Piedmont Park Conservancy’s Light Up the Season returns Sunday, November 22, 2026, with a new Holiday Lantern Parade. The free event starts at 5 p.m. at Greystone in Piedmont Park, where guests make their own lanterns before walking to the Meadow for the lighting of the park’s Great Tree, Menorah, and Kinara.
Key Takeaways
- Light Up the Season takes place Sunday, November 22, 2026, beginning at 5 p.m. at Greystone in Piedmont Park.
- The Seed & Feed band leads the new Holiday Lantern Parade through the park to the Meadow.
- The evening ends with a ceremony lighting the Great Tree, Menorah, and Kinara side by side.
- The event is free and open to the public, with food and drinks available for purchase.
- A post-event gathering at Park Tavern features a family holiday movie and snacks.
- The 2026 edition is the second Light Up the Season, after the inaugural celebration on November 23, 2025.
Light Up the Season Adds a Parade in Its Second Year
Light Up the Season debuted in 2025 as a single moment: a simultaneous lighting of a 50-foot holiday tree, a menorah, and a kinara in the Meadow. For 2026, Piedmont Park Conservancy is turning that moment into a full evening of activity.
Guests gather first at Greystone, where they can make their own lanterns, listen to a live DJ, and pick up seasonal food. From there, the Seed & Feed band leads a Holiday Lantern Parade through the park. Hundreds of handmade lanterns light the route to the Meadow, where a brief ceremony switches on the holiday displays.
The format reflects what organizers said they wanted from the start. When the Conservancy launched the event last year, it described Light Up the Season as a tradition it hoped to grow each year with more lights, family activities, and programming around the display.
Piedmont Park Takes On a Role Atlanta Once Tied to Rich’s Great Tree
For decades, Atlanta’s best-known holiday lighting was linked to the Great Tree that Rich’s department store first lit in 1948. The inaugural Light Up the Season in 2025 gave the city a new central gathering place for large holiday displays, positioned beside the Atlanta BeltLine in the Meadow.
Piedmont Park Conservancy CEO Doug Widener framed last year’s launch around a shared idea rather than a single holiday. Many traditions celebrate light during the darkest stretch of the year, he explained, and the Conservancy wanted a display that brings those traditions together as a symbol of community and hope. That is why the Great Tree, Menorah, and Kinara are lit at the same moment.
Lantern Parades Have Recent Roots in Piedmont Park
The Holiday Lantern Parade builds on a format Piedmont Park has hosted before. In April, a lantern parade celebrating the work of sculptor Isamu Noguchi traveled from the High Museum of Art to the Noguchi Playscape in the park, marking the playscape’s 50th anniversary during a milestone year for the museum, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary with reinstalled galleries and a Peachtree Street block party. The Seed & Feed Marching Abominables helped lead that spring procession, and the band returns to lead the holiday parade in November.
Piedmont Park Events Close the Night at Park Tavern
After the lighting ceremony, the celebration moves to Park Tavern for a family holiday movie and snacks. Food and drinks are sold throughout the evening, while admission to Light Up the Season itself is free.
The November 22 date places the event at the start of Atlanta’s holiday calendar, the weekend before Thanksgiving, making it one of the first opportunities in the city to see a major holiday display lit.
FAQs
When Is Light Up the Season at Piedmont Park in 2026?
Light Up the Season takes place Sunday, November 22, 2026, starting at 5 p.m. at Greystone in Piedmont Park. The Holiday Lantern Parade then leads guests to the Meadow for the lighting ceremony.
Is Light Up the Season Free?
Yes. Light Up the Season is free and open to the public. Food and drinks are available for purchase during the evening.
Where Can You See Holiday Lights in Piedmont Park?
Piedmont Park’s holiday display stands in the Meadow, where the Great Tree, Menorah, and Kinara are lit during Light Up the Season. In 2025, the display remained up through early January.
Who Leads the Piedmont Park Holiday Lantern Parade?
The Seed & Feed band leads the Holiday Lantern Parade. Guests can make their own lanterns at Greystone before the parade begins.
Is the Piedmont Park Lantern Parade the Same as the Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade?
No. The Holiday Lantern Parade is part of Piedmont Park Conservancy’s Light Up the Season celebration on November 22. It is a separate event from the Atlanta BeltLine Lantern Parade.
