Newnan events this holiday season: Santa on the Square, the Christmas Tour of Homes and the parade

The stretch from Thanksgiving to mid-December is when downtown Newnan is at its most festive. The square fills with shoppers and music, the courthouse tree comes alive, historic houses on Greenville and LaGrange streets open their doors, and the city's parade rolls through after dark. Here is what the organizers have confirmed for the season, in date order, with where to check before you go.

Thanksgiving weekend downtown

Plaid Friday, Friday, November 27. The day after Thanksgiving, the city promotes downtown's independent shops as the alternative to big-box Black Friday crowds, and its calendar lists the evening hours from 6 to 8 p.m.

Santa on the Square, Friday, November 27, 6 to 8 p.m. Santa rides into downtown on a fire truck and lights the Christmas tree on the courthouse square, then settles in so children can sit with him and share their lists. The city holds it every year on the day after Thanksgiving, lists it as free and open to all ages, and asks that the square stay litter-free and smoke-free. Leaf & Bean, right on West Court Square, is an easy place to warm up with a hot drink before the fire truck arrives.

Small Business Saturday, Saturday, November 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The city's calendar marks the Saturday after Thanksgiving as a day to shop downtown's small businesses, a good morning to start a gift list on foot.

Early December: crafts, homes, markets and cookies

Craft Time at the Carnegie: Ornaments, Tuesday, December 1, 2 to 4 p.m. The Newnan Carnegie Library on LaGrange Street hosts an adults-only holiday craft class making fabric rounds and paper stars. It is free, but the library asks you to register ahead through the link on the city's calendar.

Newnan Christmas Tour of Homes, Friday, December 4, 4 to 9 p.m. This year's tour, which supports historic preservation, opens six houses dressed for the holidays, most of them on Greenville Street, from the 1842 Parrot-Camp-Soucy House, later remodeled in the High Victorian style with a mansard roof and central tower, to a 1920 Mediterranean-style home with a stucco exterior and tile roof and a 1915 bungalow on LaGrange Street with heart pine floors and clawfoot tubs. Tickets are sold through the tour's website.

The Market Day, Saturday, December 5. Main Street Newnan's monthly market around the courthouse square brings more than 50 booths of local makers, artists and farmers, and admission is free. December's market is the last of the year; the market runs on the first Saturday of each month from March through December, so the next one after this is in March 2027.

Cookies with Santa, Sunday, December 6, 1 to 3:30 p.m. The Newnan-Coweta History Center invites families to the McRitchie-Hollis Museum on Jackson Street for cookies and photos with Santa. The History Center asks for a small donation per family to cover costs.

Mid-December: books and the parade

Author signing with Sherrilyn Kenyon, Tuesday, December 8, 6 to 8 p.m. Morally Gray, the romance bookstore on Perry Street just behind the square, hosts the author for a free signing tied to her new release, All Things Hidden. The shop recommends preordering the book to be sure of a copy.

Newnan Christmas Parade, Saturday, December 12, 6 p.m. The city's annual parade brings floats and walking groups through downtown Newnan after dark, and the mayor has invited churches, schools, teams and businesses to enter. The city's announcement gives the date, time and downtown setting; check its page closer to the day for the route and parking details before you stake out a spot on the curb.

Into the new year

Once the parade passes, Newnan's calendar quiets down and dates for the winter months are still being posted. A few places to watch:

• The City of Newnan's online calendar, which carries Leisure Services events and the Newnan Carnegie Library's weekly programs, from preschool storytime to crochet circles and author talks.
• Newnan Theatre Company, on First Avenue, whose 2026–27 season lists Moriarty, The Secret Garden, An Evening with Poe and She Loves Me; its calendar posts performance dates as each show approaches.
• The Newnan-Coweta History Center, whose 3rd Thursday lectures continue through the year.

Plans change with weather and circumstances, so check each organizer's own page before heading out. Many of the downtown events share a single address on the square, and parking downtown is free.