Destin and 30A's Holiday Season Runs in Two Short Bursts, and the Second One Is Four Nights Long

The 2026 holiday calendar for Destin and 30A comes in two short stretches with a gap between them. Thanksgiving week belongs to 30A, with a race at Rosemary Beach on Thursday and Seaside's parade on Saturday. The following week moves west to the Destin and Miramar Beach end, where something family-scaled happens every night from Wednesday, Dec. 2, through Saturday, Dec. 5. Before either stretch starts, two events in early and mid-November put you in the venues December will use.

Here are the dates in order, with what each organizer has posted so far.

November Runs Through December's Venues

The first event comes on a Friday. The 7th 30A BBQ Festival, presented by 360 Blue, runs Friday, Nov. 6, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Grand Boulevard, 495 Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach. It has BBQ tastings and live music, and it benefits The Sonder Project. The event page on Grand Boulevard's site has the details.

A week later, the City of Destin holds its 20th Annual Holiday Craft Show at the Destin Community Center, 101 Stahlman Ave. It runs Friday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and admission is free. The city's calendar listing has the hours.

Both November events land at a venue that comes back in early December. The Destin Community Center hosts the city's tree lighting on Dec. 3, and Grand Boulevard holds two nights of holiday programming on Dec. 4 and 5. If you go to the craft show or the BBQ Festival, you'll already know the parking and the layout when you come back in December.

Thanksgiving Week Belongs to 30A

The 30A burst covers two days with a quiet Friday in between.

1. Thursday, Nov. 26: 30A 10K Thanksgiving Day Races, Rosemary Beach. The 10K starts at 7:30 a.m., the 1-mile fun run at 7:35 a.m., and the 5K at 9:30 a.m. The 30A 10K Races nonprofit organizes it. Registration and course details are at 30a10k.com.
2. Saturday, Nov. 28: Seaside Holiday Parade. The parade starts at 3 p.m. in Seagrove Plaza, travels west on 30A, and ends in Central Square. Seaside posts it on its events page, along with registration for anyone who wants to be in it.

The two start times call for different plans. The 7:30 a.m. 10K start means a cold, early morning on Thanksgiving before anyone touches the turkey. The 5K at 9:30 a.m. is the gentler option for anyone not racing. The 1-mile fun run starts five minutes after the 10K, so younger runners are on the course during the main race's opening stretch.

At Seaside, the parade usually leads into the evening's holiday lighting. A visitor listing for the 2026 event puts the town lighting at 5 p.m., after Santa reaches the Seaside Amphitheater. Seaside itself has confirmed only the 3 p.m. parade start and the Seagrove Plaza to Central Square route, so the 3 p.m. start is the time to plan around.

After that Saturday, 30A has nothing else dated on this calendar for the season. The next stretch is at the other end of the corridor.

Four Nights in a Row, Dec. 2 Through Dec. 5

The second burst is the busier one. From Wednesday to Saturday, three hosts schedule something every night: the Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, the City of Destin, and Grand Boulevard.

Under all four nights, Baytowne runs Nights of Lights every evening from Tuesday, Dec. 1, through Thursday, Dec. 31. The free shows run at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. on the Events Plaza Lawn, on what the Village calls its new tree. On any of the four nights, the light show is there before or after the main event.

Wednesday: Baytowne Opens With a High School Chorus

The Village of Baytowne Wharf's Holiday Edition of its Wednesday Night Concert Series starts Dec. 2 with the Niceville High School Chorus, from 6 to 8 p.m., with Santa visits at the same time. Sandestin's own events listing shows the series running from Dec. 2 through Dec. 16, 2026, 6 to 8 p.m. The Village's posted lineup also names the Destin High School Band and the Fort Walton Beach Choir for later dates. The Village lists Santa visits on Dec. 2, 9 and 16, so check the Baytowne Wharf December calendar for the exact mid-December concert date before planning around it.

Thursday: Destin's 40th Tree Lighting

The City of Destin's 40th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting is Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Destin Community Center. The city describes it as an outdoor event for the whole family, with Santa Claus and entertainment. It collects one nonperishable food item per person for families in need. The city's event page lists Parks & Recreation's number, 850-654-5184, for questions.

Forty years makes it the oldest event in this four-night run. It's also the only one that asks you to bring something, so put a can in the car that morning.

Friday: Sixteen Trees for Sixteen Nonprofits

Grand Boulevard's Festival of Trees fills Grand Park on Friday, Dec. 4. Sixteen local nonprofits each decorate a Christmas tree. Visitors can browse from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and vote for the People's Choice Award, and a panel of judges picks three winners who receive cash prizes for their organizations. Winners are announced at 7:30 p.m. Grand Boulevard hasn't posted the list of participating nonprofits yet.

The same evening, Grand Boulevard runs its Holiday Sip & Shop with champagne tastings from 4 to 6 p.m. The Will Thompson Band plays a Candlelight Christmas Concert in the park from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Grand Boulevard's two event pages list slightly different Sip & Shop windows, so check the Holiday Sip & Shop page for the final hours. With the votes, the shopping and the concert overlapping, one visit between about 5 and 7:30 p.m. covers all three, and you can stay for the winners.

Saturday: Morning Market, Evening Lanterns

Saturday has a morning event and an evening event, and neither overlaps the other.

The Holiday Market on the Blvd runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Grand Boulevard's North Lawn, with artisan vendors, gifts, crafts and live music. If you shopped the city's craft show in mid-November, this is your second chance at handmade gifts before the holidays.

At 5 p.m., the Lantern Parade moves through the Village of Baytowne Wharf. The artist Chantelle Rytter and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons created the parade and appear in it, along with about a dozen giant lantern puppets. Anyone with a lantern can walk in it, and decorated golf carts can ride along after registering by email at [email protected]. After the parade, the puppets gather by the Christmas tree. Rytter's site has a lantern ideas page for anyone building one at home. The Village has posted Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. as the date and time but still marks the 2026 details as coming soon.

With the 5 p.m. start, the parade ends near Nights of Lights showtimes, so a 6 or 7 p.m. light show on the Events Plaza Lawn can follow it.

What Comes After the Four Nights

After Dec. 5, the calendar spreads out. Baytowne's Wednesday concerts and Santa visits continue through Dec. 16, and Santa makes an extra appearance from 5 to 7 p.m. during Tuba Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 12. Nights of Lights keeps running nightly through New Year's Eve.

The Holiday on the Harbor Lighted Boat Parade on Destin Harbor doesn't have a confirmed 2026 date yet. The Destin History & Fishing Museum coordinates the boat lineup. Its most recent posted listing covers the 39th annual parade on Dec. 14, 2025, from 6 to 7 p.m. Once the 2026 date is set, the museum's event page is the place to check for it and for boat registration. Until then, mid-December on the harbor is the only part of the season without a date.

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