If you live a few coves away from The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, can you walk up to Lighting at the Lake on November 25? The resort's 2026 listing gives the date, the hour, the band and the market times. It doesn't say who can attend.
In 2024 the resort's own event page limited the evening to overnight guests and Reynolds members. A year later, a local events calendar listed it as open to the public. For 2026, the official pages say neither. The quieter December programs, by contrast, are posted with exact dates, times and booking rules.
Two Years, Two Different Answers
The confirmed facts for this year are clear. Lighting at the Lake is set for Wednesday, November 25, 2026, at 6 p.m., the night before Thanksgiving. The Ritz-Carlton's holiday page lists live music from John Driskell Hopkins and his band, then Santa arriving to cue "hundreds of thousands of lights" across the resort. The Mistletoe Market runs earlier, from 4 to 8 p.m., with local vendors.
Who gets in depends on which year's wording you go by. Here is how Marriott's 2024 event page ended its description:
"This event is open to overnight resort guests and Reynolds Members."
For the 2025 Lighting and Mistletoe Market, held Wednesday, November 26, 2025, Lake Oconee Life's calendar listing said something quite different:
"Open to the public. Reservations not required."
That 2025 listing also named some of the regional vendors at the market: Burned Brims, Lake Oconee Creations and Little Light Co. The 2026 listing promises "beloved local vendors" but names none so far.
One detail in this year's listing looks outward. The resort's 2026 booking page ties the Lighting to its Community Footprints partnership. It "strongly" encourages everyone to bring canned goods and nonperishable food, unwrapped toys or winter coats "for those in need in our community," and collection bins will sit on the Front Drive before and during the event. The listing doesn't say who can attend. If you plan to go, a bag of canned goods in the back seat is a good idea either way.
The Rink Runs 40 Days, and Its Last Posted Price Is From Two Seasons Ago
The Lighting also opens The Winter Forest, the 5,000-square-foot ice rink with lake views and an Ice Lounge serving hot cocoa, cider and hot toddies. This season it runs from November 25, 2026, through January 3, 2027. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. every day, with opening night starting at 4 p.m. That's 40 days of skating, including Christmas week and New Year's weekend, so the rink is open far longer than the Lighting itself.
The 2026 listing gives one price rule. Skating is free "for all registered resort guests." It doesn't list a rate for anyone else.
The most recent posted rates for everyone else are from the 2024–25 season, which ran from November 27, 2024, to January 5, 2025. Lake Oconee Life's listing for that season gave these rates:
- Nonmember children: $25 per person
- Reynolds Member adults: $20
- Reynolds Member children: $10
- Hotel guests: free
Those figures are two seasons old, so don't count on them for this year. They do show how the rink was set up: three tiers, with members paying less than the general public and hotel guests paying nothing. If you're a Reynolds member, ask whether a member rate still exists for 2026. If you aren't, ask whether outside skaters can buy a session at all.
Getting there is part of the plan too. The resort lists valet parking only, at $40 a day. It also states that "this hotel does not provide shuttle service." Neither line is specific to holiday events. Still, on a busy opening night, valet is the only arrangement on the books.
Three December Dates Hold Most of the Bookable Calendar
The bookable side of the season is laid out with exact dates and times, and prices are posted for some programs. Almost every reservable program lands on the same three days: Saturday, December 12; Sunday, December 13; and Wednesday, December 23.
| Program | Dates | Time | Price listed | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build a Buddy | Dec. 12, 13, 23 | 10 a.m. | Not listed | Reservations required |
| Breakfast with Santa | Dec. 12, 13, 23 | 8:30 and 11 a.m. | $95 | Reservations required |
| Story Time with Mrs. Claus | Dec. 12, 13, 23 | Noon | Free for registered guests | Not stated |
| Gingerbread Workshop | Dec. 12, 13, 23 | 1 p.m. | $110 | Reservations required |
| Enchanted Teddy Bear Tea | Dec. 19, 20 | 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. | Not listed | Reservations required |
| Christmastime Dinner | Dec. 24, 25 | Restaurant hours | Holiday menus | Varies by restaurant |
The schedule stacks up neatly. A family could do Build a Buddy at 10 a.m., Story Time at noon and the Gingerbread Workshop at 1 p.m. on the same Saturday, with Breakfast with Santa at 8:30 or 11 a.m. if they want an early start. The Teddy Bear Tea, held in the Garden Room at Amore del Lago, is the one program that falls on the weekend before Christmas instead.
A second group of programs runs every day but is marked free for registered guests. The Linger Longer Express departs the Front Drive at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily from December 1 through 25. Holiday Delights at the lobby Gingerbread House runs 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. over the same stretch. The lobby itself features a life-sized Gingerbread Cottage built by the pastry team from thousands of candy pieces. Again, the listing doesn't say what non-guests can do.
So the season comes in two parts. The reservable programs are dated, and some have prices posted. The daily, free-for-guests programs run on their own schedule. The Lighting and the rink sit in between, and those two are where access has been described differently from one year to the next.
A Holiday Season at Reynolds After the Landing Fire
Reynolds residents go into this season soon after a loss close to home. On the evening of October 11, a fire fanned by high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Isaias destroyed the ESSE restaurant and The Landing clubhouse. Lake Oconee News reported that Greene County Fire and Rescue's first engine arrived about five minutes after the roughly 6:30 p.m. call and found the 20,000-square-foot building almost fully engulfed. The building was a total loss. In a statement quoted by the paper, Reynolds said it was "immensely grateful that no one was injured." 11Alive reported that the Georgia State Fire Marshal's Office was expected to review the fire and determine its cause.
The building carried a lot of history. The Landing course opened in 1986 as Port Armor Golf Club, the first golf course built at Lake Oconee, and Reynolds bought it in 2005. Its restaurant had been renovated and renamed ESSE, Latin for "to be," and placed second in its category in Golf Inc. Magazine's 2025 Golden Fork Competition.
According to the Lake Oconee News account, Reynolds is rescheduling ESSE dining reservations, tee times, fitness classes, events and room bookings. It is also opening The National Tavern on Monday nights as an additional dinner option. Reynolds told members it will work to determine "the next generation of The Landing clubhouse" in the coming months. No timetable has been announced.
At the resort, Christmastime Dinner on December 24 and 25 runs at three restaurants. Linger Longer Steakhouse and Amore del Lago require reservations, which you can make at 404.527.4414. Gaby's by the Lake takes walk-ins only. On regular nights, the Ritz's dining page lists Linger Longer Steakhouse open daily from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Gaby's by the Lake open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Questions Worth a Phone Call Before November 25
Since the 2026 pages leave the access questions open, these are the ones to ask the resort before opening night:
- Is Lighting at the Lake on November 25 open to the public this year, or limited to overnight guests and Reynolds members, as it was in 2024?
- Can non-guests buy skating sessions at The Winter Forest, and at what 2026 rate? Is there still a member rate?
- Can locals who aren't staying overnight book the dated programs, such as Breakfast with Santa and the Gingerbread Workshop?
- Is there any parking arrangement for event nights beyond the standard valet?
If it turns out the evening is limited to guests and members again, there's another tree lighting nearby nine days later. Downtown Greensboro's Lighting of the Tree is set for Friday, December 4, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m.
If you'd like a local second opinion on the holiday calendar, from Lighting at the Lake to the Greensboro tree lighting, Sandy and Terri at S&T Real Estate are glad to share what they know about the season around the lake. And if you're curious what your own home would bring, you can start with a free home valuation.
