Decatur's fall calendar is set by a construction schedule. The renovated Square reopened on June 5 and hosted the busiest summer in its history. The contractor came back in August to finish the rest of the job, and the City expects that work to be done in November. The two biggest October gatherings are both in Oakhurst, centered on Harmony Park. Starting October 30, nearly every event left on the city's calendar is on the Square.
If you live here, the route for the next three months follows that schedule. For the first half of October you walk to Oakhurst. From Halloween through the bonfire on December 10, you head back downtown.
The stage had its trial run in June and July
The Square ShakeUp took out the 1996 community bandstand and built a permanent performing arts stage on the west edge of the plaza, near the Historic Courthouse and DeKalb History Center. The stage has a green room and a large viewing screen. More turf and hardscape filled the space the bandstand used to take up. At the east end of the plaza, beside Squash Blossom Boutique, the Hillside play area has two slides, a rope climbing area, a sloped climbing wall and an ADA wheelchair-friendly spinning disk, all on a cushioned slope.
The first test came quickly. Amplify Decatur Music Festival opened the stage right after the June 5 ribbon cutting and ran through June 6. Decaturish reported that Mike Killeen of Amplify My Community played the first set and that CanyonLand featuring Michelle Malone was among the acts. Decatur WatchFest '26 followed and ran from June 11 to July 19: 34 days of World Cup screenings and concerts, with the organizers promising more than 60 matches on three screens, the new stage screen among them. Big Boi kicked it off, Indigo Girls closed it, and G Clef & the Playlist played July 4. On Independence Day, Decaturish described a capacity crowd for a match, a concert and fireworks on the renovated Square.
At the ribbon cutting, Mayor Tony Powers said the space would host concerts, fireworks, music and picnics. Former Mayor Patti Garrett told Decaturish she found the new Square open and inviting. By mid-July the Square had delivered on that promise for six straight weeks.
Why the fences went back up in August
The summer was always a deadline. The City had planned to finish construction by April 2026 for the World Cup watch parties. Deputy City Manager David Junger told the City Commission that the contractor ran into unforeseen conditions tied to utility work and to renovations of MARTA's bus terminal, and that those caused delays.
"The priority was to complete the removal of the gazebo [and] construction of the new stage, plaza and play area." — Deputy City Manager David Junger, as reported by Decaturish
That ordering explains how the Square looks this fall. Everything people gather around was finished first. What's left is the North McDonough Street side. Starting July 27, the North McDonough parking loop in front of City Hall and the DeKalb Courthouse was fenced off for construction. The new permanent restrooms on the expanded North McDonough plaza were closed while that work goes on. Core Dance Studio and the private lot next to it stayed accessible. Sidewalks, the ADA ramps across the plaza and both MARTA entrances stayed open.
On September 8, the Commission approved $92,175 in contract amendments to finish the roughly $8.5 million project. That total is a change order of up to $84,430 for Jacobs Engineering Group's construction management and up to $7,745 for Matrix Engineering Group's testing and inspections. Decaturish reported that the project is expected to be finished in November. Phase two adds green infrastructure on the North McDonough loop, moves the "Celebration" sculpture fountain to the new plaza, and puts up two more sun shades across from the Hillside play area.
The Square still worked as a venue in September. Placita Latina's Salsa on the Square went ahead on September 19 with live Latin music from performers including Luis Gamarra and food from Abuelita Oaxaqueña, until storms cut the night short. The Decatur Book Festival held its October 2 keynote at First Baptist Church of Decatur on Clairemont Avenue. After that, the next two big weekends are in Oakhurst.
October 10: Porchfest fills Oakhurst
Oakhurst Porchfest runs Saturday, October 10, from noon to 7 p.m., across about a square mile of Decatur's southwest corner. No ticket is required and there are no fences or gates. The 2026 program lists 200 porch and lawn performances. The range runs from the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra and the Emory University Gamelan Ensemble to the Metro ATL Taiko League and the Seed and Feed Marching Abominable. The day ends in Harmony Park with Black Sheep Ensemble from 6 to 7 p.m. The Decatur Arts Alliance presents it with the Porchfest organizing crew, the musicians and Oakhurst neighbors.
The organizers are blunt about getting there. They call driving in a "really, really, really, really bad idea." Here is what matters for the day:
- Streets stay open. Porchfest does not close roads, so cars and festivalgoers share the same streets all afternoon.
