Midtown Green's First Holiday Season Lands on the Same Sunday Piedmont Park Lights Its Tree

"For years, we've sat and talked about the imperative of creating open space in Midtown to permanently protect," Midtown Alliance President and CEO Kevin Green told the crowd at the Fox Theatre in March 2025, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Twenty months later, that open space has a lawn, picnic tables and a set of MIDTOWN letters facing 14th Street. Its first holiday season comes down to two Sundays.

The first of those Sundays is November 22. That afternoon Piedmont Park Conservancy holds its free Lantern Parade and lights the Great Tree. So on one Sunday, Midtown's newest public space and its oldest one are on the same holiday calendar.

The Lot That Kept Not Becoming Anything

The four acres at 98 14th Street were once planned for a new symphony hall. Later they were planned for high-rise condo towers that were never built. In its 2025 coverage, the AJC called the site "one of Midtown's largest eyesores." The only building on it was the former Opus Place sales center.

The Midtown Improvement District closed on the property on May 19, 2025, for $46 million. That works out to $263 per square foot. According to Midtown Alliance's key facts page, Midtown land has sold for an average of $415 per square foot since 2020, which puts the purchase at about 63% of that figure.

The acreage is the bigger number. Midtown covers 770 acres, and before this purchase only 1.2 of them were permanently protected public space. The Alliance says adding this site increases that total by nearly 400%. For anyone who walks 14th Street every day, that changes what the blocks between Peachtree and West Peachtree can be used for. It also explains why the first season matters, even in temporary form.

What the Interim Version Actually Is

The lawn you can walk onto today is the interim phase, not the finished park. According to Midtown Alliance's project page, crews brought in 785 dump-truck loads of dirt to level the site. Then they put down Bermuda sod and a grass-and-wildflower mix that needs more time to fully take hold, plus an irrigation system. The site also has perimeter walking paths, picnic tables, lawn games, portable restrooms and concrete pads prepped for food trucks. The new MIDTOWN letters sit on the north side facing 14th Street.

The old Opus Place sales center on the western edge is being converted into the headquarters for Midtown Alliance's supplemental public safety and maintenance teams. "Midtown Green" is a working name and could change.

In late August, Urbanize Atlanta reported that the fences were expected to come down in early September. The first fitness session was set for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3. The fall calendar Midtown Alliance published for the lawn set up three recurring series:

The weekday series ended with October, so the markets are the only scheduled events left on the lawn this year.

Two Sundays Left on 14th Street

Both remaining Midtown Artisan Markets are free and run noon to 6 p.m. Midtown Alliance expects 20 to 30 local artisan vendors selling handmade goods, art, accessories and gifts. There will also be food for purchase, family activities and lawn games across the grass. The Alliance pitches the markets partly as a way to get an early start on holiday shopping. On the calendar, Nov. 22 falls right before Thanksgiving week and Dec. 13 sits in the middle of December.

Finding it is easy. The lawn is across from the Four Seasons Hotel and one block south of the Arts Center MARTA station.

Sunday, November 22, Hour by Hour

On Nov. 22, Piedmont Park Conservancy kicks off Light Up the Season, its holiday celebration that runs through Jan. 4, 2027. The kickoff is free and open to the public, and it starts at Greystone in Piedmont Park. The market on 14th Street and the park's events overlap for part of the afternoon, so the day fits together like this:

1. Noon. The Midtown Artisan Market opens at Midtown Green, 98 14th Street.
2. 3:30 p.m. The Lantern-Making Party starts at Greystone, with music and seasonal food while everyone builds lanterns.
3. 5 p.m. The Seed & Feed band leads the Holiday Lantern Parade from Greystone around Lake Clara Meer and into the Meadow.
4. After the parade. The Great Tree, the Menorah and the Kinara are lit in the Meadow, which officially opens the season.
5. After the lighting. The celebration moves to Park Tavern.
6. 6 p.m. The market at Midtown Green closes.

The market is open for three and a half hours before lantern-making begins. That leaves time for an early afternoon on 14th Street before heading over to the park.

If you want to make a weekend of it, the night before has its own tree. Atlantic Station's Santa's Arrival Parade starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. The annual tree lighting follows at 7 p.m. on Atlantic Green, 1380 Atlantic Dr. NW, according to Midtown Alliance's event listing.

The park's season doesn't end after opening night. The Conservancy also lists seasonal programs and workshops on Nov. 13 and 20 and on Dec. 2, 9, 10 and 16.

The Garden Opens Two Days After This Post

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights opens nightly at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, on Saturday, Nov. 14, and runs through Jan. 10, 2027. Garden members are invited to a member premiere on Thursday, Nov. 12. New this season are expanded displays along Flower Walk, the return of the Imaginary Worlds mosaiculture dragon to the Skyline Garden, and new choreography for Nature's Wonders, the light-and-sound curtain.

The change that matters most to people who live nearby is the schedule. The Garden now advertises hours until midnight with last entry at 11 p.m., and a Night Light admission after 9:30 p.m. on every show night. If you live within walking distance, the late ticket means you can go after dinner on a weeknight. Premium Plus tickets add a private Holiday Hideaway with fire pits and s'mores kits, plus express entry, a drink ticket and complimentary date changes.

All of this means the Dec. 13 market can also be the first part of a longer Sunday. The market closes at 6 p.m., and the Garden stays open until midnight that night.

Around the Lawn

Midtown Alliance's listing for Midtown Green names the closest businesses and landmarks, most within a few hundred feet:

• Toastique, 1230 West Peachtree, about 291 feet west
• Brown Bag Seafood and sweetgreen, 1201 Peachtree, about 300 feet northwest
• High Note Rooftop Bar, 53 14th St. NE, about 308 feet southeast
• One Atlantic Center, about 405 feet west
• Midtown ATL/SCAD, about 570 feet northwest
• Arts Center MARTA station, about 827 feet northwest

Midtown Alliance also describes the site as steps from the Woodruff Arts Center.

What Comes After the Interim Lawn

The permanent concept for 98 14th Street includes a pavilion and performance venue, public art, a restaurant and café, a community building with public restrooms, gardens, lawns and gathering areas. No final cost or timeline has been set yet. Midtown Alliance says it is working through design, engineering and cost planning before launching a capital campaign, and no campaign goal has been named. Longer term, the Alliance also plans a protected mid-block pedestrian crossing on 14th Street.

Until then, the fall schedule ends with the market on Sunday, Dec. 13, from noon to 6 p.m. at 98 14th Street.

If you're thinking about how a new park on 14th Street could shape your corner of Midtown, whether you're staying put, moving up or getting ready to sell, Ginger Pressley is happy to talk it through. Call or email Ginger, and maybe catch her at the market on Nov. 22.