"The goal should be to collaborate / complement and avoid events that compete." That was the feedback from the Johns Creek Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee, according to a May 11, 2026 staff memo to the mayor and City Council. The memo dealt with a scheduling problem the city had never had before. Medley, the new development at Johns Creek Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road, planned its own fall and holiday events, and two of them landed close to dates the city already held at The Boardwalk.
Staff recommended that the city step back. The city's current event pages show it kept its own dates. So for the first time, Johns Creek's Town Center has two hosts this season, and each one runs the season its own way.
What Staff Proposed in May, and What the Calendar Shows Now
The memo covered two events and gave the council a recommendation and alternatives for each. Here is how those proposals compare with the city's current event listings.
| Event | Original plan, per the May memo | Staff recommendation | Current city listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diwali Celebration | Sat., Nov. 7, 2 to 7 p.m., Boardwalk and City Hall parking lot | Move to Sun., Nov. 8 for cross-promotion with Medley | Sat., Nov. 7, 4 to 8 p.m., drone and light show at 7 p.m. |
| Holly Jolly Block Party | Fri., Dec. 4, Santa, holiday llamas, Boardwalk tree lighting | Join Medley's Nov. 27 tree lighting as a sponsor | Fri., Dec. 4, 6 to 8 p.m., Santa, 40-foot tree lighting, cocoa, local choirs |
Both current listings line up with alternatives the memo laid out rather than with the staff recommendation. For Diwali, the memo's "ramp up" option kept the event in place, stretched it to 8 p.m. and closed with a drone and light show. For Holly Jolly, the "differentiate" option leaned on what the memo called a "small-town feel," with chorus performances on the Boardwalk stage in view of the lit tree. Neither event moved, and each now looks less like Medley's version.
Nov. 7: Diwali Keeps Its Saturday and Runs Later
The city's Diwali Celebration runs from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at The Boardwalk at Town Center, 11362 Lakefield Drive. It is free and includes retail vendors, food, performances and a drone and light show at 7 p.m.
Check the time before you go. Some event listings still show 2 to 7 p.m., the schedule in the original plan. The city's own page is the one to trust. The later start puts the drone show after dark, which explains why the event now ends at 8.
The memo also described what Medley's event team was planning for Diwali at that point: a restaurant-focused evening event on Sunday, Nov. 8, rather than a full community festival. Medley's public event pages do not list that event, so treat the city's Saturday celebration as the confirmed one.
Nov. 27: Medley Opens Its First Holiday Season Big
Medley calls the day after Thanksgiving Merry Medley. The all-day event on Medley Boulevard includes family activities, a holiday concert, curated performances, the opening of the ice rink and a fireworks finale. The May memo said Medley expected its tree lighting to be its biggest event of 2026 after the grand opening. That memo also mentioned Santa and a giant tree for Nov. 27, but Medley's current listing doesn't name either one. Come for the concert and the fireworks, and treat anything else as a bonus.
The rink lasts well past opening night. According to Medley's Skate the Plaza page, the plaza is an ice rink from Nov. 27, 2026, through Feb. 7, 2027, on this schedule:
- Monday through Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m.
- Friday, 3 to 11 p.m.
- Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- School-holiday hours, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, on Nov. 27 and from Dec. 21 through Jan. 4
- Separate hours on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day
Medley hasn't posted ticket or skate-rental prices yet, so check the page before you plan a family outing around it. Some fall guides listed a Nov. 23 opening. Medley's current page and a North Atlanta Star walking tour report from Oct. 22 both give Nov. 27.
The setting around the rink was designed with nights like this in mind. Developer Mark Toro told the North Atlanta Star that he reserved every side of the plaza for restaurants and patios. The idea came from Madrid's Plaza de Santa Ana: diners finish a meal and then stay outside. According to the outlet's Oct. 24 lineup report, the businesses expected around opening include:
- STIR, an oyster bar and restaurant facing The Plaza, plus its cocktail lounge, Tonic House
- Summit Coffee
- Five Daughters Bakery, known for its 100-layer doughnuts
- Amorino Gelato
- Hollow Oak, a book, stationery and gift shop from Johns Creek native Katie Bossie
The outlet also reported that businesses will open in stages, so a few storefronts may still be dark by Thanksgiving weekend.
Dec. 4: The Boardwalk Keeps Its Own Tree
One week after Merry Medley, the city holds the Holly Jolly Block Party at The Boardwalk from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4. It's free, with a visit from Santa, the lighting of the city's 40-foot Christmas tree, hot cocoa and local choirs.
That two-hour evening event is a different kind of night from Medley's all-day schedule with fireworks. It is shorter and more local, and it centers on the tree and the singing. That matches the "small-town feel" the memo laid out as the way to keep the city's party from competing with Medley's. The memo also noted that whatever the council decided, the city planned to install its holiday light displays as usual. Those include the tree and dreidel at Newtown Park and the tree at The Boardwalk.
The Mile Between the Two
The two venues are close, and getting between them on foot is easier than it was a year ago. According to the city, The Boardwalk trail runs about a mile from Johns Creek Parkway north to McGinnis Ferry Road, the corner where Medley sits. The trail connects to 14 Town Center sidewalks.
In August, the city opened the Medlock Bridge Road pedestrian tunnel just north of Johns Creek Parkway. The arched underpass lets people on foot or bike reach The Boardwalk and Town Center from the neighborhoods, restaurants and shops across Medlock Bridge without crossing the road at street level. Both are part of the city's 192-acre Town Center plan, which links housing, shops and offices with parks and paths.
If you drive to Medley, its parking page lists daily self-parking in the north-side deck and surface lots. Valet costs $12 per car at the Medley Boulevard drop-off near Concierge. On a crowded opening night, one option is to park once and walk the trail between the two venues.
The Season in Date Order
The two Town Center hosts share the season with a few other events around Old Alabama Road:
- Sat., Nov. 7: Diwali Celebration at The Boardwalk, 4 to 8 p.m., drone show at 7 p.m.
- Thu., Nov. 12, and Fri., Nov. 13: Holly Days Market at Saint Brigid Catholic Church, 3400 Old Alabama Road, with a Thursday evening Sip 'N Shop and a Friday market. The details come from a community-submitted Patch listing, so confirm with the church before you go.
- Fri., Nov. 27: Merry Medley on Medley Boulevard and the ice rink's first day.
- Fri., Dec. 4: Holly Jolly Block Party at The Boardwalk, 6 to 8 p.m.
- Sat., Dec. 12: Breakfast with Santa at Park Place at Newtown, 3125 Old Alabama Road, with separate breakfast, snack and adaptive-lunch sessions. The city set registration to open Nov. 1 at 8 a.m.
- Dec. 21 through Jan. 4: Rink school-holiday hours, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
- Feb. 7, 2027: Last day of Skate the Plaza.
If you're weighing what a busier Town Center means for your property, Stevens Residential follows these changes block by block across North Fulton. Schedule a Free Market Consultation, and we'll go through what Medley's first year looks like from your street.
