Ice skating, Christmas market, lots of lights: What to do around Macon this holiday season

Since the annual Macon Pops concert to kick off the Christmas lights downtown, the holiday season has officially begun in Macon with a variety of events.

Annual traditions, such as the Macon Christmas Lights Extravaganza, will return with some new additions like the holiday market.

The Macon Pops concert on Nov. 28 marked the opening of the light show across downtown. Every night, lights will be featured across the five blocks from Poplar Street to Plum Street, starting at 6 p.m. with a soundtrack of Christmas music until Jan. 4. The music includes holiday classics as recorded by the Macon Pops concert and local artists.

Beneath the lights on Poplar Street from 6 to 10 p.m., Santa will make an appearance each weekend and will have a live reindeer on Dec. 20. Horse-drawn carriages will be available to tour the lights from 6 to 10 p.m. on select weekends.

The annual Christmas parade will be held on Dec. 7. The Macon-Bibb Christmas Parade will start at 4 p.m. It will go from Cherry and 5th streets to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard with a variety of bands, local organizations, Santa and more.

A new addition this year includes the Marche de Noel Christmas Market. On Cherry Street Plaza, the artisanal market will be open daily from Dec. 5 to Dec. 14. The European-style holiday market will feature seasonal goods, drinks, and more and live music will start at 6 p.m. It is open to the public free of charge.

Ice skating will also be available at the rink in the Macon Coliseum. Tickets can be purchased starting at $10. Skating started Nov. 24 and will continue to Dec. 30. Select dates and times can be found, along with how to purchase a ticket, on the Coliseum’s website. Each ticket covers one person, includes skate rentals, and accounts for an hour on the rink.

This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM.