By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | November 19, 2025

If you’re riding MARTA this season, expect more than your usual commute. Expect music drifting through station corridors, small businesses setting up tables full of handmade goods, and a flash of color when one of MARTA’s holiday buses pulls to the curb. The agency is rolling out six weeks of holiday cheer, complete with free rides, surprise giveaways, and a few visits from Santa — the real one.

The celebration starts Thursday at West End Station, where MARTA is hosting its third annual Holiday Market + Bus Reveal. It’s become one of those events people circle on the calendar: hot cocoa, local makers, DIY craft stations, and that moment everyone leans in together waiting for the holiday buses to roll out in fresh wraps. This year’s theme — “Wrapping Up the Year” — sits across three custom buses made possible by Tulsa Welding School Atlanta, which is opening its new campus in the metro area.

MARTA Interim General Manager and CEO Jonathan Hunt said the event reflects the agency’s bigger goal: bringing people together. “From free holiday rides to local vendor markets and festive surprises, we’re excited to spread cheer across the system all season long,” he said.

And the gifts don’t stop at the station. From Nov. 21 through New Year’s Eve, anyone who happens to step onto one of the wrapped buses rides free. The buses will be moving throughout Atlanta, DeKalb, and Clayton County — bright, loud, unmistakably festive.

There’s also something special planned for Dec. 2 through Dec. 4. MARTA teams — joined by The Real Black Santa and a handful of local influencers — will pop up around the system to hand out free Breeze Cards. No schedule, no announcement. Just a little joy, delivered in the moment.

The next big stop on the holiday tour is Dec. 11 at Kensington Station. In partnership with Decide DeKalb, MARTA is hosting a customer appreciation celebration with DeKalb-based vendors, holiday karaoke, music, story time, refreshments, giveaways, and a photo booth. The holiday buses will be parked onsite so families can climb aboard, take pictures, and see the designs up close.

Six weeks, systemwide. Free rides. Markets. Santa. And plenty of chances for people to meet the community around them. MARTA is keeping the holidays accessible — and bringing the season directly to the riders who keep the system moving.

Full details are available at itsmarta.com/holidayevents

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