Between now and the middle of December, almost every public event in Virginia-Highland starts from the same crossroads, where Virginia Avenue meets North Highland Avenue. The clean-up crew meets there, and so does the tree walk. The Sunday market sets up a few doors away. On the second Saturday in December, Winterfest uses an address on that same block as its home base. Each date reaches a little further from that corner than the one before, and the season ends with the neighborhood's front doors open to ticket holders.
Two groups produce nearly all of it. The Virginia Highland District, which represents the commercial blocks, runs the street events. The Virginia-Highland Civic Association runs the park workdays and the Tour of Homes. Since 2025 their biggest events have shared one December weekend.
The addresses that keep repeating
Here are the start points for the next ten weeks, all taken from the organizers' own listings:
| Date | Event | Where it starts |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Oct 17 | John Howell Park Beautification Day | Great Lawn, Barnett Street and Virginia Avenue |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Community Clean-Up | So. Fox parking lot, 1017 N. Highland Ave. NE |
| Wed, Oct 28 | Candy Crawl | North Highland Avenue, Atkins Park to Morningside Village |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Trees Atlanta arboretum walk | Triangle at Virginia and Highland, near Murphy's |
| Sat–Sun, Nov 7–8 | Virginia Row Fall Block Party | 1189 Virginia Ave. NE |
| Sundays through Nov 22 | VaHi Farmers Market | Highland Woodworking, 1045 N. Highland Ave. |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Winterfest | 1017 N. Highland Ave. NE; gift market at Virginia Ave. and Lanier Blvd. |
| Sat–Sun, Dec 12–13 | Tour of Homes | Ticketed homes across the neighborhood |
One practical note before the dates. The calendar widget on the District's events page shows some times that don't match the District's own detail pages. For example, it lists the farmers market at 12:30 p.m., but the market page gives 8:30 a.m. Every time below comes from the detail page or the host's own listing.
October: the civic side does the groundwork
The month opens with volunteer work. On Saturday, October 17, the civic association holds its John Howell Park Beautification Day from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers meet on the Great Lawn at Barnett Street and Virginia Avenue. The association's homepage calendar lists it alongside the Friends of Orme Park workdays at 775 Brookridge Drive.
A week later the business district takes over the corridor. The Community Clean-Up on Saturday, October 24, runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Volunteers meet in the So. Fox parking lot next to Kinship. The volunteer listing describes the work as picking up trash, removing graffiti and old signage, and pulling dead plants from the sidewalk planters.
The location tells you something about the block. So. Fox opened at 1017 N. Highland Ave. in July. It comes from the team behind Kinship Butcher & Sundry, and the AJC listed it among Atlanta's July restaurant openings. Three months later, its lot is the meeting point for the clean-up. The same address shows up again on the Winterfest listing in December.
October 28: the crossroads becomes a corridor
Candy Crawl falls on the Wednesday before Halloween, which this year is October 28. It is the first event of the season to cover the whole commercial stretch. Trick-or-treating runs along North Highland Avenue from Atkins Park to Morningside Village, according to Atlanta on the Cheap. Afterward there's a block party with a pumpkin-smashing contest, according to the District's event page.
The start time is clear: 4 p.m. The end time depends on the source. Atlanta on the Cheap says 7 p.m. Discover Atlanta says 6 p.m. The District hasn't posted a list of participating businesses or a set location for the block party. On Virginia Row, ASH Coffee is running its own version from 4 to 8 p.m., with candy for trick-or-treaters, drinks and retail discounts.
November 7: one Saturday, one street, two events
The first Saturday in November is the easiest day of the season to plan. Both events are on Virginia Avenue, and they're scheduled so you can do one after the other.
