping day to the parade and two Grinch weekends. Knowing which Saturday does what is how you choose your outings, and it's how you avoid the one day when four events land in about eight hours.
Every Square event below is listed at McDonough Square Proper, 5 Griffin Street, unless noted.
| Date | Event on the Square | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 30 | Trick or Treat on the Square, Scarecrow Contest winners | 2–5 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Holiday Market on Main | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Santa & Mrs Claus on the Square | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 28 | AMEX Small Business Saturday | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Merry Market on Main | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Santa & Mrs Claus on the Square | 11 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 5 | McDonough Tree Lighting | 4–5 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 5 | McDonough Christmas Parade | 6–8 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 12 | The Grinch on the Square / Whoville Market | 11 a.m.–3 p.m. / 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 19 | The Grinch on the Square / Whoville Market | 11 a.m.–3 p.m. / 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Thu, Dec 31 | Family Fun Day on the Square | 1–5 p.m. |
| Thu, Dec 31 | The Geranium Drop on the Square | 11 p.m.–midnight |
A few gaps in the table matter. November 14 and December 26 have no Square events, and the Friday after Thanksgiving is a city closure day. Small Business Saturday on November 28 is the only Main Street event that week. The city also marks December 24, 25 and 31 as closure days for city offices, though the New Year's Eve events still go on.
The season opens with the city's Scarecrow Contest. This year the city capped it at 50 entries, with applications taken at the Welcome Center from August 24 through September 25. The winners will be named on Friday, October 30, during Trick or Treat on the Square. From 2 to 5 p.m., participating merchants hand out treats to families in costume walking the Square.
The Square event ends at 5 p.m. For Halloween night itself, El Viejon Mexican Grill & Cantina at 557 Jonesboro Road has a free event on Saturday, October 31. Family activities run until 6 p.m., followed by a DJ party from 6 to 11 p.m. El Viejon had its Henry County Chamber ribbon cutting on July 2, 2026.
The city's first holiday Saturday, November 21, pairs the Holiday Market on Main, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Santa & Mrs Claus on the Square from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the earliest and longest Santa visit of the season. On December 5, Santa leaves at 3 p.m., an hour earlier, to make way for the tree lighting and parade. If you'd like photos with Santa without the parade-day crowds, November 21 has the most hours.
A week later, on November 28, the calendar shifts from the market to the storefronts themselves with AMEX Small Business Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. That's the latest-closing daytime Square event of the season. It's also a good day to stop by shops that opened recently. Artsy Craftsy at Break The Moldz, at 41 Keys Ferry Street just off the Square, had its Chamber ribbon cutting on May 21, 2026.
On December 5, the market, Santa, the tree lighting and the parade all happen on the same Saturday. Here's how the day lays out on the city's calendar and in the 2026 parade application:
Two things happen at once in the late afternoon. While the tree is being lit on the Square, floats are lining up and being judged on East Tomlinson Street. In the city's September 8 notice, the parade "begins promptly" at 6 p.m. and is capped at the first 80 entries. The application says no rain date is planned. It also names Santa as the parade's featured guest, so entries may not include their own Santa. If you or a group you belong to plans to enter, the application sets two deadlines: cancellations by Friday, November 20, and announcer information by Monday, November 30.
The city hasn't posted the 2026 parade route, road closures or spectator parking yet. Watch the city's news flash page as the date gets closer.
The same weekend has a second holiday event for many McDonough families. The McDonough-based Giselle DiBlasi School of Ballet performs The Nutcracker on Saturday, December 5, and Sunday, December 6. The shows are at the Henry County Schools Performing Arts Center–Fairview, 544 Fairview Road in Stockbridge, not downtown. The Sunday performance runs 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., with tickets listed from $27.33. If you want both the ballet and the parade, the Sunday matinee keeps Saturday free for the Square.
After the parade, the calendar repeats one event twice. The Grinch on the Square runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Whoville Market on the Square runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., on both December 12 and December 19. With two identical dates, you have a backup if one weekend gets busy. December 19 is also the last Saturday market on the Square before Christmas.
The calendar ends the season with a split. Family Fun Day on the Square runs from 1 to 5 p.m. on December 31. The Geranium Drop on the Square is listed from 11 p.m. to midnight.
That listing is shorter than the evening in earlier coverage. For New Year's Eve 2024, Atlanta News First listed the event as free at 5 Griffin Street from 8 p.m. to midnight, with live music from 8 p.m. and deals in downtown storefronts. 11Alive's roundup of drops that year described people spending the evening at downtown shops and restaurants and then gathering in the Square near midnight. This year the city lists the daytime family program separately, and the drop itself has a one-hour slot. Check the city calendar closer to the date for any evening programming before 11 p.m.
The Geranium Drop takes its name from a festival with a long history in McDonough. Atlanta News First's 2024 listing explained it this way:
"McDonough is known as the 'Geranium City' because of its yearly Geranium Festival — hence the Geranium Drop."
According to the Geranium Festival's own history, it began in 1977 as the Henry County Chamber Arts and Crafts Festival at Big Spring Park and moved to the downtown Square in 1979. Lois and Kirk Carney, who sold plants through their McDonough business Oglevee Products, donated 250 red geraniums the first year. They gave more each year after that, eventually more than 800. In 1982 the festival was renamed the Red Geranium Festival in their honor. The organizers count 2026 as the 49th annual festival.
Here's the season in short. If you can only make one Saturday, choose November 21 for the longest Santa hours, November 28 for the shops, or December 5 if you want everything in one day and can be in place before 6 p.m.
If the holiday season has you thinking about your own home on or near the Square, from what it's worth to how long it takes to sell, Yahtava Morrison can walk you through it, and she'll fit around your parade plans. Start with a free home valuation, and we'll talk McDonough over coffee once the scarecrows come down.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
With deep local knowledge and a passion for helping clients succeed, Yahtava Morrison provides reliable real estate guidance.