Roswell's Holiday Calendar Mostly Starts After the Free Parking Ends
Is Canton Street parking free if you get downtown before the tree lighting? Not on the curb, because the free time on Canton Street now depends on the hour your parking session starts. Roswell is heading into its first November and December under the downtown parking pilot. City Council approved the pilot 4–2 on March 9, 2026, and it runs through December 31. The current rules give free curb time in the morning and early afternoon. Most of the season's best-known events start in the evening.
The cutoff is 3 p.m. Of the downtown evening events listed below, the extra Alive in Roswell, the tree lighting, and the weeknight hours of the Christkindlmarket at Bulloch Hall all begin at 3 p.m. or later.
The City's revised on-street rules took effect August 1, 2026. A session started between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. gets its first two hours free. Any session started before 8:00 a.m. or after 3:00 p.m. pays $3 an hour from the start, up to $24 for the day. That replaced the original May schedule, which charged $2 an hour from the first minute.
According to the City's on-street parking FAQ, the paid areas are:
Enforcement runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You have to start a session even during the free window. The only exceptions are two 30-minute no-charge spaces on Elizabeth Way for quick stops. You don't need an app. You can scan the QR code or text the number on the nearby sign, or pay at one of the two kiosks, at Canton Street and Elizabeth Way and along East Alley. The City's FAQ lists a $20 fine for violations, including not starting a session during the free window.
Here's how the two rate schedules compare at the lengths of a typical holiday outing:
| Time parked | Session starts 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Session starts after 3 p.m. |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 hour | No charge | $3 |
| 1 to 2 hours | No charge | $6 |
| 2 to 3 hours | $3 | $9 |
| 3 to 4 hours | $6 | $12 |
| 4 to 5 hours | $9 | $15 |
The same three-hour visit costs $3 if you park at 1 p.m. and $9 if you park at 5 p.m.
Here are this season's dates in order, each with its start time and which side of the 3 p.m. line it falls on.
On December 5, the free window works the way the City designed it. Arrive for the Makers Market at 11 a.m. and your first two hours are free. For the tree lighting, the Candy Cane Hunt, the weeknight market, and Alive in Roswell on November 19, it doesn't help. Park on Canton Street at 5:15 for Alive in Roswell, stay until close, and you've parked between three and four hours, which is $12. Park at 5:45 for the tree lighting, leave around 8:15, and the 2.5-hour session costs $9.
The City's own Alive in Roswell listing sends attendees to the free public parking at City Hall. The City Hall lot was left out of the paid pilot. Council deferred decisions on City Hall parking until staff had more data.
The larger option is the new Green Street parking deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street. It opened May 4, 2026 with 394 spaces, and it's the largest facility the City has built since City Hall went up in the early 1990s. Parking there is free while Green Street is under construction.
The deck can fill on a festival night, and it already has. The City counted about 7,500 deck visits between May 8 and June 7, about 242 vehicles a day. On the May 21 Alive in Roswell night, 619 vehicles used the deck, and it was close to 88% full by 8 p.m. That was a late-spring Thursday with daylight past 8 p.m. The November 19 Alive is the first one in the dark, the night before the Christkindlmarket opens. So if you're coming for the 5 p.m. start, get to the deck early in the evening, not at 7:30.
The deck is free because of the Green Street Activation Plan, which is turning Green Street into a one-way southbound road with a brick-paved multi-use trail, new lighting, and landscaping. In April, the City said a full closure from Cherry Way to Alpharetta Street would take about six months starting in early May, and that the improved Green Street should open in fall 2026. The free deck parking was offered for the length of that closure.
The pilot Council approved in March has a different long-term plan for the deck. It would be free Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with fees on weekday evenings and all day on weekends. Residents and nonresidents would pay the same rate, and the City Administrator would set fees under a dynamic pricing model. Under that plan, the deck's paid hours line up with the holiday calendar's busiest hours, the same way the on-street rules do. For each trip downtown this season, check the sign at the deck entrance before assuming it's still free.
The pilot ends December 31, 2026. Roswell Pulse reports that Council is expected to decide in January 2027 whether to make it permanent. So these rules are in place for this holiday season and may change after it.
The holiday events are happening alongside several projects that won't finish until 2027. Riverside Park is closed for renovation, with the City projecting a summer 2027 reopening, and the Riverside Sounds concert series is on hold. Construction on Hillrose Market is underway at 39 Hill Street, across from City Hall, with delivery targeted for the second half of 2027.
Canton Street is also getting another restaurant. Rough Draft Atlanta reported in August that Hal's Steakhouse is coming to Canton Street at Elizabeth Way, a few doors from Little Alley Steak, with an opening planned for next spring. That corner is one of the paid blocks, and Elizabeth Way is where the two 30-minute free spaces are.
This is a summary of the City's published rules, not legal or financial advice. Confirm current rates and terms on the posted signs or with the City of Roswell before you park.
At Julia Sosa-Rocha, we follow how projects like the Green Street deck, Hillrose Market, and the parking pilot change daily life in downtown Roswell, and how they're starting to affect the value of nearby homes. If you own a home within walking distance of Canton Street and want to know how these changes may affect your property's value, request your free home valuation and we'll go over the local numbers with you.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
If you are looking for top, proven, passionate agents that you can trust, who will aggressively represent you and your best interests only, who will give you attention & who are passionate about making sure you have an exceptional, positive experience in buying or selling your home, please call us today & we will be glad to help!