Cumming has two event venues this fall, and they take turns. Cumming City Center has events nearly every night through October. In November it narrows to a few dates, and its last big night is the Holiday Market and Christmas Tree Lighting on Saturday, Nov. 21. The posted December calendar shows only the Saturday farmers market. December's lights, crowds and traffic are scheduled for the Cumming Fairgrounds at 235 Castleberry Road.
In October the two calendars overlap twice, first during the fair and again on the last two weekends of the month, when both venues are busy the same evenings. Once you know where those seams fall, it's much easier to plan a fall weekend in town.
October Puts Both Venues on the Same Nights
The Cumming Country Fair & Festival opens Thursday, Oct. 8, running 4 to 11 p.m. on opening night, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 18. City Center keeps its full schedule during those 11 days, so several of the fair's biggest nights line up with headline events on Vision Drive.
Date | Cumming City Center | Cumming Fairgrounds |
|---|---|---|
Fri., Oct. 9 | NÜ Wave ATL at the Lou Sobh Amphitheater, 7–9 p.m. | Country Fair & Festival |
Sat., Oct. 10 | Cumming Farmers Market, 8–11 a.m.; GA vs. AL Game Day Watch Party, noon–9 p.m. | Country Fair & Festival |
Fri., Oct. 16 | 3rd Annual Community Touch-A-Truck, 1–4 p.m.; Stereo Superstar at the Lou Sobh Amphitheater, 7–9 p.m. | Country Fair & Festival |
Sun., Oct. 18 | Country Fair & Festival closes |
The Georgia–Alabama watch party runs nine hours on the second Saturday of the fair, so the Oct. 10 schedule is long on both ends of town. With the farmers market starting at 8 a.m., City Center has something going from breakfast until 9 p.m. that day.
The fair's parking situation is changing too. Across the street from the fairgrounds, the former Cumming Police Department and Municipal Court building on Castleberry Road was torn down in July. Police and court operations moved to their new home at Cumming City Center. In June, Cumming City Council approved Jasper Grading's $658,110 proposal to demolish the old building and build a parking area for the fair and other events. Part of the site is set aside for a pocket park, a future walking trail and a picnic pavilion. The city materials North Atlanta Star reviewed give no completion date, so this year's fairgoers shouldn't count on the new spaces being open.
After the fair closes, the second overlap starts. The fairgrounds calendar lists the House of Four Scythes Haunted Attraction from 6 to 11 p.m. on Oct. 23, 24, 30 and 31, which puts it on the same nights as City Center's last four big October dates. Murder of Crowes plays the amphitheater Oct. 23, and Clapton Comes Alive closes the month's concert series Oct. 30, both from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 has Howl-oween from 4 to 8 p.m., followed by an outdoor screening of Addams Family Values from 8 to 10. Halloween brings TORQ, a car event, from noon to 3 p.m., then Nightshades from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
The Weekly Schedule Behind the Headliners
The concerts get the attention, but recurring weekly events make up most of City Center's October calendar. Here's a typical October week on the posted calendar:
- Monday: Monday Mood: Yoga on the Green, 6–7 p.m.
- Tuesday: Zumba Sunset Sweat with Allyson, 7–8 p.m.
- Wednesday: Brewer's Alley Fall Social Cornhole League, 6:30–9:30 p.m.
- Thursday: Fall Cornhole League, 6:30–9:30 p.m.
- Friday: Friday Mood: Jazzercise Move & Groove on the Lawn, with an 8:30 a.m. session on Oct. 16
- Saturday: Cumming Farmers Market, 8–11 a.m.
That weekly schedule is what disappears later in the season. Most of these events happen outdoors on the lawn and the green. When the December calendar loads, the only recurring event left is the Saturday morning market.
November Narrows to a Handful of Dates
November starts with a concert weekend. Jackson Chase plays Friday, Nov. 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. The Page Brothers Band follows Saturday, Nov. 7, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and Glitter Star Fest runs Sunday, Nov. 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. The farmers market keeps its Saturday morning slot through the month.
