Olde Town Conyers' Biggest Saturdays Now Start on Friday Night at Celebration Park

Twice this fall, Olde Town Conyers has a busy Friday night followed by a big Saturday at the same corner. On Friday, October 16, there's salsa dancing at Celebration Park, and the 46th Olde Town Fall Festival fills downtown the next morning. On Friday, November 20, Ice Days opens its rink inside the park, and Festive Night of Lights comes the next evening. Both pairs center on the block at 949 S. Main Street, which became a new kind of public space this summer.

The park is the reason the Fridays matter. Olde Town has held its signature Saturdays for decades. Now it also has a lawn, a small stage and a play area next to the pavilion, and that gives the city somewhere to put an evening event the night before.

What 949 S. Main Street became this summer

Celebration Park took the place of the Lewis Vaughn Botanical Garden, which had been part of Olde Town since it was built and dedicated in 1994. The original garden began with a grant and gift from the Vaughn Jordan Foundation. The foundation is named for Lewis C. Vaughn, who was born and raised in Conyers and was especially fond of orchids.

Construction began in November 2025. City officials told On Common Ground News that the project came in under the $1.389 million in Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds set aside for it. The park opened in late June with a ribbon cutting. Accounts of the exact day differ: the Rockdale Citizen and the city's preview give June 24, and On Common Ground's post-event report says June 25. Opening day included a bubble party on the lawn with Big Idea Bubbles, balloon art, face painting and music from kids' DJ Matt.

The redesign kept the old garden's best-known features. The water tower is still there, along with a small koi pond and a meditation corner now called the Lewis Vaughn Meditation Garden. New additions include larger gathering areas, a children's play area and a small amphitheater for performances and concerts on the pavilion lawn. The park sits next to the Randal S. Mills Pavilion. That's the reason the park now shapes the winter calendar.

The Friday-night pattern began in September

The first sign of how the city plans to use the park came on Friday, September 18. That night the city held a free Movie in the Park showing of "Encanto," with a Latin DJ, food vendors and a performance by a Mexican dance team.

Next up is Salsa in the Park on Friday, October 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. The city's calendar listing calls it "the perfect way to wind down your Friday after work," with salsa dancing and music to mark Hispanic Heritage Month. It's free and presented by Mercy Heart, Unidos Latino Assoc. and East Metro Brokers Network. The listing gives the location as the Olde Town Pavilion, and its description puts the dancing in Celebration Park. The two share the same address and sit side by side.

Saturday, October 17: the county's oldest festival

The next morning, the 46th Annual Olde Town Fall Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The city calls it the oldest festival in Rockdale County. The Rockdale County Historical Society started it, and over four decades it has grown into a full day of arts and craft vendors, a food court, costume contests and kids' activities. Parking and admission are free, and the event happens rain or shine. Vendor registration has already closed, so the lineup is set.

The festival's entertainment is at the Depot Stage, not inside the new park. Here is the city's posted 2026 schedule:

The Children's Business Fair also runs during the festival. If you have questions about the day, the Conyers Welcome Center is at 770-602-2606.

Put October 16 and 17 together and you get two very different events about 14 hours apart. One is a two-hour evening of dancing on the new lawn. The other is a six-hour daytime festival that spreads across Olde Town.

A Sunday in between: the Latin Festival's new date

One more October date sits between the two Friday-Saturday weekends. The Conyers Latin Festival, hosted by Unidos Latino Association, Inc., runs Sunday, October 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 901 Railroad Street. The day includes vendors, live entertainment, a parade and food. The festival was originally listed for October 4, and one older event page still shows that date and noon-to-6 hours next to a note about the move. The October 25 times are the current ones. Unidos Latino also helps present Salsa in the Park, so the same organization is behind two Olde Town gatherings nine days apart.

November 20 and 21: the rink opens, then the lights come on

The second pairing is the one that will run all winter. Ice Days opens Friday, November 20, at the Randal S. Mills Pavilion and stays open through February 15, 2027. The operator describes the rink as "nestled within the newly remodeled Celebration Park" and says its 25 seasons make it the longest-running outdoor ice rink in Georgia. The city's calendar also says Ice Days "is back for another season at the newly opened Celebration Park."

The rink is a quarter-century old. This is its first season with a finished park around it. Here's what the operator lists for 2026–27:

• Price: $15 for two hours of skating, with skates included if you need them. Kids 7 and under pay $13.
• Sessions: Two-hour sessions can start anytime, with no waiting for a fixed start time. No reservations are required, and credit and debit cards are accepted.
• The ice: Real ice, with about two-thirds of the rink covered by the pavilion. The operator says that makes it the only open-air real-ice rink in the Southeast with both covered and uncovered skating.
• Skate helpers: Available for beginners 42 inches or shorter with skates on, except Friday and Saturday nights after 7 p.m.
• Food: No outside food or drinks at any time. The snack bar sells nachos, hot dogs, hot chocolate and candy.
• Parking: Always free.

The operator's site doesn't post daily hours yet, so check skateconyers.com for the schedule before you go.

The next evening, Saturday, November 21, Festive Night of Lights runs from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The city and Rockdale County will turn on thousands of Christmas lights across Olde Town, with visits from Santa, games, music, live reindeer and a drone show after dusk. Admission and parking are free. The city's holiday page puts the event on Railroad Street and adds train rides and holiday treats. With the rink in its second night, families can skate and see the lights in the same part of town on the same evening.

December 5 runs the other way

The Conyers Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 5, is the one big holiday event that moves away from the park. It steps off at 2 p.m. from Rockdale County High School and ends where Milstead Avenue meets Pine Street. Conyers Police will close Rowland Road, Pine Log Road and part of Milstead Avenue. The city recommends getting to the route early for a good spot, and the parade goes on rain or shine unless the weather is severe.

This year's theme is "Making Spirits Bright: A Musical Christmas." In the city's parade announcement, Olde Town Event Coordinator Shertekia DiNardo said, "We're looking forward to seeing the creativity depicting our favorite Christmas songs come to life in parade entries and floats." Trophies go to Mayor's Choice, Best Non-Float entry, Best Float, Best Float Runner-up and Most Creative Entry. School groups, businesses, churches, bands and other organizations can register for $25 per entry until November 6.

The full stretch, in order:

Some of us at Watkins Real Estate Associates will be in Olde Town for these weekends too, at the Depot Stage on October 17 and at the rink once the ice is down. If you live near downtown and want to know how a new park and a busy event calendar might affect your home's value, ask us for a free home valuation. We'll give you a clear number built on local knowledge of Conyers.