Skate City Springs Is Cheaper on Weeknights This Season, and the Holiday Calendar Is Packed Into Weekends

Skate City Springs opens tomorrow night, Friday, Nov. 13, on City Green. For its fourth season, the rink charges by the day of the week for the first time. A Tuesday session now costs less than last year, and a Saturday session costs the same as it did then. Look at everything else on the City Springs calendar between now and New Year's Eve and you'll see the same split. The weekends are booked solid, and Monday through Thursday is mostly open.

The Price Now Depends on the Day

Last season, every session cost the same whatever the day. The city's 2025-26 announcement set the price at $18 for adults and $15 for kids, according to Sandy Springs Today. The Skate City Springs page now lists two tiers.

Both tiers include skate rental and a one-hour session. Book a timed session online, get there 10 to 15 minutes early to pick up skates, and skate for the full hour. Capacity is limited, so the city recommends reserving online. Walk-ups are welcome, but the city asks you to call (404) 890-6690 first to check for space. Free Skate Helpers are on the ice for anyone who needs help with balance. Every night at 6 p.m. is Glow Night, so the weekday price gets you the same lights as a weekend session.

The rink runs through Monday, Jan. 18, 2027. Last season ran Nov. 14 to Jan. 19. The rink opened over the 2023 holidays, and the city reported 6,000 skaters on the 5,000-square-foot rink that first season, Sandy Springs Today notes.

Weekends Are Where the Programming Is

The extra $3 on Fridays and weekends gets you the season's theme nights. Opening night sets the pattern. At 7 p.m. Friday, the Atlanta Figure Skating Club performs an exhibition to start the 2026-27 season, and the night doubles as Fright Night, so Halloween costumes are welcome on the ice one more time.

Disco Slide Nights start Friday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m. A DJ calls couples' skates, fast laps and maybe a limbo. The city suggests neon, sequins, metallics and fun socks.

The themed nights run 8 to 10 p.m., almost all on Saturdays, and anyone who dresses for the theme gets a free hot cocoa. The full lineup, as listed on the city's events calendar and compiled by Sandy Springs Today:

Group packages are also new this season. They combine skating, food and a gathering space, with options such as pizza, barbecue, chicken tenders or an all-American grill, plus unlimited hot cocoa. Packages start at $30 a person, and groups of 10 or more get discounted skating rates, according to the city's Nov. 2 announcement as reported by Sandy Springs Today. Birthday parties and group outings book through the skate page. Corporate outings go through [email protected]. The Sandy Springs Foundation presents the season, and Georgia Power is the Spotlight Sponsor.

The Weekends Fill Up Across the Plaza Too

Byers Theatre and City Green put most of their holiday dates on weekends, too. Saturday, Nov. 21, shows how much can fall on one day:

1. 8:30 a.m. to noon: the Sandy Springs Farmers Market on City Green.
2. 8 p.m.: A Magical Cirque Christmas, holiday circus acts set to music, at Byers Theatre.
3. 8 to 10 p.m.: '80s Night on the ice, a short walk from the theater doors.

Thanksgiving weekend brings Roswell Dance Theatre's The Nutcracker to Byers Theatre. Every performance falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

• Friday, Nov. 27, at 2 and 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 28, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 29, at 1 and 5 p.m.
• Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2 and 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m.

After that, the weekends keep going. City Springs Theatre Company stages Anastasia at Byers Theatre Dec. 11 to 27. Joe Alterman's Toast & Jam Holiday Jazz Brunch, with guest Joe Gransden, is Sunday, Dec. 13, at 11 a.m. at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center.

Only a few dates fall midweek. The Snow Day Movie Matinee is Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Heritage Building, 6110 Blue Stone Road. It's an inclusive event for people with disabilities and their families, with a screening of Frozen, a pajama party, character visits, hot chocolate, snacks and a goody bag. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's New Year's Eve concert falls on a Thursday this year: Dec. 31 at 8 p.m., with an afterparty in the Studio Lobby at 10 p.m.

