On Canton Street, the no-charge parking window closes at 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Friends of Bulloch Hall lists 3 p.m. as the Christkindlmarket's opening time.
That timing shapes the whole season downtown. This is the first holiday season under the parking structure that took effect August 1, and it is also the last stretch of the city's parking pilot, which ends December 31, 2026. Almost every downtown holiday event this year falls in the paid hours. A 394-space deck that was not here last December is free for now, but it may not stay that way. Deciding where to park before you leave home is part of planning the evening.
The Calendar Sits on the Paid Side of the Clock
Here is the downtown holiday calendar as the organizers have posted it for 2026, laid against Canton Street's free 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. window. The Christkindlmarket hours come from the Friends of Bulloch Hall listing for 2026. The Roswell Journal's Oct. 24 guide notes that those hours match an earlier season and had not been confirmed for this year, so check before you go.
| Event | Date | Time | Where | Inside the free window? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas High Tea | Nov. 15, 16 and 18 | 4 to 6 p.m. | Bulloch Hall | No |
| Alive in Roswell | Nov. 19 | 5 to 9 p.m. | Historic Canton Street and the Roswell Antique and Interiors lot | No |
| Christkindlmarket, Mon. to Thu. | Nov. 20 to Dec. 23 | 3 to 8 p.m. | Bulloch Hall, 180 Bulloch Ave. | No |
| Christkindlmarket, Fri. and Sat. | Nov. 20 to Dec. 23 | Noon to 9 p.m. | Bulloch Hall | Only the first hours |
| A Little Peace of the Holidays | Nov. 22 | 4 p.m. | Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St. | No |
| City Christmas tree lighting | Dec. 4 | 6 to 8 p.m. | Heart of Roswell Park, 925 Canton St. | No |
| American Holiday Songbook | Dec. 19 | 2 p.m. | Mimosa Hall & Gardens | Yes |
Of the downtown events, only the free Songbook afternoon at Mimosa Hall starts squarely inside the no-charge hours, along with the first few hours of the market's Friday and Saturday openings. Everything else starts at 3 p.m. or later. The city's Veterans Day observance runs on a different schedule. It starts with an honor walk at 9:15 a.m. and a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 11, and it takes place at Roswell Area Park, 10495 Woodstock Road, away from downtown.
Some of the details carry their own costs and perks. Admission to the Christkindlmarket is free. The Friends of Bulloch Hall listing puts Santa photos on Fridays through Sundays from 4 to 7 p.m., with no reservations needed, though the Roswell Journal lists those times as unconfirmed for 2026. Tickets for A Little Peace of the Holidays, featuring vocalist Karla Harris and the Tritone Chamber Orchestra, start at $39.75. The Dec. 4 tree lighting at Heart of Roswell Park is free and lists choral performances, Santa, hot chocolate, fire pits with s'mores and a 40-foot tree.
The calendar is also clustered uphill this year. Riverside Park at 575 Riverside Road is closed for renovation, and the city's park page lists Summer 2027 as the expected reopening. The page notes that Riverside Sounds and the sprayground are on hold during construction.
What Changes on Canton Street at 3 P.M.
Under the rate structure that took effect August 1, the City of Roswell's parking update makes the first two hours free between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. After that, parking costs $3 an hour, rising in steps to a daily maximum of $24. The old rate was $2 an hour. The $3 rate also applies at any time outside the no-charge window, which covers every holiday evening on the table above.
The paid zones are specific:
- Canton Street between Magnolia Street and Norcross Street
- Elizabeth Way between Canton Street and Alpharetta Highway
- East Alley between Canton Street and Norcross Street
- The East Alley Parking Lot
Two 30-minute no-charge spaces on Elizabeth Way are set aside for quick stops at local businesses. According to the city's instructions, you have to start a parking session even during the free period, either by scan or text-to-pay or at one of two kiosks. The city says there is no need to download an app.
On the evening of the Dec. 4 tree lighting, Heart of Roswell Park sits at 925 Canton St., inside the stretch of Canton Street the city meters. A two-hour visit after 6 p.m. there is billed at the evening rate from the first minute.