Out on Castleberry Road, the Cumming Steam, Antique Tractor & Gas Engine Exposition fills the fairgrounds Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
The handoff weekend comes next. Nights of Lights opens at the fairgrounds Friday, Nov. 20. The next day, City Center hosts its two biggest holiday events. The free Holiday Market runs Saturday, Nov. 21, with more than 100 vendors, Santa, live holiday music and a kids zone. The event description lists hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the header on the same page shows an earlier start, so check the time before you go. The City of Cumming lists the City Center Christmas Tree Lighting that evening from 6 to 7 p.m., so the two events run back to back.
The tree lighting is the last date on the City Center calendar that draws a crowd. From that weekend on, the holiday season belongs to the fairgrounds.
December Belongs to Castleberry Road
As of early October, City Center's December calendar shows three events, all of them the Cumming Farmers Market on Dec. 5, 12 and 19, from 8 to 11 a.m. The market sets up in the Vision Parkway parking lot. That's only what's posted so far, and more events could be added. Still, the current schedule shows no concerts, leagues or lawn events.
The fairgrounds calendar runs the other way. Nights of Lights runs from Nov. 20 through Dec. 27 at 235 Castleberry Road. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. That's more than five straight weeks of evening hours, longer than any single event on the City Center calendar this season.
The fairgrounds calendar also lists an NGQMA race on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 11 a.m. to noon, the same morning as a farmers market at City Center. The City of Cumming Christmas Parade appears on the fairgrounds calendar for Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The description under that listing still has last year's details, though, so wait for the city to confirm the 2026 date before you plan around it. Under those 2025 details, the parade route ran from Forsyth Central High School to the fairgrounds by way of Tribble Gap and Castleberry Road, with road closures starting 30 minutes before the 5 p.m. start.
The New Indoor Spots Keep City Center Busy Into Winter
While the outdoor calendar winds down, two indoor venues on Vision Drive are just getting started.
Tavern Off the Green held its soft opening Friday, Sept. 11, at 400 Vision Drive. North Atlanta Star's Sept. 14 report said regular service had begun, with reservations open and the dining room and bar running seven days a week. The room has more than 40 televisions and a large central screen, and it has some of the latest hours at City Center. The menu leans Louisiana, with hot crawfish fondue, Creole-style gumbo, muffulettas, crawfish étouffée pot pie and blackened redfish. Prices start at $10 for six wings and top out at $31 for a 12-ounce ribeye. Most sandwiches and po'boys cost $12 to $18. On a cold Saturday in December with no lawn event, a sports bar with 40-plus screens is the obvious place to watch the game.
The Back Nine Golf held its ribbon cutting Friday, Sept. 18, at 451 Vision Drive. Its private bays use Full Swing simulators and offer virtual rounds at courses including Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill, Torrey Pines, TPC Sawgrass and several St. Andrews courses. You don't need a membership to book a tee time. The company describes the simulators as a way to play regardless of weather or daylight. Neither limit matters in a December bay, even on evenings when Nights of Lights doesn't open until 5 p.m.
These two join the existing City Center lineup, which includes Cindyrella's Wine Bar, Crooked Culture Brewing, Myth & Legend Coffee, Washington's Wharf, Santa Maria – Latin Tapas, Seafood & Oysters, Juke N Jive Creamery, Los Rios Cantina and the Tin Cup Putting Course. Simple Man Distillery is still listed as "coming soon" on the City Center homepage as of late September. It plans to open its first permanent distillery, cocktail bar, tasting room and event space at 430 Vision Drive, with no opening date announced yet.
Put those listings together and you get a clear plan for the season. For outdoor events, look to City Center through Nov. 21. From Nov. 20 on, the evening lights are on Castleberry Road. All winter, Tavern Off the Green and The Back Nine are open indoors on Vision Drive.
Our team plans our own weekends around the lake and Forsyth County calendars, and we love trading notes on what's new in Cumming. If you have a favorite fall tradition here, or you're curious how the City Center and Castleberry Road area is changing, Teresa Smith and the Living on Lake Lanier team would love to hear from you. Let's Connect.