- 10 a.m. to noon, the arboretum walk. Trees Atlanta leads a free tour of the Virginia Highland Neighborhood Arboretum. The group meets at the triangle at Virginia and Highland near Murphy's; for GPS, use 997 Virginia Ave. NE. The walk covers about two miles of city sidewalk in about two hours. Expect some steps and one short, moderate hill. You have to register in advance.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Virginia Row Fall Block Party. Virginia Row is the cluster of shops at Virginia Avenue and Rosedale Drive. The District's page calls ASH Coffee the block's cornerstone, with Ztunes Music Studio nearby. ASH lists the party at 1189 Virginia Ave. NE on November 7 and 8, with about 20 vendors set up along Virginia Avenue and every shop on the Row taking part. Other listings mention a holiday artist market, Ztunes Music Academy, tarot readings, shopping at Mooncake Studio, and a flower bar and hair tinsel on Saturday.
When the tree walk ends at noon, the block party has four hours left. That's the same pattern as the rest of the season: start at the crossroads, then head out along one of the two main streets.
Sundays, until November 22
The VaHi Farmers Market runs every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Highland Woodworking parking lot at 1045 N. Highland Ave. The District's market page lists the 2026 season as April 12 through November 22. That leaves seven Sundays from today, counting October 11. The market started in 2024. It hosts about 30 rotating vendors and farmers and has live music.
After November 22, the next weekend market in the neighborhood is the Winterfest gift market, and it's three weeks later.
December 12 and 13: both organizers, one weekend
Winterfest is a one-day festival on Saturday, December 12. The Eventeny listing gives the hours as 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with 1017 N. Highland Ave. NE as the address. The day starts with the Jingle Jog 5K. The District's page adds a holiday parade and a Kids Corner.
The gift market runs from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Virginia Avenue and Lanier Boulevard, and those streets will be closed for the festival. Admission is free. The 2026 listing promises more than 60 local vendors, along with music, food and drinks. The District's general FAQ gives a higher number, 80-plus. A separate Young Entrepreneurs section of the market runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Applications close October 16, 2026, six days from today, so a young seller has less than a week to apply.
The organizers ask visitors to take a ride-share, bike or walk. Any parking will be on residential streets outside the festival area.
On the same weekend, the civic association's Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes opens decorated private homes to ticket holders. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 12, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 13. The tour's site describes homes that range from historic bungalows to revival styles. Proceeds go to the association's parks, preservation and community programs.
Early bird tickets are $35 per ticket when purchased before November 13th. General tickets can be purchased online for $40/per person up until one-week prior to the tour.
Online general sales end one week before the tour, which works out to around December 5. Tickets cost $5 less if you buy before November 13. The tour also has a mobile app for the Apple App Store and Google Play, and it recruits volunteers to greet guests and keep the line moving through each house.
This is the weekend the two organizations share. The District's FAQ says the civic association's tour joined the Winterfest weekend in 2025. The Eventeny listing for Winterfest, hosted by the District, now promotes the tour as a fundraiser that is part of the same weekend.
The one date not yet posted
Murphy's tree lighting is the only regular holiday event without a confirmed 2026 date. The District describes it as an annual event on the first Thursday in December. The tree is lit on top of the restaurant, with caroling, hot cocoa and a visit from the Clauses. The November tree walk meets at the triangle near Murphy's, so the tree lighting happens at the same spot.
After that, the District's calendar picks up again with Mardi Gras Fest on January 30, 2027, and Porchfest in May.
Dates with a deadline attached
- October 16: Winterfest Young Entrepreneur applications close.
- October 17: John Howell Park Beautification Day, 10 a.m. to noon.
- October 24: Community Clean-Up, 9:30 a.m., So. Fox lot.
- October 28: Candy Crawl, starting at 4 p.m.
- November 7: Register in advance for the Trees Atlanta walk.
- November 12: Last day for $35 early bird Tour of Homes tickets, which must be bought before November 13.
- November 22: Final Sunday of the farmers market.
If the Tour of Homes weekend has you curious about the houses behind those holiday wreaths, from the bungalows to the revival-style homes, Stephen Beckwith is glad to talk about what makes them distinctive, whether or not you're planning a move. Let's Connect.