"This clue will lead to your final treat, head to a STORE where you'll find BOOKS on Marietta Street!" That is the last line of the city's Reindeer Scavenger Hunt clue card. It also describes where Powder Springs' late-fall calendar goes. From May through mid-October, nearly every city event in Powder Springs happens on the lawn at Thurman Springs Park. From November into January, the calendar moves to the businesses on Broad Street and Marietta Street. A brewery hosts the first event, and a bookstore is the finish line for the last one.
The park season wound down in October
The Powder Springs Marketplace held its last 2026 evening at Thurman Springs Park on October 14, from 5 to 9 p.m. The Sounds of the Springs Concert Series had already played its last show of the year on September 26. The Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat took over the park on October 17. That stretch was built around the downtown amphitheatre, which the downtown organization says seats up to 500.
The Downtown Powder Springs events calendar gets thinner after that. Here is the full list from the first week of November to the first week of January:
- November 7, noon to 3 p.m. Chili Cook-Off at Skint Chestnut Brewery
- November 11, 11 a.m. Veterans Day Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial at the Powder Springs Library
- November 14, 6 p.m. Live Band Karaoke at Thurman Springs Park
- December 4, 6:30 p.m. Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting
- December 8 through January 4. Reindeer Scavenger Hunt, throughout Powder Springs
Only two of the five events are held at the park. The first one is at a private taproom, and the last one finishes inside a shop.
November starts at a taproom on Broad Street
The first event after Halloween is the city's Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, November 7, at Skint Chestnut Brewery. Anyone can stop by to taste and vote on chili made by residents, local businesses and city departments. The three prizes are Spiciest, Most Unique and Best Overall. The same listing also announces an Art Show on Broad Street that day. So the event fills more than one building. Visitors can taste chili inside and then walk the block to see the art.
Skint Chestnut sits at 3886 Broad St, Suite 100. It calls itself West Cobb's first brewery and describes its taproom as family-friendly and dog-friendly. The AJC reported in 2023 that co-owners Mark Henson and Doug Farrell opened the brewery in July 2022. In about four years it has gone from new arrival to the place the city picked to start its holiday season.
The timing works with the taproom's own schedule. The brewery's website lists Saturday hours of noon to 10 p.m., so the cook-off starts as the doors open and ends at 3 p.m. with seven hours of regular service still to go. The regular weekly hours are:
- Monday: closed
- Tuesday: 5 to 9 p.m.
- Wednesday and Thursday: noon to 9 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: noon to 10 p.m.
- Sunday: 12:30 to 7 p.m.
The posted listings don't give an entry fee, a tasting price or a sign-up process for chili cooks. Anyone planning to enter a pot should check with the city on its Chili Cook-Off page before November 7.
Two November dates still use the green spaces
The Veterans Day Ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, starts at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial in front of the Powder Springs Library. The city holds its Memorial Day ceremony at the same memorial, which makes it downtown's site for both observances each year.
Three days later, Live Band Karaoke returns to Thurman Springs Park on Saturday, November 14, at 6 p.m. The park last hosted it on August 8, also at 6 p.m. The November show is the park's last stage event of 2026 that isn't tied to Christmas. In mid-November it starts close to sunset, so a jacket is a good idea.
December 4 closes Marietta Street
The Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting runs on Friday, December 4, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The parade starts on Marietta Street and heads down that street to Thurman Springs Park for the program and the tree lighting. Cobb Travel & Tourism's listing says Santa, free cocoa and cookies, photos with Santa, and a Christmas Village with family entertainment follow the lighting.
The parking note matters most for anyone who lives or works near the route. According to the city's event page on Eventeny, Marietta Street and the roads around the park will be closed, and parking will be available in lots around downtown. The same page asks that pets stay leashed and under control.
Groups that want to march, drive or ride in the parade can apply through the 2026 Parade Registration on that page until November 30. That leaves less than a week between the deadline and the parade. Any business or club building a float should start before Thanksgiving.
The hunt finishes at The Book Worm
Four days after the parade, the Reindeer Scavenger Hunt starts and runs from December 8 through January 4. It is the longest event on the late-year calendar by a wide margin, and it has no single location. The city's clue card asks players to find nine reindeer and write down where each one is. The clues are wordplay pointing to local stops, and the hunt ends at the bookstore at 4451 Marietta Street, where a completed card earns a prize bag. The card's opening rhyme reads:
Tis the season - time for fun all around! Just follow the clues 'til all nine reindeer are found!
The city's card calls the shop the Bookworm Bookstore, and the store calls itself The Book Worm. Its website says it opened in October 2005 and that Julia Davis became owner in November 2020. In April 2026, Publishers Weekly named The Book Worm a finalist for its 2026 Bookstore of the Year. The magazine described a store of more than 30,000 titles, about half new and half used, that also hosts readings and book clubs.
Putting the finish line at The Book Worm means the city's last holiday event of the season sends families through the door of a nationally recognized bookstore during gift-shopping season. The posted clue card shows no year, so this season's clues and prize details are worth checking with the city once the hunt opens on December 8.
A new brunch spot is opening on the county line
The one new restaurant on the late-fall calendar isn't downtown. FSR Magazine reported on October 6 that T's Brunch Bar plans to open its fifth location in November 2026 at 5780 C.H. James Pkwy, Suite 110. It is taking over the space that used to house 1738 Restaurant Bar & Lounge. The chain already has locations in Midtown, Cumberland Mall, Douglasville and College Park. According to FSR, the Powder Springs restaurant will cover 2,860 square feet, seat up to 100 people and host DJs on weekends.
In the same FSR article, owner Teneshia Murray-Butler explained why she picked the site:
"With this new space bordering West Cobb County (Powder Springs) and Paulding County (Hiram), we look forward to serving residents in both municipalities who want a shorter drive for our tasty food and festive experience."
She chose the corridor on the Hiram line, not the historic core, and she is aiming at diners in two counties. Downtown's late-year calendar runs on businesses that have been there for years, like a taproom open since 2022 and a bookstore open since 2005. The new arrival is on the county line. For now, November is the planned opening month, not a confirmed date. FSR's published hours also contradict each other, so the restaurant's own announcements are the best place to check the opening date and schedule.
If you'd like to know how your street compares to the ones the parade route closes on December 4, or how homes near Broad and Marietta Streets have been selling lately, Aretha Langley can walk you through it. Get your free home valuation and see where your Powder Springs home stands before the new year.
