Celebrate the holiday season in sunny Florida, where festive vibes and fun await! From light displays to warm adventures, the Sunshine State has something for everyone.

North Florida

PENSACOLA:

The Pensacola Bay Area has lively events year-round, perfect for getting out and enjoying the city. Every third Friday, downtown's Palafox Street hosts Gallery Night, featuring art, music, and themes like “ugly sweater” night during winter. Seasonal events include the popular Winterfest, which transforms Plaza Wonderland with "snow," holiday music, live shows, and trolley tours. For New Year’s Eve, enjoy Pensacola’s vibrant nightlife and head to the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk for family-friendly activities and midnight fireworks.

PANAMA CITY BEACH: 

Panama City Beach may be best known for fun in the sun, but one of Northwest Florida’s most exciting annual events happens after dark: the New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop! Ring in 2025 Real. Fun. Beach. Style. In Florida's Panhandle, the tradition is celebrated with a unique twist:a three-meter-tall, glowing beach ball is lowered from a pole at midnight. The ball symbolizes fun, the beach, and the sun—everything that holidaymakers love about Florida's Emerald Coast. The streets in and around the popular Pier Park entertainment complex is closed to traffic, creating a family-friendly environment for the celebrations. Additionally, athletes can participate in the New Year's 5K run—a sociable and healthy way to welcome the New Year.

JACKSONVILLE: 

Enjoy the holiday season with some uniquely Jacksonville happenings. Deck the Chairs, on Jacksonville Beach and Downtown Jacksonville, is a whimsical event where American Red Cross Lifeguard chairs are decked in coastal-themed holiday decorations and lights in support of local arts education. During November and December each year, thousands visit to see the chairs and take part in the event's festivities. Just after the beginning of the New Year on January 2, come and see the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, a major college football bowl game in its 80th year, which will be played on the Bill Gay Grounds at EverBank Stadium, right alongside downtown Jacksonville.

AMELIA ISLAND: 

Northeast Florida’s Amelia Island is making the holidays merry and bright with a full schedule of festive activities around the island, including the annual highlight of the season, “Dickens on Centre” (December 12-15). Free to the public, this enchanting Victorian-themed celebration of food, fun, and entertainment takes place under a canopy of twinkling lights in historic downtown Fernandina Beach. A variety of accompanying Dickens on Centre special events, including The Enchanted Villages are also returning this year by popular demand.

 

WALTON COUNTY: 

Whether you’re taking a leisurely stroll through the festive village or sharing laughter over a warm meal, Sandestin in Walton County is the perfect place to create wonderful memories. Ring in the New Year in style with a Poppin’ rooftop celebration at Hotel Effie Sandestin, Autograph Collection. The hotel’s stylish Ara Rooftop Pool & Lounge features a delicious menu of fine wines, handcrafted cocktails and light bites and boasts the best seats in the house to view the 8 p.m. and midnight firework displays at The Village of Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin. Plus, guests can jam out to live music by locally loved musicians on the hotel’s rooftop, overlooking Florida’s beautiful emerald coast.

Central Florida

PORT ST. LUCIE: 

Get ready for an unforgettable holiday season in St. Lucie where the holiday spirit shines bright! On Sunday, December 8, don’t miss the 36th Annual Sights & Sounds on Second Parade in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce, featuring a Color Me Christmas parade at 4 p.m., followed by a tree-lighting ceremony with Santa and the “Dancing Palm Trees” light show. This event is free to attend and register a boat, with updates available on the event's Facebook page.

For New Year’s Eve, enjoy fireworks by the waterfront on Tuesday, December 31 at 9 p.m., viewable from several locations. Celebrate the season with joy and excitement in St. Lucie! 

 

OCALA/MARION COUNTY: 

As the holiday season arrives, Ocala becomes a festive wonderland with sparkling lights, joyful events, and a strong community spirit. Downtown Ocala’s giant Christmas tree is just the beginning, as the streets come alive with holiday lights, live music, and seasonal activities.

The Ocala Christmas Light Spectacular offers fun for all ages, with events that delight both children and adults. For a magical experience, visit Grandview Clydesdale Farm in Dunnellon, where the farm glows with Christmas lights, decorated trees, and special evening tours that include cookies and feeding sessions with the horses

 

CRYSTAL RIVER: 

If you need a quick getaway while this holiday festivities hit your home, look no further than Florida’s Crystal River region. Every first Friday of the month, enjoy live music, delicious food and drinks, and local crafts along Main Street. This December, the celebration will be extra magical with falling snow and a visit from Santa! In Inverness, don't miss Light Up Inverness at Liberty Park, featuring train rides, live music, light displays, and a boat parade. Plus, check out the Lamp Post Decoration competition and, of course, a special visit from Santa! 

