At 6 p.m. on Friday, December 4, a fire truck will pull up to One Griffin Center at 100 South Hill Street. Santa will step off and help light the historic Christmas tree while students from the Griffin-Spalding County School System lead the carols. About fourteen hours later he'll come in again, this time by airplane, at an airfield in Williamson. Eight days after the tree lighting, he'll ride through downtown in the Hometown Holiday Illuminated Parade.
Each of the three arrivals has a different host, a different hour and a different kind of crowd. The first and last are free downtown evenings. The middle one is a ticketed breakfast in an airplane hangar. The November 14 Mistletoe Market opened the downtown holiday lineup, and these three dates set the plan for the rest of the season. A ballet comes before them and a choir concert falls between them.
Thanksgiving weekend belongs to the Nutcracker
Before Santa shows up anywhere, Griffin Ballet Theatre stages The Nutcracker at Griffin Auditorium, 234 E. Taylor Street, on November 27, 28 and 29. That's the Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving, so relatives who are still in town can come along. There are four performances:
- Friday, November 27, at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, November 28, at 2:00 p.m.
- Saturday, November 28, at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, November 29, at 2:00 p.m.
The ticket site lists regular tickets at $35, senior tickets at $30 and child tickets at $15. The two Saturday shows let a family with young children take the matinee while older kids and adults go that evening.
December 4: a fire truck on South Hill, then Solomon Street
The city's own listing calls Christmas In Griffin "the second event in Downtown Griffin's holiday lineup." It runs from 6 to 9 p.m., and the evening happens in two places in order:
- 6:00 p.m., One Griffin Center. Everyone gathers beneath the Customer Service entrance at 100 South Hill Street. Students lead the carols, Santa arrives by fire truck, and the historic tree is lit.
- 6:30 p.m., Solomon Street. The Griffin-Spalding Business and Tourism Association hosts the rest of the night, with snow, s'mores, lawdogs, pictures with Santa and an inflatable gingerbread land.
Every activity is free. The city credits the Business and Tourism Association, the Griffin Main Street Program, City Church, Spalding County, the Spalding County Sheriff's Office, United Bank and Wellstar for that. If you want a spot near the tree, plan to be on South Hill Street before 6. Half an hour later the crowd moves a block over to Solomon Street. The city lists Maggie Webb as the contact for event questions at 678-692-0403.
December 5: a hangar in Williamson at 8 a.m.
The next morning, Santa arrives by air. According to the Griffin-Spalding Chamber's listing, Santa's Fly In and Meet runs from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 5, at Barnstormer's Grill & Event Center, 349 Jonathan's Roost Road in Williamson. That address is Peach State Aerodrome, a private airfield. It's a separate place from the Griffin-Spalding County Airport at 1035 South Hill Street, so don't drive to the city airport by habit.
Here's how the morning runs, according to the Chamber:
- Check-in opens at 7:00 a.m.
- Santa flies in at 8:00 a.m.
- Snacks and drinks are served in the hangar.
- The meet-and-greet with Santa continues until 11:00 a.m.
This is the only one of the three that requires a ticket. Each ticket covers the fly-in, snacks, a drink and time with Santa, and children 2 and under get in free with an adult ticket. It's also the only one held in daylight. That makes it a good fit for families whose youngest children won't last until a 6:30 p.m. parade, or who would rather see Santa without the downtown crowd.
The weeknight in between
Tuesday, December 8, is the only weeknight on the calendar. Griffin Choral Arts performs Joy to the World at First Baptist Church that evening, according to Explore Georgia's events calendar. If you're planning around it, check the start time with Griffin Choral Arts. It falls between the two downtown weekends and is the quietest event of the stretch.
December 12 closes a series that opened with chili in January
The parade is the end of something larger than the holiday season. The City of Griffin runs a 2nd Saturday Event Series all year, and the 2026 series started on January 10 with the Chili Crawl. Griffin Daily News reported that hundreds of people came downtown in the rain that day, and 16 downtown businesses offered chili samples for visitors to taste and judge from 2 to 5 p.m. Heather Robinson, Main Street Manager for the City of Griffin, explained in the same article why that turnout mattered:
"The Chili Crawl has long been one of our most anticipated downtown events, and we were thrilled to see such a strong turnout after having to cancel last year due to winter weather."
The after party was at Southern Social by Fire Maker Brewing, which the paper called downtown Griffin's newest brewery and eatery. Visitors voted the Historic Griffin Hotel's chili first, Southern Social's second and Franklin and Rosemary Boutique's third. Downtown has added more businesses since then. The Local held its grand opening ribbon cutting at 130 South Hill Street on August 27, serving loaded teas, protein shakes and smoothies, a few doors from where the tree will be lit.
The series ends on Saturday, December 12, with 2nd Saturday Merry & Bright. The city lists it as a free, all-day event for all ages, and the Hometown Holiday Illuminated Parade starts at 6:30 p.m. The City of Griffin and Spalding County organize the parade together. The Griffin-Spalding Business and Tourism Association, Wellstar Spalding Medical Center and Caterpillar sponsor it. Because the event lasts all day, you can shop and eat downtown during daylight and then find a spot along the parade route as it gets dark.
Here's how the three Santa arrivals compare:
- By fire truck, Friday, December 4, at 6 p.m., at One Griffin Center. Free.
- By airplane, Saturday, December 5, at 8 a.m., at Barnstormer's Grill & Event Center in Williamson. Ticketed.
- By parade, Saturday, December 12, at 6:30 p.m., in downtown Griffin. Free.
If you'd rather be in the parade than watch it
The city is recruiting entries for December 12, including floats, golf carts, vehicles and walking groups. Registration runs through Eventeny, and first-time users need to create an account before they can register. Entrants stage from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., and anyone who arrives after staging closes can't join the route. Parking and staging instructions are scheduled to go out by email to registered entries on Monday, December 7. For a neighborhood group or a family with a golf cart and plenty of string lights, that means getting downtown by late afternoon. The city lists Carley Pope as the contact for parade questions.
If you're getting your Griffin home ready for holiday guests, or wondering what it's worth before the new year, Watkins Real Estate Associates can help with a free home valuation. We'll be glad to talk it over, maybe after you've found your spot for the parade.