The Free Deck a Block Away, and How Full It Gets
The Green Street Parking Deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street opened May 4 with 394 spaces. Roswell Ledger described it as about a block from Canton Street and reported that it is the largest parking facility the city has built in more than 30 years. Parking there is free while Green Street construction is active. That project is turning Green Street into a one-way southbound road with a brick-paved multi-use trail, and in April the city forecast a fall 2026 opening. When construction wraps up, the deck's status could change, so check the posted signage on the night you go.
The deck's first month shows when it fills. The city's usage report counted about 7,500 visits between May 8 and June 7, 2026, an average of about 242 vehicles a day. The busiest hours were 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Saturdays averaged roughly 350 visits. The busiest day came during the May 21 Alive in Roswell, when 619 vehicles used the deck and it reached nearly 88% capacity by 8 p.m.
That last figure matters for the Nov. 19 Alive in Roswell, a make-up date added after the June 18 festival was canceled for weather. At the May festival, the deck was close to full by 8 p.m. For the November date, the event listing points attendees to free public parking at City Hall, at 38 Hill Street.
Bulloch Hall Runs Its Own Parking Map
The Christkindlmarket is the longest event on the calendar, running 34 days, and it sits off the metered streets. The city's standing Christkindlmarket guidance on Roswell365 lists free parking at these locations:
- Roswell City Hall and Cultural Arts Center lots
- Mimosa Boulevard and Mimosa Hall street parking
- Park Square Court lot
- The lots at Roswell First Baptist Church, Roswell Presbyterian Church and Roswell United Methodist Church
The Bulloch Hall lot itself is marked accessible parking only. The same page describes a free shuttle on Fridays and Saturdays from 3 to 9 p.m. and on Sundays from 3 to 8 p.m. It stops at City Hall, the three Mimosa Boulevard churches and Bulloch Hall. That page carries no 2026 date. The Roswell Journal's Oct. 24 market guide confirms the Nov. 20 to Dec. 23 dates and free entry, but it takes the shuttle hours from the city's standing page rather than from a 2026 notice. Treat the shuttle as the city's usual arrangement, and check it before a weekend visit.
The shuttle hours follow the market's busiest stretch. It starts at 3 p.m., when on-street parking switches to the evening rate, and it runs only on the three days when Santa photos run from 4 to 7 p.m. On a Monday through Thursday visit there is no shuttle in the city's schedule, so the church and City Hall lots become the walk-in option.
Spend the Free Hours on the Daytime Side
The 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. window still gives you two free hours downtown, and a few newer stops fit inside it.
V's Coffee Collab opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in September at 34 Webb St., Suite 104, according to Roswell Ledger. The 473-square-foot shop roasts its own coffee and puts rotating work by local artists on its retail bags. Those bags could make a gift for someone on your list.
At 1104 Canton St., Truth Be Told refreshed its American-French dinner menu and started serving Sunday brunch on Aug. 9, Rough Draft Atlanta reported. A Sunday brunch on Canton Street before the market opens at noon fits inside the free window. Then you can move the car to a market lot or the deck before 3 p.m.
The Dec. 19 American Holiday Songbook at Mimosa Hall & Gardens is free and starts at 2 p.m., with holiday caroling and seasonal decor. It is the one downtown holiday program this year that begins inside the free window.
Why This Season Gets Counted
The pilot exists to collect data. The city says it runs through December 31, 2026, to measure parking demand and usage patterns and shape longer-term strategy. That makes November and December's market weekends and tree-lighting nights the final weeks of the sample.
Under the plan the City Council approved 4 to 2 on March 9, officials will review that data in January 2027 and decide whether the deck stays free or starts charging, Roswell Ledger reported. If fees take effect, the approved structure makes the deck free from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with hourly rates of $1 to $5 on evenings and weekends. The same report, citing city records reported by Appen Media, put the pilot revenue the city is forgoing by keeping the deck free at an estimated $262,000. If the deck does start charging, its weekday free window would run until 4 p.m., an hour later than Canton Street's 3 p.m. cutoff.
The on-street rates in this post are the pilot's rates, and the pilot is set to run through New Year's Eve. The deck's future goes to the January review.
Downtown Roswell's parking rules, its new deck and the Green Street trail are all changing how the blocks around Canton Street get used, and that affects how homes nearby are seen. If you own in the historic district and want a clear read on what these changes mean for your property, Dawn Anderson can walk you through it. Schedule a Free Market Consultation.