 

PASCO COUNTY: 

While many don’t expect to see snow when they come to Florida in the winter, Dade City, located in Florida’s Sports Coast, has found a way to make the impossible possible with its one-of-a-kind snow park, Snowcat Ridge. Guests can take in Snowy Slopes, the park’s Alpine Village and much more. Guests can fully immerse themselves in this winter escape in the middle of Florida. Visitors can immerse themselves into a new way of celebrating the holidays by experiencing Parrandón Fest, a family-friendly cultural celebration of Christmas and Three Kings Day traditions of Puerto Rico

 

ST. PETE-CLEARWATER: 

Each year,the heart of downtown St. Pete transforms into a winter wonderland full of vibrant, immersive activities for locals and tourists alike. Enchant brings the holiday magic to St. Pete by creating a festive atmosphere for locals and visitors to experience. Look for Santa’s lost presents in the light maze and enjoy delicious holiday treats and beverages while enjoying the live holiday music!

During the holiday season, Intermezzo, a unique coffee and cocktail concept located in downtown St. Pete, transforms into a Christmas pop up bar that embodies holiday cheer. This holiday season, visitors may stop by for the Christmas cocktails, but they’ll stay for the experience.

 

DAYTONA BEACH: 

Often called home of the world’s most famous beaches, Daytona Beach, is a holiday standout that sets the stage for a season of magical memories and warm weather along 37 km of Atlantic Ocean shoreline and inland fun. It’s located on Florida’s east coast, midway between St. Augustine and the Kennedy Space Center (only an hour’s drive from each) and just an hour east of Orlando.

Built in the late 1800s as an ornate bed and breakfast, the exquisite Rose Villa Southern Table & Bar puts on a stunning decorative display that lights up historic downtown Ormond Beach. From November 22, 2024, through January 5, 2025, in the Granada Boulevard district, the Rose Villa Fantasy Gingerbread Holiday Light Display invites visitors to the one-of-a-kind Victorian jewel and explore its rich history along with a delicious dining experience, gingerbread snacks and signature cocktails.

 

LAKE COUNTY:

With all the charm of a Hallmark movie, Mount Dora is the perfect small town to partake in the joy of the holidays while escaping the cold and snow. Sprinkled with seasonal events beginning with Light up Mount Dora at the end of November, there is something awaiting visitors every weekend during the most wonderful time of the year. Enjoy a stroll down Main Street on Friday, December 6, at the Mount Dora Christmas Walk. With shop doors open wide, Christmas carols in the air and vendors selling holiday treats, visitors feel as if they’ve been transported to an old-fashioned holiday market.

 

INNISBROOK/PALM HARBOR: 

This holiday season, Innisbrook invites you to indulge in festive delights and magical moments. Start with Chef Tori's exquisite baked goods from Fairways, available from November 1, making your celebrations even sweeter. Visit their Letters to Santa Station in the Osprey Lobby from November 20 through December, where you can send your wish list to the North Pole via their merry messengers.

Treat yourself to Santa's Spa Day at Salamander Spa on November 30, featuring treatment stations, giveaways, local vendors, gift wrapping, and more complete with holiday music and a complimentary glass of champagne. The holiday fun continues with the Tennis Jingle Bell Liveball on December 5. Don your ugliest Christmas sweater, enjoy lite bites, and support Toys for Tots while embracing the holiday spirit.

South Florida

FORTH MYERS:

As we approach the winter months, holiday travel is on everyone's mind, and Fort Myers and its Islands, Beaches & Neighborhoods have an array of activities that travelers can enjoy from Christmas through New Years. For entertainment lovers, enjoy holiday performances from Gary Hoey who will be performing his greatest hits on his “Ho Ho Hoey Tour,” as well as Winter Serenade: Magic Holiday Memories with Anton Sikuta, where audiences can get into the holiday spirit with jazzy sophistication and heartwarming American hits played over the strings and piano. On December 7, travelers will get a taste of Christmas with the Tropical Tree Lighting and Holiday Parade at Coconut Point Mall, where guests can enjoy Caribbean-inspired bites, hula dancers, fire twirlers, an exuberant tree lighting and a visit from Santa Clause.

Don’t miss thousands of lights, hundreds of historic decorations, and one unique holiday experience at Edison and Ford Winter Estates! Returning for the 49th year, Holiday Nights has been revamped with new light displays and much more. Also catch the Children’s Holiday Tree Trail with handmade ornaments created by students from local schools and shopping in the Museum Store and Garden Shoppe for unique holiday gifts. Plus, on select nights, there will be refreshments available for purchase, Santa visits, and carolers! Nightly guided holiday tradition tours at 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. To purchase tickets or view the nightly schedule, visit the website at EdisonFord.org

 

MIAMI BEACH: 

Lincoln Road, Miami Beach’s iconic outdoor shopping, dining and cultural destination, is the best place to celebrate the holidays with annual events that transform the road! Lincoln Road kicks off the Christmas season right with its annual family-friendly holiday celebration. Fun for the whole family, the activities include seasonal crafts, a parade featuring special guests and other surprises. The evening concludes with the countdown to Santa Claus lighting the promenade’s 30-foot Majestic Mountain Pine. Guests can stick around after the festive event and shop till they drop at one of the dozens retail stores just steps away.