Nearly every other weeknight belongs to the rink and the lights.

The Village and the Lights Run Every Night

The Hillcrest Sparkle Village fills City Green Plaza with six-foot-tall wooden houses decorated with holiday designs and lights, and you can step inside them. Sandy Springs nonprofits, schools and businesses decorate the houses, and the lineup changes every year. This year's participants include Abernathy Arts Center, Keep North Fulton Beautiful, the Sandy Springs Fire Department, Sandy Springs Society, Trader Joe's and Visit Sandy Springs. Hillcrest, a planned mixed-use development, sponsors the houses.

The houses and lights stay up through Jan. 4, 2027. Voting for a favorite house opens Nov. 21 and closes Dec. 6 at 5 p.m., and the winners are announced at Sparkle that evening. A Monday or Tuesday walk through the village before a $15 skate session is the easiest way to see it before the vote closes.

Sunday, Dec. 6 Runs on Different Rules

Sparkle Sandy Springs is the one day the rink's normal routine is set aside. On Sunday, Dec. 6, the rink is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with first-come, first-served time slots. From 4:30 p.m. you skate to live music from the Ansley Stewart Band.

The rest of the evening, according to the city:

• 4 p.m.: Sparkle's Wonderland and food and gift market open. Food vendors set up along Blue Stone Road and gift vendors on City Green Plaza.
• 4:30 p.m.: Live holiday music begins.
• 6 p.m.: The parade steps off at Mount Vernon Highway and Lake Forrest Drive, follows Mount Vernon Highway, turns onto Galambos Way and ends at Sandy Springs Circle.
• 6:50 p.m.: Tree and menorah lighting.
• 7:30 p.m.: The market closes.
• 8 p.m.: The rink closes.

The road plan matters more than the program for anyone driving in. Per the city's closure page, closures begin at 3 p.m. on Blue Stone Road, Galambos Way, Mount Vernon Highway, Lake Forest Drive and Sandy Springs Circle, and the roads reopen by 9 p.m. The City Springs garage's east entrance closes from 5:45 to 7 p.m., and the west entrance closes from 6:15 to 7 p.m. Street parking along the route, Galambos Way and Blue Stone Road starts closing Thursday, Dec. 3.

The final Nutcracker performance starts at 2 p.m. that Sunday, an hour before the first road closures, so families pairing the ballet with Sparkle will want to park once and stay.

The city's parking page for Sparkle lists a free shuttle from Lake Forest Elementary, 5920 Sandy Springs Circle, from 4 to 8 p.m. The school lot is free, and the shuttle may pause during the parade. Free parking without a shuttle is available at the City Springs underground garage at 6300 Blue Stone Road, Chase Bank at 6180 Roswell Road, Truist Bank at 6240 Roswell Road and Ameris Bank at 225 Sandy Springs Circle.

Where to Eat Before or After a Session

The City Springs dining directory lists Café Vendôme, CityBar & Café, Flower Child, Mister01 Extraordinary Pizza, Nam Kitchen ATL, Playa Bowls and The Select on site. CityBar & Café is inside the Performing Arts Center and serves breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Friday, which works for a weekday daytime visit.

Within a five-minute walk, the directory lists Summit Coffee Sandy Springs, open daily, along with Breadwinner Cafe and Bakery, Brooklyn Cafe, Bruster's Ice Cream, The Gelatist, Zafron and Sunnyside Pizzeria. Sunnyside, a wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzeria, is at 220 Sandy Springs Circle.

A slightly longer walk of five to 10 minutes reaches Rumi's Kitchen, C&S Seafood and Oyster Bar, Tre Vele, Henri's Bakery & Deli, Casi Cielo, Baraonda and Thos. O'Reilly's. On a Saturday theme night, dinner before an 8 p.m. session at any of these fits easily.

At The Suits Team, we keep track of the City Springs calendar the same way our clients do, week by week. If you're wondering how evenings on City Green and the walkable blocks around it affect what your home is worth, get your instant home valuation and we'll show you how the details add up.