Article by Emma Ryan

From live productions to light shows and holiday markets, Atlanta is home to a variety of traditions to get you in the holiday spirit. Here are seven to consider adding to your to-do list.   

• Atlantic Station Christmas. Only three miles from Tech’s campus, Atlantic Station offers a variety of holiday-themed events, including Atlanta Holiday Lights, a drive-through light show on display from Nov. 11-Jan. 2. Tickets start at $25/car, or $15/adult for a walking experience (walking nights are available on Thursdays). And on Nov. 20, don’t miss Light the Station at 7 p.m., when the 50-foot tree on Atlantic Green will be lit for the first time this year. Atlantic Station is also home to the largest ice rink in metro Atlanta. Skate the Station is open from Nov. 19-Jan. 17. Tickets start at $15.
• Alliance Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. From Nov. 12-Dec. 24, Alliance Theatre’s annual production of A Christmas Carol is returning to the newly renovated Coca-Cola Stage at the Woodruff Arts Center. The musical, which will feature a redesigned set and new costumes, takes viewers to Charles Dickens’s London to tell the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Tickets start at $42.
• Stone Mountain Christmas. If you’d rather spend time outside, now-Jan. 2, check out Stone Mountain Christmas. This event includes a variety of holiday-themed activities at Stone Mountain Park, such as a Christmas parade, a 4D viewing of The Polar Express, the world’s largest Christmas light show, and much more. One-day passes to the park start at $34.95.  
• Garden Lights, Holiday Nights. From Nov. 13-Jan. 15, Garden Lights, Holiday Nights returns to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Voted the best holiday event in metro Atlanta by readers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2020, this year’s exhibit will feature a new Glowing Grove and lighted sculptures from this past summer’s exhibits. Tickets are available at a reduced capacity (so advanced purchase is encouraged) and start at $24.95. 
• Atlanta Christkindl Market. From Nov. 26-Jan. 2, the Atlanta Christkindl Market offers the opportunity to try out authentic German food and drinks, such as pretzels, Schnitzel, handmade Belgium fries, crepes, and lots of chocolate. For those shopping for gifts, the market, which will take place at The Buckhead Village District, will also feature products from a variety of vendors. Admission is free. 
• Black Nativity: A Gospel Christmas Musical Experience. Showing from Dec. 2-19 on the stage of Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts, Black Nativity tells the story of the birth of Christ from the African-American perspective. Inspired by the work of playwright Langston Hughes, the show incorporates traditional African costumes, dancing, and spirituals and gospel music into Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. Tickets start at $35.  
• Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker. From Dec. 4-29, the Atlanta Ballet will bring its acclaimed production of The Nutcracker to the stage of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Choreographed by Yuri Possokhov, the production combines the traditional Nutcracker story with high-tech sets, costumes, and video projections. Tickets start at $35.