When does the holiday season actually begin in downtown Ellijay? The town Christmas tree is lit during the Merry Mountain Town Parade at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 27, 2026. Starting November 7, nearly three weeks earlier, two buildings on Dalton Street host an ornament workshop, a gallery show of art sized and priced as gifts, and an open house at the community theater.
From the first Saturday in November until Thanksgiving weekend, Gilmer Arts runs the season out of its gallery at 207 Dalton Street and its playhouse at 135 Dalton Street. Broad Street takes over on the 27th. If you live here and wait for the parade, you miss most of it.
The month, in order
Most of the dates fall at the two Gilmer Arts addresses. Here is the run from now through the first week of December:
- Saturday, November 7: Annual Stained Glass Christmas Ornament Workshop at the Gilmer Arts Gallery, plus the "And the Mountains Listened" Anthology Volume 2 launch at the Playhouse
- Sunday, November 8, 3 to 5 p.m.: Two gallery receptions at 207 Dalton and a theater drop-in at 135 Dalton, all at the same time
- Friday, November 20: Acoustic Blends at the Playhouse
- Saturday, November 21: Venae Ellis with a Sade Experience at the Playhouse, plus Turkey Bingo at Fainting Goat Vineyards
- Friday, November 27: Merry Mountain Town Festival and Parade on Broad Street
- Saturday, November 28: Surrender Hill and Friends Thanksgiving Weekend Show at the Playhouse
- Sunday, December 6: Gilmer Arts Community Chorus Christmas Concert
Gilmer Arts is behind six of those seven dates.
The organization behind the first three weeks
Gilmer Arts was founded in 1979. In 2005 it bought and renovated the 207 Dalton Street building, which gave it more room for exhibits, classes, and performances. The theater side began around 1999, was firmly established by 2001, and officially became the Gilmer Arts Players in 2013. Its stage, the George Link Jr. Gilmer Arts Playhouse, sits just down the street at 135 Dalton.
That's why the season builds on one short street. With a gallery and a stage on the same street, Gilmer Arts can stack events on the same afternoon, and in November they do.
November 7: the season starts with something you make
The first holiday event on the calendar is a workshop. The Annual Stained Glass Christmas Ornament Workshop runs Saturday, November 7, at the Gilmer Arts Gallery, 207 Dalton Street. Entry is in timed slots every half hour from 10 a.m., and the last slot is 2:30 p.m. The cost is $30. Because of the half-hour slots, it works as a stop on a Saturday errand loop rather than taking the whole day.
At 2 p.m. that afternoon, the Playhouse hosts the launch of "And the Mountains Listened" Anthology Volume 2, billed as a book launch with a meet-and-greet. With a morning ornament slot and the 2 p.m. launch, you can do both events and both buildings on a single Saturday.
November 8: three openings in two buildings at once
The busiest two hours of the month on Dalton Street come on Sunday, November 8, from 3 to 5 p.m.
At the gallery, 207 Dalton Street
Two exhibits open with receptions at the same time. The Small Works Exhibit and Holiday Market fills the Link Gallery with original work that local artists made for this show. Gilmer Arts describes it this way:
"Local Artists exhibit original artworks made special for this exhibit to be Christmas present sized and priced."
Across the building, Reflections, an exhibition of work by pastel artist Terry Metzler, opens in Hawthorne Hall. Gilmer Arts frames the pairing as a way to "start your Christmas Shopping early." Both receptions offer light refreshments.
At the Playhouse, 135 Dalton Street
During those same two hours, the Playhouse holds Talent Happens Here!, a drop-in for theater fans. It includes tours of the building and a preview of the 2027 season.
That puts a gift market, a solo exhibition, and next year's theater season on one street during one window. If you're picking a single afternoon to see Ellijay's arts community before the holiday crowds arrive, this is it.
November 20 and 21: evenings take over
After the opening weekend, the Playhouse schedule moves to nights. Acoustic Blends runs Friday, November 20, from 6 to 9 p.m. The next night, Saturday, November 21, brings Venae Ellis with a Sade Experience from 7 to 9 p.m.
On that same Saturday, the Gilmer Chamber calendar lists Tail Feather & Turkey Bingo at Fainting Goat Vineyards from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Those two are the last scheduled evenings before Thanksgiving week, and the next big date is downtown.
November 27: Broad Street catches up
The day after Thanksgiving, the season moves from Dalton Street to Broad Street. The 2026 Merry Mountain Town Festival is the second annual one, and it's centered on the Downtown Ellijay Welcome Center at 10 Broad Street. The Chamber's event page lists festival hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., matching the Downtown Ellijay listing. The Chamber's holiday guide says noon to 7 p.m. Arriving around noon works under either schedule.
The guide describes Broad Street lined with arts and crafts vendors, face painting, and seasonal treats. There's also a meet-and-greet and photo with Santa, open to families and pets, for a $10 donation. That donation goes to the Friends of Gilmer Animal Shelter and comes with a free plush toy. The festival and the parade are both free. The Merry Mountain Town Parade starts at 6 p.m., with floats and the official lighting of the town Christmas tree.
The contest that keeps downtown lit after the parade
The same evening, the annual Merry Mountain Town decorating competition gets underway. Pick up a map at the Downtown Welcome Center, walk the window and light displays around downtown, and come back to vote for your favorite. According to the Chamber's competition page, the contest grew out of the earlier Downtown Light Nights competition. It's open to both homeowners and business owners in Downtown Ellijay, who decorate storefronts and homes with lights, decorations, and window displays.
In 2025, Brett Jones, Attorney at Law, won Best Business Display and Best Overall Display. Apple Cottage, Mountain Oasis Cabin Rentals, won Best Residential Display. Since homes compete alongside storefronts, the displays reach past the shop windows and into the residential blocks around the square.
Thanksgiving weekend and the first week of December
The day after the parade, the season heads back to Dalton Street. The Surrender Hill and Friends Thanksgiving Weekend Show plays the George Link Jr. Gilmer Arts Playhouse on Saturday, November 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. It's a good fit for a weekend when many households here have family in town.
Eight days later, the Gilmer Arts name shows up somewhere other than Dalton Street. The Gilmer Arts Community Chorus Christmas Concert is Sunday, December 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Gilmer County High School Performing Arts Theater.
The apple houses after U-pick season
B.J. Reece Orchards says its apple-picking season runs September through October, and its farm market and bakery are open year-round. R & A Orchards advertised U-pick every weekend through October and keeps its market, bakery, and café open year-round. So the orchards are still open in November, as places to buy baked goods and gifts. That makes them an easy addition to a Saturday that starts with an ornament slot on Dalton Street.
If you're decorating your place for this year's Merry Mountain Town, or wondering which blocks around the square would put you within walking distance of the gallery and the parade, Christy Reece has spent a lifetime in these mountain towns and is glad to talk downtown Ellijay with you. Let's Connect.
