Metro Atlanta

Ponce City Market celebrates July 4th from the rooftop

Once a Sears warehouse, the Atlanta market has been transformed into a modern attraction.
Customers view fireworks from atop the Ponce City Market on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Zaire Breedlove/AJC)
Customers view fireworks from atop the Ponce City Market on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Zaire Breedlove/AJC)
By Zaire Breedlove
July 5, 2025

Ponce City Market hosted a July Fourth celebration at The Roof, featuring fireworks, roller skating and fair-like attractions.

Once a Sears warehouse built in the 1920s, Ponce City Market has been transformed into a modern attraction.

Today, it features a mix of shops, restaurants and a popular rooftop amusement area.

The Ponce City Market has a food hall, shops and living space. (Zaire Breedlove/AJC)
The Ponce City Market has a food hall, shops and living space. (Zaire Breedlove/AJC)

Its unique atmosphere draws locals and tourists year-round, including Brian and Klaver Tezelli and Lauren Desilva, who traveled from Brazil to experience it for themselves. They played minigolf while watching the fireworks in the distance.

“We came here to Atlanta to see the FIFA World Cup,” Klaver Tezelli said.

“So that’s why we came here, like it’s our first time here, and like we’re loving the city. The place is really amazing. I wasn’t expecting this.”

This sentiment was shared by Ran Bai, a tourist from New York, who found herself skating on the rooftop rink after sampling food downstairs. She described Atlanta as distinct from the rest of the country, noting that many of her friends are now leaving New York and relocating to the city.

“Oh, my God, this is like insane. I think it’s the best Indian food I have ever had,” Bai said. “I definitely fell in love with the city. It’s only one night today on my first night, so I think I gotta explore more things, more places.”

Ponce City Market — with its mix of shops, restaurants and popular rooftop amusement area with a skating rink — draws locals and tourists year-round. (Zaire Breedlove/AJC)
Ponce City Market — with its mix of shops, restaurants and popular rooftop amusement area with a skating rink — draws locals and tourists year-round. (Zaire Breedlove/AJC)

About the Author

Zaire Breedlove is an intern for AJC's UATL and a journalism major at Kennesaw State University. In the past, he's written and managed The Sentinel, and served as a Reporter for Fresh Take Georgia at the Center for Sustainable Journalism, focusing on Immigration and statewide political coverage.

More Stories