Georgia Festival of Trees 2026 in Duluth: Nov. 21-29 hours

Last checked Oct. 24, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Facts come from the organizer’s Georgia Festival of Trees website, including its daily schedule, tickets page and Santa page, and from the Gas South District event page. Festival office: 678-783-4455.

Updated Oct. 24: Gwinnett Glows is Saturday, Nov. 21, 5 to 8 p.m., with free parking in Deck 1; Armed Forces Day confirmed for Nov. 28.

The 2026 Georgia Festival of Trees runs Saturday, Nov. 21, to Sunday, Nov. 29, at Gas South Convention Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. It is closed Wednesday, Nov. 25, and Thanksgiving Day. General admission starts at $19.99, Santa photos are included, and four community days let seniors, first responders, veterans and people with disabilities in free.

Know before you go

• When: Nov. 21-24 and Nov. 27-29, 2026
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 23, from 9 a.m.; Sunday, Nov. 29, until 4 p.m.
• Where: Gas South Convention Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth
• Tickets: from $19.99 (buy from the organizer)
• Santa: included with admission, no appointment
• Gwinnett Glows tree lighting: Saturday, Nov. 21, 5 to 8 p.m., free
• Organizer: Georgia Festival of Trees, 678-783-4455

What it is

The festival fills the convention center with what the organizers call “hundreds of designer trees,” plus:

• a tree and holiday decor auction, open from Nov. 21; bidding ends at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28
• photos with Santa
• the Pink Pig trackless train, back for a third year
• cookie decorating, LEGO activities and children’s activities
• live entertainment every day, and boutique holiday shopping

The festival is run by Unto the Least of These Inc., a nonprofit, and benefits its partner, Street Grace, which works to end the sexual exploitation of women and children, the organizers say.

Hours, day by day

From the organizer’s daily schedule:

Opening day doubles as Gwinnett Glows, the free tree lighting on the Gas South District campus. Gas South District’s Gwinnett Glows page lists it for Saturday, Nov. 21, 5 to 8 p.m., with food trucks, free hot cocoa, vendors, photos with Santa and a lantern parade, and free parking in Deck 1. A lantern-making workshop runs 4 to 5:30 p.m. for $25 a lantern; register ahead, because space is limited. Concessions take cards only. The festival’s own schedule gives Gwinnett Glows hours of 4 to 9 p.m. that day. Friday, Nov. 20, is an invitation-only VIP preview, not open to the public.

Free community days

Each community day is open to everyone; eligible guests claim free tickets through the organizer’s tickets page, and family and friends buy general admission.

• Monday, Nov. 23: people with physical or developmental disabilities, plus one caregiver or support person. Sensory hours run 9 a.m. to noon.
• Tuesday, Nov. 24: adults 62 and older.
• Friday, Nov. 27: active and retired law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS workers and 911 dispatchers, with ID.
• Saturday, Nov. 28: active-duty military and veterans, with ID. The festival’s daily schedule, rechecked Oct. 24, lists Armed Forces Day on Nov. 28.

Santa photos

A visit with Santa is included with admission. There are no appointments; families get about three to five minutes, first come, first served, and you may use your own phone. The Magazine Photobooth sells printed keepsakes on site, the organizers say. Santa’s hours on the daily schedule are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; the festival’s Santa pages give slightly different times on Nov. 23 and Nov. 29, so allow some leeway at the start and end of the day.

Parking and getting there

The convention center is on the Gas South District campus off Sugarloaf Parkway near Interstate 85. The festival has not published parking details for 2026. At other Gas South District events, parking is paid, on the campus and by card only. We will add the festival’s parking rules when it posts them. Check our road construction and closures page before you leave, and our getting around page for buses and parking in town.

Not to be confused with

The Southeastern Railway Museum at 3595 Buford Hwy. in Duluth runs its own Festival of 100 Trees from Nov. 19 to Jan. 3, during museum hours, according to its event page. It is a separate event with separate admission.

More holiday events: the Nutcracker in Duluth, holiday lights and Christmas events, Thanksgiving in Duluth and Black Friday and holiday shopping.

Organizers: send parking details, the exact tree lighting time or changes to hello@duluthjournal.com and we will update this page.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Georgia Festival of Trees in 2026?

Saturday, Nov. 21, to Sunday, Nov. 29, at Gas South Convention Center in Duluth. It is closed Wednesday, Nov. 25, and Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. Most days run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 23, opens at 9 a.m., and closing day ends at 4 p.m.

How much are Georgia Festival of Trees tickets?

Gas South District lists general admission from $19.99. Seniors 62 and older (Nov. 24), people with physical or developmental disabilities plus one caregiver (Nov. 23), first responders (Nov. 27) and active-duty military and veterans get in free on their community day.

Are Santa photos free at the Georgia Festival of Trees?

Yes. A visit with Santa is included with admission, first come, first served, and you can use your own phone. Printed keepsakes from the on-site photo booth cost extra.

When is Gwinnett Glows 2026?

Saturday, Nov. 21, 5 to 8 p.m. on the Gas South District campus, according to Gas South District. It is free, with a lantern parade, Santa photos and free parking in Deck 1.

Is the Pink Pig at the Georgia Festival of Trees?

Yes. The organizers say the Pink Pig trackless train is back for a third year.