Three Friday nights in a row carry downtown Newnan's 2026 holiday season. Holiday Sip & See is November 20, Santa on the Square and Plaid Friday share November 27, and the Christmas Tour of Homes is December 4. All three are evening events at or near the courthouse square, and all three come from the shops and homes downtown.
Saturdays are different. They hold the daytime makers' markets and then the Christmas Parade, which is the biggest outdoor gathering of the season. After the parade on December 12, the calendar moves indoors to a theater, a library and an auditorium. If you know which night belongs to which kind of event, planning the next seven weeks around Court Square gets much easier.
Three Fridays, Three Different Reasons to Be Downtown
All three Friday events are evening events centered on Court Square, but their hours differ, and each one draws on a different part of downtown.
| Friday | Event | Hours | What it centers on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 20 | Holiday Sip & See | 5–9 p.m. | Downtown retailers, a night market, live music, food trucks |
| Nov. 27 | Plaid Friday and Santa on the Square | 6–8 p.m. | Local shopping, Santa's arrival and the tree lighting |
| Dec. 4 | Newnan Christmas Tour of Homes | 4–9 p.m. | Decorated homes, organized by Newnan Presbyterian School |
The City of Newnan's listing for Holiday Sip & See calls it a chance to start holiday shopping "while the holiday inventory is plentiful." Retailers serve hors d'oeuvres and refreshments, and a night market, live music and food trucks run alongside the stores. It is based at Downtown Newnan, 100 Court Street. Coming a week before Thanksgiving, it is the first evening of the season built around the storefronts themselves.
The Christmas Tour of Homes runs from 4 to 9 p.m. on December 4. Explore Newnan-Coweta lists the venue as Downtown Newnan at 200 Court Square and names Newnan Presbyterian School as the organizer. It starts earlier than the other two Fridays, so the walk can begin while it is still light out.
The Night After Thanksgiving Stacks Two Events
November 27 is the busiest of the three Fridays because two downtown events share the same two hours. The city's November calendar lists Plaid Friday and Santa on the Square for 6 to 8 p.m. that evening, both at 100 Court Street.
Explore Newnan-Coweta describes Plaid Friday as a celebration of "the idea of LOCAL" and calls it a relaxing and enjoyable alternative to the usual day-after-Thanksgiving shopping. The same calendar says Santa arrives downtown on a fire truck and immediately lights the Christmas tree. If you want to see the tree lit, arrive before 6 p.m.
Last year's version looked different on paper. The city's 2025 listing was titled "Santa on the Square & Christmas Carnival," set for November 28, 2025, with a 5 p.m. start. The 2026 listing is titled simply "Santa on the Square" and starts an hour later. If you are planning around last year's timing, use 6 p.m. this year.
There is also a new option nearby that same night. Explore Newnan-Coweta lists the Atlanta Christkindl Market as coming to downtown Senoia in 2026, with a November 27 entry on its calendar. Families who want both towns in one holiday weekend will find them on the same Friday.
Saturdays Go to the Makers
The Friday events start with the shops, while the Saturday markets are made up of vendor booths. Main Street Newnan's Market Day returns to the courthouse square on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The city's event page describes it as free, with more than 50 booths of handmade, homemade and locally grown goods. The December Market Day is Saturday, December 5, with the same 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. window at 100 Court Street.
Both Market Days fall the morning after a busy Friday, which makes two of the season's weekends especially full:
- November 6 to 8. The Newnan-Coweta Art Association holds its 56th Christmas Arts & Crafts Market at the Harriet Alexander Art Center, 31 Hospital Road, from Friday through Sunday. Market Day fills the square on Saturday, and Santa and Mrs. Claus visit the art center on Sunday, November 8, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
- December 4 to 5. The Tour of Homes runs Friday evening and Market Day follows on Saturday morning, both centered on Court Square.
The Art Association weekend starts Friday, November 6, so it opens the season before the square does.
The other Saturday that matters is December 12. Newnan's annual Christmas Parade steps off downtown at 6 p.m. In the city's parade announcement, Mayor James Shepherd invited local churches, schools, teams and businesses to enter floats or walking groups. The Friday events showcase the shops and the Market Days showcase the vendors. The parade is made up of the community groups that sign up to walk in it.
A Wednesday Morning in Between
One date on this stretch of the calendar follows its own schedule. American Legion Post 57 holds its Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, at 11 a.m. at Veterans Park, 30 Temple Avenue. A free lunch follows right after at the Coweta Veterans Club, 130 Veterans Club Road. It falls in the quiet week between the Art Association weekend and Sip & See, and it is the only late-morning weekday gathering on the season's calendar.
After the Parade, the Calendar Moves Indoors
Once the parade has passed, the listings for the rest of December move into buildings within walking distance of downtown:
- Sunday, December 13. Newnan Theatre Company performs She Loves Me from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at 24 1st Avenue. The matinee is the afternoon after the parade.
- Thursday, December 17. Newnan Carnegie Library hosts a Holiday Painting Class from 2 to 4 p.m., according to the city's December calendar.
- Monday, December 21. City Leisure Services screens The Muppet Christmas Carol three times at Charles Wadsworth Auditorium, 25 Jefferson Street, at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.
These events start in the morning or afternoon and land on weekdays, Sunday included. That is the opposite of the Friday nights earlier in the season. The December 21 screenings come right as school breaks begin, so the three showtimes give families some flexibility the week before Christmas.
Two Changes Around the Square This Year
The square looks a little different this season. In July 2026, the city held a ribbon cutting for upgrades to the Greenville Street Park stage, which added audio-visual equipment and more seating. Mayor Shepherd said the improvements would make the park a better gathering place, according to the City of Newnan's announcement. This is the park's first holiday season with the upgraded stage, and it sits just off the square.
East of the square, the 57 East redevelopment at the former Caldwell Tanks site on East Broad Street is under construction. The Newnan Times-Herald's project timeline reported that ground was broken in July 2026. As of September, crews were doing underground stormwater work, and the developer hoped to have the project's roads in place by about December 15. That date falls three days after the parade, between the She Loves Me matinee and the library painting class. The same timeline describes Market 57, a planned food hall, along with a central greenspace connected to the LINC trail network. If construction stays on schedule, the work will keep going through the holiday weeks on that side of downtown.
For more on how Newnan's weekly rhythm has changed this year, read our look at August in Newnan and its two centers of gravity. Our Newnan neighborhood page and community events calendar list more local happenings.
We love a town that saves its Friday nights for its own shops, and we'll be on Court Square right along with you this season. If someone in your family is thinking about a holiday home on the coast, or a move closer to the square in Newnan, Destin Sells Destin would be honored to help you Find Your Emerald Coast Home.