- MARTA works. Organizers point to the Blue Line's East Lake station.
- Rideshare drops you at the edge. Uber and Lyft geofencing keeps pickups on the outer edge of the neighborhood. Organizers suggest putting The Imperial at 726 West College Avenue into the app for the north side, or Perc Coffee at 2380 Hosea L Williams Drive for the south side.
- Bring food, not expectations of a beer tent. Outside food is allowed and the event does not sell alcohol. Public alcohol ordinances still apply.
- Dogs follow normal rules. Leash, liability and cleanup rules apply, and each porch host decides whether pets are welcome there.
- Use the 2026 map. The online map sorts sets by time and marks food and restroom locations. The downloadable parking PDF on the site is still labeled 2025.
October 17: back to Harmony Park for barbecue
One week later, the crowd returns to the same park. The third annual Decatur BBQ Fest runs Saturday, October 17, from noon to 6 p.m. at Harmony Park and Ford's BBQ in Oakhurst Village. Entry is free and the event benefits the Solarium, a Decatur nonprofit that hosts community events and gives grants to other Atlanta-area nonprofits. Ford's opened its Oakhurst location in 2021, after the original in downtown Tucker. New this year, Deep South Wrestling will stage four matches during the festival.
Oyster South makes it a full weekend. Its LANDLOCKED 10 fundraiser runs Sunday, October 18, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Decatur Legacy Park, 500 S. Columbia Drive.
Those two Saturdays put a lot of foot traffic into a small commercial district. Visit Decatur's Oakhurst directory lists these businesses within a few blocks of the park:
- Mojo Pizza N' Pub at 657 East Lake Drive
- Steinbeck's Ale House at 659 East Lake Drive
- Sceptre Brewing Arts at 630 East Lake Drive
- Universal Joint at 906 Oakview Road
- Paolino Italian at 350 Mead Road, an address it shares with Ford's BBQ
- Oakhurst Market at 650 East Lake Drive
- Oakview Coffee and Taj Ma-Hound, both at 707 East Lake Drive
Oakview Coffee occupies the space that used to be Kavarna. Scout, at 321 W. Hill St., has a patio that looks out over Harmony Park, which makes it the closest table to the Porchfest finale.
Two more dates fall in this stretch. The City's Decorate Decatur Halloween contest takes submissions from residents and businesses through October 19, and the entries become a self-guided tour of decorated homes and storefronts. Downtown, Tous les Jours is now open at 112 W. Trinity Place, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
October 30: the calendar returns to the Square
After Halloween week, nearly every remaining date on the city calendar is downtown:
- October 30, 7 to 9 p.m.: Scream on the Square: Halloween Edition at the Decatur MARTA Plaza, 400 Church St.
- November 7, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Decatur Wine Festival at 101 E. Court Square, with live music, benefiting the Decatur Arts Alliance. It is 21 and over, with no children, pets or strollers.
- November 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Santa on the Square, with cookies, crafts and music.
- December 3, 6 to 8 p.m.: Decatur Tree Lighting, where Santa lights the tree and there are carols, cocoa and "snow."
- December 6, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Menorah lighting with Chabad Intown, with music, hot drinks and latkes.
- December 10: Free community bonfire and marshmallow roast. The City's listing gives two different evening times, so check it before you go.
If the November estimate holds, the Wine Festival will be the last big event held next to an active work zone, and Santa on the Square will be the first with the project complete. The Square that hosts the holidays should then have its full set of features: restrooms back on North McDonough, "Celebration" in its new spot, and shade over the plaza across from the play area.
What November should finish
The details of phase two are on file. At the same September 8 meeting, the Commission approved a $67,980 contract with Ruppert Landscape, within an $81,576 project budget, for plantings and ongoing maintenance in the bioretention areas along North McDonough Street. When the loop reopens, it will be shorter than before. It keeps metered parking, EV charging, ADA spaces and a loading zone, and the restrooms on the plaza will be partly screened by a new grove of trees that keeps sight lines open to the Historic Courthouse and the John Lewis statue. The restrooms will close after hours once they reopen.
Until then, the East Court Square parking loop stays open except during specific event closures, and the North McDonough spaces in front of City Hall stay unavailable.
If you're deciding whether to list a Decatur home now or wait until the Square is finished, or you want to know what this construction schedule means for a particular street, David Pruett can walk you through it block by block. Book an appointment and bring your questions about the timeline.
