Every date, in order
This is the whole 2026 season in one list, from the Friday after Thanksgiving to midnight on New Year’s Eve. Each card shows where we read the date and when we last checked it. Two of the events are a short drive out of downtown and are marked as nearby.
Lighting of the Village
Listed for 2026 · official times pendingThe season's opening night: Santa arrives at Riverside Park and the village's Christmas lights come on.
Free Source: KOA Hiawassee events calendar (2026 listing)
Helen's Christmas Market (Christkindlmarkt)
Published for 2026The 19th annual Christmas market from the Helen Chamber of Commerce: handmade Christmas gifts and decorations, sweets and treats along Main Street, with the town's restaurants for a proper meal.
Free admission Source: Helen Chamber of Commerce (helenga.org) event listing
Victorian Christmas at Hardman Farm
Published for 2026Christmas as it was in 1877 at the Nichols family home: horse-drawn wagon rides, period decorations and homemade sorghum Christmas cookies. Hardman Farm is a few miles south of downtown Helen on Highway 17.
Ticketed; check the site for 2026 prices Source: helenga.org event listing (Victorian Christmas)
Christmas in the Mountains Celebration, Cleveland
Published for 2026White County's county-wide kickoff: a holiday market of craft, gift and food vendors on the courthouse square, free photos with Santa at the Chamber office and a lighted Christmas parade.
Free to attend Source: helenga.org event listing
Helen's Annual Christmas Parade
Published for 2026A small-town parade with fire trucks, horses, dirt buggies, floats and plenty of candy, with Santa along for the ride. The Chamber says the best place to watch is across the street from the Downtown Gazebo.
Free Source: helenga.org event listing
New Year’s Eve: Dropping of the Edelweiss
Published for 2026The 13th annual Dropping of the Edelweiss at the Festhalle: live music, dancing, party favors, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a champagne toast at midnight, with beer and wine for sale. Tickets are sold at the door only.
$30 per person; $15 ages 6-16; free under 6; pay at the door Source: Helen Chamber of Commerce (helenchamber.com)
How the season fits together
The season opens with the Lighting of the Village on Friday, November 27, the evening after Thanksgiving. The next morning the Christmas Market opens on Main Street for its first weekend, and it comes back the following weekend, December 5 and 6. Both market weekends run 10 AM to 5 PM with free admission, according to the Helen Chamber of Commerce listing.
December 5 is the busiest day on the calendar. The market is open in Helen, White County’s own Christmas in the Mountains Celebration fills the courthouse square in Cleveland from noon to 7 PM, and Victorian Christmas at Hardman Farm runs that evening from 4 to 7 PM. If you only have one weekend, that Saturday packs the most in.
The Christmas parade rolls down Main Street on Saturday, December 12 at 6 PM, rain or shine. Hardman Farm keeps its Friday and Saturday evenings going through December 19, and the year closes with the Dropping of the Edelweiss at the Helen Festhalle on December 31.
What is still to be confirmed
- The Lighting of the Village start time. The date is listed by regional event calendars, but the Chamber had not posted 2026 times when we checked on October 13, 2026.
- Ticket prices for Victorian Christmas at Hardman Farm. The event is listed; check the Hardman Farm State Historic Site page for current prices.
We recheck the organisers’ pages through the season and update the cards when anything changes.
Quick answers
When is Helen's Christmas Market in 2026?
Two weekends: Saturday and Sunday, November 28-29, and Saturday and Sunday, December 5-6, 2026, from 10 AM to 5 PM on Main Street in downtown Helen. The Helen Chamber of Commerce runs it, it is the market's 19th year, and admission is free.
Source: helenga.org event listing
When is the Helen Christmas parade?
Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 6 PM on Main Street, rain or shine. Expect fire trucks, horses, dirt buggies, floats, candy and Santa. The listing's tip: watch from across the street from the Downtown Gazebo.
Source: helenga.org event listing
When is the Lighting of the Village?
It is listed for Friday, November 27, 2026, the evening after Thanksgiving, when Santa arrives at Riverside Park and the village lights come on. The Chamber had not posted the 2026 start time when we checked, so confirm the time closer to the date.
Source: KOA Hiawassee events calendar
Is there a New Year's Eve party in Helen?
Yes. The 13th annual Dropping of the Edelweiss runs from 8 PM to midnight on December 31, 2026 at the Helen Festhalle, 1074 Edelweiss Strasse. Admission is $30 for adults, $15 for ages 6-16 and free under 6, paid at the door; there are no advance tickets.
Source: Helen Chamber of Commerce
Dates can change. The organisers have the final word: Helen Chamber of Commerce events
