"It's free entertainment," Mary Jo Allen told Appen Media at Medley's ribbon cutting on Oct. 29. "All you have to do is walk around." Her friend Karen Gerber added, "And it's close."
The same idea shapes the next six weeks. Johns Creek's holiday calendar now begins on one side of Medlock Bridge Road and continues on the other. Medley opens its ice rink on the west side on Black Friday. A week later, the City lights its 40-foot tree at The Boardwalk on the east side. The underpass that opened in August links the two, so this is the first season the city's main holiday nights can be one walk.
The Road Has a Tunnel Now
The Medlock Bridge Road pedestrian tunnel sits just north of Johns Creek Parkway. The City opened it with a ribbon cutting in mid-August and says it connects neighborhoods, restaurants, retail, The Boardwalk and Town Center for people on foot or bicycle.
Hoodline's coverage of the opening put the two destinations on a map. The Boardwalk is on the east side of the road, behind City Hall, and the tunnel is a main pedestrian entrance to Medley on the west side. Citing The Roundabout, Hoodline reported that the underpass cost about $7 million and was funded through Fulton County's TSPLOST II. It is 124 feet long and 42 feet wide, with an artificial turf floor built to hold pop-up vendor tents and community gatherings.
That width explains why the holiday calendar works this year. A tunnel built to hold vendor tents can carry an event crowd from one side of a state route to the other.
Black Friday Starts on the West Side
Merry Medley runs Friday, Nov. 27, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Medley Boulevard. Medley's event listing includes a holiday concert, curated performances, the opening of the ice rink and a fireworks finale.
The rink, Skate the Plaza, is an outdoor skating season on The Plaza that runs from Nov. 27, 2026, through Feb. 7, 2027. The Plaza is the 25,000-square-foot gathering space in Medley's first phase, which Appen Media reported also includes 145,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
Rink hours change with the school calendar, so plan your trips around the posted schedule:
| When | Rink hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Friday | 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Saturday | 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Sunday | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| School holidays: Nov. 27 and Dec. 21 to Jan. 4 | 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily |
| Christmas Eve | 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Christmas Day | 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| New Year's Eve | 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| New Year's Day | 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. |
On regular weekdays, the rink opens at 3 p.m. On the late-December school break, it opens at 11 a.m. and stays open until 11 p.m. That makes the two weeks around Christmas the easiest time for a daytime skate with kids who are out of school.
A Week Later, the Tree Crosses the Road
The City's Holly Jolly Block Party has a new address this year. The City listed the 2024 event, held Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, at City Hall on Lakefield Drive. The 2025 event, held Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, was also at City Hall.
For 2026, the City's event page moves it to The Boardwalk at Town Center on Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is free and includes a visit from Santa, the lighting of the City's 40-foot Christmas tree, hot cocoa, local choirs and lights.
The move is short on a map, since The Boardwalk sits behind City Hall. The setting is very different. Hoodline reported that The Boardwalk is a $39 million, 20-acre park that opened May 8, with a 4,000-capacity outdoor amphitheater, elevated wetland trails and terraced seating. The City describes it as an elevated trail with an amphitheater and pond overlooks.
The tree lighting now happens in a park with the tunnel at its edge, one week after the rink opens on the other side. On Dec. 4, a family can watch the tree lighting at 6 p.m. and then walk under Medlock Bridge Road to the rink, which is open until 11 p.m. on Fridays. At Medley's ribbon cutting, Mayor John Bradberry told Appen Media, "We're going to make this the third place that Johns Creek has been lacking." The Dec. 4 evening is the clearest example of that plan on the holiday calendar.
What Fills the Evenings Between
With the district already open, the time between the big nights doesn't have to be empty. Medley's first phase opened Oct. 29 with more restaurants and shops to follow, and each business sets its own hours.
Appen Media visited a few places on opening day:
- STIR sits at the edge of Medley's outdoor event space, next to the open area where Merry Medley takes place. Appen Media described an upscale-casual American and seafood menu, a patio, an indoor-outdoor bar and a cocktail list that includes espresso martinis and elderflower sours. The restaurant makes its own ice, two clear 300-pound blocks at a time.
- Moop's Boutique, Carolyn Gordon's apparel and accessories shop, moved to Medley after 10 years in Alpharetta, according to Appen Media. Gordon described the style as "quirky, preppy, but very sophisticated."
- Trader Joe's opened in June, months before the rest of the district.
The rest of the lineup works well for a holiday afternoon. On the dining side, North Atlanta Star's Medley guide lists Rena's Italian Fishery & Grill, Tonic House, Lily Sushi Bar, The Nest Cafe, Five Daughters Bakery, Playa Bowls, Knuckies Eatery, Summit Coffee, Cookie Fix and Amorino Gelato. Shake Shack is at 2100 Medley Boulevard. For gift shopping, the guide lists Sephora, High Country Outfitters, Sugarcoat, Burdlife, Petfolk and Hollow Oak. Hollow Oak is Katie Bossie's bookstore and lifestyle shop at 4130 Medley Boulevard, with books, stationery, records and handmade goods. Its name comes from a Nancy Drew mystery.
More restaurants are on the way. Medley spokeswoman Raechel Blitchington Lyden told North Atlanta Star that Northern China Eatery, CRÚ Wine Bar & Bistro, 26 Thai, Fogón and Lions, Minnie Olivia Pizzeria, CT Cantina & Taqueria, Tabla, Fadó Irish Pub and 13 Hub Lane were expected in the weeks after Oct. 29. Some of those could open during rink season, so the list of places to eat near the ice may be longer in January than it is on Black Friday. Medley's business directory is the best place to check hours before you go.
The Season, in Order
The holiday season isn't the only thing on the Town Center calendar this fall. The Boardwalk hosts the City's Diwali Celebration this Saturday, Nov. 7, from 4 to 8 p.m. Here is the full sequence:
- Saturday, Nov. 7. Diwali Celebration, The Boardwalk, 4 to 8 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 27. Merry Medley on Medley Boulevard, 4 to 8 p.m., and the Skate the Plaza rink opens.
- Friday, Dec. 4. Holly Jolly Block Party and the City's tree lighting, The Boardwalk, 6 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 12. Breakfast with Santa, Park Place at Newtown, 3125 Old Alabama Road, with seatings at 9 and 10:30 a.m. and more Santa activities later in the day.
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 4. Daytime rink hours, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Sunday, Feb. 7. The rink's last day.
Breakfast with Santa stays at Park Place at Newtown, away from Town Center. That keeps the morning event at its usual spot while the evening events move into the new district.
Getting There and Getting Across
At Medley, self-parking is in the parking deck and the surface lots on the north side. Valet is on Medley Boulevard near Concierge and costs $12 per car. The district's address is 2140 Medley Boulevard, at Johns Creek Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road.
If you're going to both Merry Medley and the tree lighting, park once and walk. You can park at Medley on Dec. 4, take the tunnel to The Boardwalk for the 6 p.m. lighting and walk back for dinner or a skate without moving the car. On Nov. 27, the order flips. Merry Medley ends with fireworks at 8 p.m., and The Boardwalk's elevated trail is on the other side of the tunnel.
Our team lives and works in North Atlanta, and we follow Town Center's progress block by block, from the tunnel to the rink to the restaurants still to come. If you're thinking about how Johns Creek's new downtown fits into your plans, Bonnie Smith would be glad to talk it through with you.
