Johns Creek's two biggest holiday events this year happen one week apart, on either side of Medlock Bridge Road. On Nov. 27, Medley opens an open-air ice rink on its plaza and celebrates with fireworks. On Dec. 4, the city lights its 40-foot Christmas tree at The Boardwalk next to City Hall. A pedestrian tunnel that opened this summer connects the two.
Until this fall, the city's holiday calendar was something you drove to, one event at a time. Medley, the $560 million mixed-use development that cut its ribbon on Oct. 29, changed that. It sits next to the city's park and is connected to it on foot, so the holiday season now plays out in a single district with a private host and a public one.
Two Hosts, One District
Medley covers 43 acres inside the city's roughly 192-acre Town Center plan, which also includes The Boardwalk at Town Center near City Hall. Appen Media's Johns Creek Herald reported that city officials describe Medley, Town Center and The Boardwalk as the start of a new future for the heart of the city. The holiday calendar is the first time all three work together.
| Date | Event | Host | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Skate the Plaza opens; Merry Medley, 4 to 8 p.m. | Medley | The Plaza, 2140 Medley Boulevard | Rink tickets from $15; Merry Medley on Medley Boulevard |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Holly Jolly Block Party, 6 to 8 p.m. | City of Johns Creek | The Boardwalk, 11362 Lakefield Drive | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Jingle & Mingle, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. | Johns Creek Chamber | YiFan Restaurant & Event Center | See Chamber listing |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Breakfast with Santa and Cookies with Santa | City of Johns Creek | Park Place at Newtown | See city listing |
| Sun., Feb. 7 | Rink's last day | Medley | The Plaza | From $15 |
The first two rows happen in the district. Medley sells tickets to the rink, and the city's party is free. Between Thanksgiving weekend and the tree lighting, both are open in the same week.
The Rink Sets the Season's Length
Skate the Plaza turns The Plaza at 2140 Medley Boulevard into an open-air ice rink from Nov. 27, 2026, through Feb. 7, 2027. That's ten weeks, which makes it the longest-running piece of the season by far. Every ticket includes a 75-minute session and skate rental, and sessions are reserved online.
- General admission: $18 per skater
- Cheap Skate Mondays: $15 per skater, all day every Monday
- Season pass: $99 per skater
- Fees: $1.50 service fee per ticket, plus applicable taxes
Hours change with the school calendar. Opening day, Nov. 27, falls inside the school-holiday window, so the rink runs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. that day. Regular weeks run 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3 to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. From Dec. 21 through Jan. 4 the rink is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, with exceptions on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, which close at 8 p.m., and Christmas Day, which runs 3 to 10 p.m.
On a school night, the weekday 3 p.m. start leaves the late afternoon and evening for skating. During the winter break, the rink is open all day.
Opening night also brings Merry Medley, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Medley Boulevard. The lineup includes DJ Yvonne Monet, skating performances by local-school and professional skaters, a live show from 6 to 8 p.m. and a fireworks finale. Medley notes that the schedule and entertainment may change.
The City's Night Is Free and One Week Later
The city's own celebration takes place on the other side of the road. The Holly Jolly Block Party is Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Boardwalk, 11362 Lakefield Drive. It's free, with Santa, the lighting of the city's 40-foot Christmas tree, hot cocoa, local choirs and lights.
The city's Boardwalk page lists public and ADA parking at City Hall, 11360 Lakefield Drive. You reach the park on foot by the path to the left of City Hall's front entrance.
The Boardwalk is also where the city is trying something new with food. On Oct. 26, City Council approved a 12-month pilot that lets permitted food trucks and carts sell at The Boardwalk, North Atlanta Star reported. Johns Creek Now laid out the ground rules:
- Vendors sell food and nonalcoholic drinks only.
- Days and hours are set permit by permit, and selling stays within designated spots and the park's posted hours.
- Trucks keep accessible routes and emergency access clear and stay at least five feet from the pond and wetland.
- Each truck or cart pays $50 per quarter for its permit.
Those rules put a different kind of food at the park than what Medley's restaurants serve across the road. The city's side offers free events and permitted trucks. Medley's side offers sit-down dining and ticketed skating.
The Tunnel Turns Two Trips Into One Walk
The two sides work as one district because of the Medlock Bridge Road pedestrian tunnel. The city announced it open on Aug. 20, 2026. The arched underpass sits just north of Johns Creek Parkway, and the city says it connects neighborhoods, restaurants, retail, The Boardwalk park and Johns Creek Town Center, on foot or by bicycle.
The tunnel goes under Medlock Bridge Road, also known as SR 141, which is the busy road between the city's park and its new retail district. Along the Johns Creek Parkway corridor at Medley, a 10-foot multi-use trail and improved pedestrian crossings are finished. North Atlanta Star's Nov. 8 guide described the project as substantially complete, with final punch-list work remaining.
In practice, someone who parks once can see the tree lighting at The Boardwalk and walk to the rink and restaurants at Medley without moving the car. Before this fall, Johns Creek didn't have a holiday evening like that.
What's Open Between the Ice and the Tree
The district works for a whole evening only if there's somewhere to eat, and Medley's first wave of openings covers most of that. Fulton Neighbor reported these restaurants open after the ribbon cutting: Rena's Italian Fishery & Grill, Shake Shack, STIR, Tonic House, Lily Sushi Bar, Five Daughters Bakery, Playa Bowls, Summit Coffee, Cookie Fix and Amorino Gelato. Trader Joe's is open too.
A few details help match a stop to the evening:
- STIR and Tonic House sit beside The Plaza. STIR's Johns Creek location is its first restaurant in Georgia, and Tonic House is the cocktail lounge next to it.
- The Tree Bar is built around a tree preserved on the property and hosted acoustic music on opening night.
- Shake Shack opened Oct. 30 at 2100 Medley Boulevard, the day after the ribbon cutting.
- Amorino Gelato held its grand opening Nov. 6 at 7125 Medley Crossing, North Atlanta Star reported.
- Knuckies Eatery joined Medley's first opening wave alongside Summit Coffee and Cookie Fix.
For shopping between stops, opening-day retailers include Sephora, High Country Outfitters, Moop's Boutique, Hollow Oak at 4130 Medley Boulevard, Sugarcoat, Burdlife and Petfolk.
More restaurants are on Medley's list of later openings: Northern China Eatery, CRÚ Wine Bar & Bistro, 26 Thai, Fogón and Lions, Minnie Olivia Pizzeria, CT Cantina & Taqueria, Tabla and Fadó Irish Pub. As each one opens over the rink's ten-week run, there will be more choices before and after a skating session.
December's Second Half Spreads Back Out
After the tree lighting, the season moves out of the district. The Johns Creek Chamber's Jingle & Mingle is Thursday, Dec. 10, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. at YiFan Restaurant & Event Center, 6080 Abbotts Bridge Parkway, Suite F100.
Two days later, on Saturday, Dec. 12, the city hosts Breakfast with Santa and Cookies with Santa at Park Place at Newtown, 3125 Old Alabama Road. Breakfast seatings are at 9 and 10:30 a.m., the adaptive lunch is at noon, and cookie seatings are at 1:30 and 3 p.m.
The rink stays open through all of it. When the winter break starts on Dec. 21, Skate the Plaza goes to all-day hours, so it remains the one holiday event in the Town Center district that's still running into the new year and on through Feb. 7.
Medley's opening and the tunnel have changed what it means to live near Town Center. If you're curious how this new walkable district shows up in what your home is worth, Bondy Prestigious Properties can walk you through it. Get Your Home Valuation, and we'll show you what the new Town Center district means for your street.
