Livable Buckhead's Miracle on Peachtree series has two Hot Chocolate Crawls this year, and they fall on different Saturdays. The Buckhead Village District crawl is Saturday, December 5. The Buckhead Business District crawl through Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza and Peachtree Road follows on Saturday, December 12.
That gap of one week shapes the season for the Peachtree end of North Buckhead. The crawl closest to Phipps no longer shares a night with the tree lighting at Charlie Loudermilk Park. It anchors a calendar of its own, and the dates around it at Phipps Plaza and Lenox Square start in mid-November and run into mid-December.
Two Saturdays, Two Ends of Peachtree
December 5 belongs to the Village. Livable Buckhead's Miracle on Peachtree page sets the day out in order. Wreath decorating for Atlanta's firefighters and police runs from noon to 2 p.m. at the Veranda in Buckhead Village, and the wreaths go to all 43 fire rescue stations and police precincts across the city. The Miracle on Peachtree Holiday Market is open from 3 to 7 p.m. at Charlie Loudermilk Park. The Village crawl runs from 5 to 7 p.m., and the Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting begins at 7 p.m. under the park's 24-foot tree.
December 12 belongs to the Business District. The evening runs from 4 to 7 p.m., and check-in is at Lenox Square, which the organizers call the event's hub. Participating boutiques, restaurants and hotels serve hot and cold holiday drinks, some spiked and some not, and performers play throughout the district. Admission is free. Commemorative mugs cost $8 at Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza, and the sales support Livable Buckhead's community programs.
Livable Buckhead's 2026 Eventbrite listing describes the evening this way:
"For one magical evening, the district transforms into a walkable winter wonderland filled with twinkling lights, live holiday music, and irresistible seasonal sips."
RSVPs are free through the same listing. The campaign page calls the two crawls distinct in character and invites people to attend both. A week apart, that is easy to do.
The Run-Up Starts at Phipps on a Thursday
The first holiday evening on the Phipps calendar comes before either crawl. On Thursday, December 3, The Green at Phipps Plaza becomes an outdoor movie night with a big-screen showing of The Grinch. Families bring blankets, seasonal bites and drinks come from the Food Hall, and professional photos with the Grinch are free. Livable Buckhead's event listing gives the hours as 5 to 8 p.m.
The Food Hall at Phipps is where that evening's food and drinks come from, and its vendors include Lokma Mediterranean Kitchen, Wasabi Sushi & Ramen and Pizza Jeans. A Thursday screening suits a weeknight. It ends early enough for a school night, and it is nine days before the crawl brings the bigger crowd to the same stretch of Peachtree.
Santa at Phipps is already on its 2026 schedule, and every visit is by appointment. The schedule shows it closed on Thanksgiving and open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both Saturday, December 5, and Saturday, December 12. On the 12th, the last Santa appointments end at 7 p.m., when the crawl does. A family can book a late-afternoon visit and walk straight out into the crawl.
Lenox Fills the Weeks Between
Across Lenox Parkway, Simon's holiday schedule for Lenox Square fills the weeks around the two crawls. Together with Phipps and the Village, the dated events add up to this calendar:
| Date | Where | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 14 to Dec. 24 | Lenox Square | Santa Photos | Closed Nov. 16 to 19 and Thanksgiving |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Lenox Square | Santa Paws pet photos | 7 to 9 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Nobu Atlanta, Phipps Plaza | Thanksgiving Brunch | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Lenox Square, Luxury Wings | Teal to Heal Fashion Show | 6 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | The Green, Phipps Plaza | Grinch on The Green | 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Lenox Square, Luxury Wing | Atlanta Opera Holiday Performance | 1:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Buckhead Village District | Holiday Market, Crawl, Tree Lighting | 3 to 7 p.m., 5 to 7 p.m., 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Lenox Square | Caring Santa, sensory-friendly | 9:30 to 11 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza | Business District Hot Chocolate Crawl | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Lenox Square | Santa Paws pet photos | 7 to 9 p.m. |
Read down the dates and December 5 stands out. The Atlanta Opera's performance in the Lenox Square Luxury Wing begins at 1:30 p.m. That leaves time to reach the Village before the Holiday Market opens at 3 p.m. at Charlie Loudermilk Park. The tree lighting at 7 p.m. caps the evening, so a single Saturday can start on the Peachtree end and finish at the Village.
The Lenox dates also take in the parts of a household that most holiday calendars leave out. Caring Santa on Sunday, December 6, is a private, sensory-friendly visit, and reservations are required. Santa Paws, on two Sunday evenings a few weeks apart, brings pets to the photo set. The Teal to Heal Fashion Show returns to the Luxury Wings on Giving Tuesday, December 1, and raises awareness of ovarian cancer. Tickets are sold through Simon.
Thanksgiving Morning, and the Hours Around It
The first holiday meal on the Phipps end of Peachtree comes on Thanksgiving morning. Nobu Atlanta is serving a Thanksgiving Brunch on Thursday, November 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It costs $95 per person, and there is no à la carte menu. The restaurant's OpenTable reservation page lists a turkey-carving station. It is a prix fixe holiday meal, and reservations go first.
Phipps Plaza itself is closed that day. These are Simon's posted holiday hours for the center:
- Thanksgiving, November 26: closed
- Christmas Eve, December 24: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Christmas Day, December 25: closed
- New Year's Eve, December 31: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday this year. The center opens two hours earlier on Christmas Eve than on New Year's Eve, and both days close at 6 p.m.
What Comes Next at Phipps
The holiday calendar is one of two things moving at Phipps Plaza this fall. The other is the tenant list. Simon's directory lists CVI.CHE 105 at Phipps as coming soon. Rough Draft Atlanta had listed the Florida-based restaurant in its upcoming openings for fall 2026.
Fashion is coming too. What Now Atlanta reported on October 30 that Carolina Herrera plans a Phipps Plaza store of about 1,750 square feet, and that the company confirmed the location. Rough Draft also listed KAI Fusion, an Asian-fusion restaurant planned for Phipps Plaza, with a target of summer 2027.
For residents near Peachtree Dunwoody and Wieuca, this December's nearest dates are all on Peachtree. The screening on The Green is on Thursday, December 3, and the Business District crawl follows nine days later, on Saturday, December 12, with Santa Paws at Lenox the next evening.
If you live at the Peachtree end of North Buckhead and are thinking about what the coming year holds for your home, Debra Johnston offers quiet, considered advice on the streets around Phipps and Lenox, the season's calendar included. Let's Connect.
