Kennesaw's Holly Days Moves After Dark, and Cherokee Street Gets a Preview of Its Future

At 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 13, Cherokee Street closes to cars. For the next six hours, the pavement between the Southern Museum and the United Bankshares Amphitheater belongs to people carrying lawn chairs and blankets. Seasonal music starts at 6 p.m. At 7:30, synchronized drones lift over Depot Park and draw holiday scenes in the dark.

That stretch of road is the same one the City of Kennesaw wants to close to cars permanently. Cobb County voters approved the 2028 SPLOST on November 3, and that sales tax is where the money would come from. This year's Holly Days calendar also moves downtown's big moments into the evening. Together, those two changes mean December's event nights are the best look residents will get for a while at what downtown Kennesaw is being planned to become.

The parade moved to 6 p.m.

The City of Kennesaw calls this year's Illuminate Holly Days Parade its first nighttime, light-up parade. It steps off from Adams Park at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, with illuminated floats and decorated vehicles built around this year's theme, "Santa's Workshop."

Downtown has run this parade in daylight in recent years:

Sources for the table: the city's 2023 parade announcement and 2025 event listing.

The later start changes the whole day. Park Drive closes at 2 p.m. for lineup and stays closed until 8 p.m. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the route closes Main Street from Park Drive to Watts Drive, along with Watts Drive, Park Drive, Dallas Street, J.O. Stephenson Avenue and Lewis Street. Last year's parade stepped off at 11:30 a.m. This year's lineup street stays closed into the evening.

The evening schedule runs through the rest of the season. The Holiday Extravaganza at Depot Park opens November 29 with more than 100,000 lights, including a light tunnel, towering toy soldiers and a sleigh, and runs through January 10, 2027. The Tree Lighting Ceremony is Wednesday, December 2, with a choir at 6 p.m. and the lighting at 7 p.m. Three of the season's biggest downtown moments now happen after sunset.

Getting downtown when Depot Park is closed to cars

Night events change the parking. The city's amphitheater page says Depot Park has no public parking during city events, apart from limited handicap spaces. During major events, Cherokee Street closes from Main Street to Big Shanty Drive. The city lists these free lots:

1. Adams Park and the Ben Robertson Community Center, 2600 Park Drive
2. Along Lewis Street, between North Main Street and Dallas Street
3. The surface lot behind Revival on Main
4. The first floor of the Revival on Main parking deck
5. Kennesaw City Hall

Two of these interact with the parade. Adams Park is the parade's lineup point, and Lewis Street is on the closed route from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. On December 5, a car parked in either place can be boxed in until the route reopens. The City of Kennesaw mobile app has a downtown parking map that shows which public lots are open and gives directions to each one.

Once you're parked, you walk. On December 13, the walk from the Revival on Main deck or City Hall ends on a street with no traffic on it.

What the SPLOST vote means for Cherokee Street

Kennesaw's share of the 2028 SPLOST is nearly $46.8 million, according to the Marietta Daily Journal's breakdown of the city's project list. City officials told the paper the money would go mainly to pedestrian safety in and around Depot Park and downtown, a new community center, and upgrades to public facilities.

One item on that list is a proposed $3 million next phase of Depot Park. It would close a portion of Cherokee Street near the Southern Museum to vehicles, create a pedestrian-friendly zone, and expand parking at Depot Park. The MDJ reported that the city could use the space for food trucks and bigger community events, including concerts at the amphitheater and the annual Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival. Interim City Manager Marty Hughes said the area could become an extension of Depot Park. He described it this way in the MDJ's coverage:

"It becomes almost the front yard of Kennesaw."

In the same article, Mayor Derek Easterling called the park the most walkable part of the city, particularly because of the pedestrian tunnel under the train tracks. The list also includes a separate $3 million Main Street improvements project focused on pedestrian safety, crossings and visibility around Depot Park.

On November 3, the countywide referendum passed with 204,842 yes votes to 125,788 no votes, or 62% to 38%, according to the MDJ's live results. Those are unofficial results, and Cobb County scheduled certification for November 9. The county's SPLOST renewal page shows the tax collected from January 1, 2028, through December 31, 2033.

Why the street stays open the rest of the year

The permanent closure has to wait for another road. Hughes told the MDJ that the Sardis Street extension has to be finished first, because Cherokee Street is currently an important route through downtown.

The Sardis Street extension and overpass is the second-largest Tier 1 project on Kennesaw's list, with a $10.5 million allocation. It's meant to give drivers another route through downtown, ease congestion on Main Street, and separate through traffic from people visiting downtown businesses. The city hoped to begin conceptual work later this year. Hughes said construction will require right-of-way acquisition, property purchases, engineering, and coordination with CSX Railroad and nearby businesses. He called it "a pretty big lift project." The MDJ also reported that Kennesaw plans to fund its Tier 1 projects in order and finish one before starting the next.

The overpass comes first, and a car-free Cherokee Street follows it. Until then, the street becomes a plaza only when the city puts up barricades for an event. The December 13 concert and drone show is the longest of those closures this season, at six hours.

Where to eat before or after

An evening event means a dinner decision, and the closures fall right around the places that serve one. Downtown Kennesaw's directory lists businesses in the Central Business District, all within walking distance of the parade route and Depot Park.

• 1885 Grill, 2840 South Main Street, which also hosts Dinner with Santa on December 8, with proceeds going to the Jerry Worthan Memorial Christmas Fund
• Gus's Fried Chicken and Bernie's Social Bar, both at 2825 South Main Street
• Horned Owl Brewing, 2765 South Main Street
• Main Street Eats, Vesuvio Pizzeria Napoletana and El Taco Azteca Bar and Grill, which the city lists among downtown's established restaurants
• Lazy Labrador Coffee House, 2886 Cherokee Street, and Frozen Cow Creamery, 2870 Cherokee Street, both on the stretch that closes on December 13

Holiday-week hours can change, so it pays to check with a restaurant before planning a meal around parade night.

The rest of the season, around the two big nights

Most of the remaining Holly Days events take place indoors, during the day, or in the gardens. The Kennesaw Holiday Market is November 13 and 14 at the Ben Robertson Community Center, with complimentary bites and live music on the Friday. The Holiday Gift Shop follows on November 20 and 21 at the Parks & Recreation Pottery Studio, and Holiday Tic-Tac-Toe, which rewards shopping at local businesses with prize entries, starts November 28.

The Southern Museum holds All Aboard for Holiday Fun on Saturday, December 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Activities are included with regular admission: $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children. The day includes wassail tastings, train layouts, and Santa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Details are at southernmuseum.org. Smith-Gilbert Gardens hosts Santa's Garden Party on December 11 and 12 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Admission is $25 for one adult and one child, dogs are welcome for Santa photos on December 12, and the Wishing Tree in the Conifer Garden is new this year. Tickets are at smithgilbertgardens.com.

The amphitheater at the center of all this was renamed the United Bankshares Amphitheater in February 2025, after United Bankshares acquired The Piedmont Bank, so some older references still use the Piedmont Bank name. The Holiday Extravaganza lights have to come down by the end of the day on January 10, 2027. After that, Cherokee Street goes back to carrying traffic until the city builds its other route.

If you own a home near downtown Kennesaw and want to know how projects like the Sardis Street overpass and a car-free Cherokee Street fit into your plans over the next few years, Aretha Langley can walk you through it, starting with a free home valuation.