December in Palm Beach County: Sandi the Sand Tree, a 100-Foot Tree in Delray, a Boat Parade to the Jupiter Lighthouse, the Nutcracker at the Kravis and Christmas in Shorts (2026)

Oct 16

Quick answer: The West Palm Beach airport's normals run from a high of 78 and a low of 64 on December 1 to 75 and 59 on the 31st, and the Climate Prediction Center expects a strong to very strong El Niño this winter, which the Miami forecast office says usually means cool and wet here. The first week is the big one: Delray's 100-foot tree is lit Tuesday, December 1 at 7; Boca's Holiday Street Parade is Wednesday the 2nd at 7:30; Sandi, West Palm Beach's sand-sculpture tree, is lit at Clematis by Night Thursday the 3rd, 6 to 10; Ballet Palm Beach's Nutcracker is at the Kravis Center December 4 to 6; and the Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade leaves North Palm Beach at 6 on Saturday the 5th and reaches the Jupiter Lighthouse around 8. After that: the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival December 10 to 13, Luminary Nights at the Jupiter lighthouse December 11, 12, 18 and 19, Whitehall's Holiday Evening Tours December 18 to 23 and the 26th and 27th, Zoo Lights through January 3, and Sandi's New Year's Eve on the waterfront, 8 to midnight. Snook closes December 15. If you're buying, own and live in the house by January 1 and file by March 1 and you can homestead it for 2027.

Every December somebody up north sends me a photo of a snowblower and asks what it's like down here. The honest answer is 77 degrees, a sand sculpture with lights on it, a 100-foot Christmas tree you can walk inside, a boat parade led by its own traveling fireworks show, and a Surf's Up Santa in Mizner Park. It's also the month the county fills up. Here's what I'd put on the calendar, with the dates I could confirm on the organizers' own pages in mid October. Where a 2026 date wasn't posted, I say so.

The weather

The 1991 to 2020 normals at the West Palm Beach airport start the month at a high of 78 and a low of 64 on December 1, sit at 77 and 62 at mid month, and finish at 75 and 59 on the 31st. Normal rainfall is about a tenth of an inch a day on paper, something like three and a half inches for the month by my arithmetic, though it arrives with two or three fronts rather than as a daily drizzle. A front comes through, the next morning is in the 50s and everyone finds their one sweater, and by lunch it's 75 with the windows open.

This year has an asterisk. The Climate Prediction Center's October 8 discussion keeps us under an El Niño Advisory, calls a strong to very strong event likely through January to March 2027 at better than an 83 percent chance, and says chances remain high for a historic event stronger than anything since 1950. The Miami forecast office's page puts the local translation in one line: El Niño conditions usually bring cool and wet conditions to our region. So plan for more gray days than usual and a boat parade that might get rained on. It's rain or shine anyway.

The first week, day by day

Tuesday, December 1: Delray's 100-foot Christmas tree is lit at Old School Square, 51 North Swinton Avenue, 6 to 9, with Santa flipping the switch at 7 and Atlantic Avenue closed to cars from Swinton to Northeast 5th. The tree started as a 50-footer in 1993, bought by the downtown authority to help bring the downtown back, and grew to 100 feet two years later for the city's centennial. You can walk inside it to see animated scenes of the Village by the Sea. The Yuletide Festival the same night has food, carolers and a silent disco on the Avenue, and the tree and Santa's village, with ice skating, a carousel and mini golf, stay open through New Year's Day. The page doesn't post village hours or prices.

Wednesday, December 2: the Boca Raton Holiday Street Parade, the 54th one, 7:30 to 9, from Federal Highway and Southeast 5th Street north to the Mizner Park Amphitheater, theme "Boca by the Beach." Federal Highway closes from Camino Real to Glades Road from about 5 until 11, so come in on Dixie and park at City Hall or the city lots on Northwest 2nd Avenue, which are free. A one-mile Boca Holiday Mile runs ahead of the parade.

Thursday, December 3: Sandi. West Palm Beach's holiday tree is a sand sculpture on the waterfront, and the city lights her at a special Clematis by Night, 6 to 10, free, at Centennial Square and the Great Lawn, 100 North Clematis Street, with Phoenix5 and Officers & Gentlemen with the Rhythm Chicks on the stage. The city's page captions the night "Sandi Tree Lighting" and says to check back for the rest of the holiday schedule, so I can't give you Sandi's height or her nightly light show times for 2026; they weren't posted in mid October. She comes back for Sandi's New Year's Eve on the 31st.

Friday, December 4 through Sunday, December 6: the Nutcracker at the Kravis Center. Ballet Palm Beach dances it in Dreyfoos Hall five times: Friday at 7, Saturday at 2 and 7, Sunday at 1 and 5, about 45 minutes, a 20-minute intermission, then 45 more, recommended for ages 4 and up. Miami City Ballet's Balanchine Nutcracker runs December 11 to 27, and the only venue its page listed when I checked was the Arsht Center in Miami, not the Kravis.

Saturday, December 5 is the big day, and the boat parade gets its own section below. Before dark: the 26th Downtown Delray Beach Art Festival, Saturday and Sunday 10 to 5. In the evening, if you're not on the water, the Holiday POPS at the Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca, 6 to 8.

Sunday, December 6: Delray's Chanukah Festival and Menorah Lighting at Old School Square, 6 to 9. On the island, the Flagler Museum lights the 16-foot tree in Whitehall's Grand Hall from 3 to 5, with Henry Flagler's youngest descendants doing the honors, a choir, a Nutcracker selection and Santa; that one is for museum members at the Family/Dual level and up, so it's a reason to join rather than a public event.

The boats

The Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade, the 32nd, is Saturday, December 5, 2026, rain or shine, run by the county's Marine Industries Association and free to watch. The boats leave North Palm Beach at 6 and run up the Intracoastal to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, arriving in Jupiter around 8, led by a Zambelli traveling fireworks display. The organizers' bridge estimates tell you where to be: Parker Bridge about 6, PGA about 6:15, Donald Ross about 7, Indiantown Road about 7:30 and the Jupiter Federal bridge about 7:45, each allowed to stay open an hour, so don't plan on crossing between Juno Beach and Jupiter that evening. Their public viewing list runs the North Palm Beach Country Club, the Waterway Cafe at PGA, Bert Winters Park and Juno Park in Juno, and in Jupiter Sawfish Bay Park, Lighthouse Park, Waterway Park, the Riverwalk, Harbourside Place, Charlie and Joe's at Love Street, the Square Grouper, U-Tiki and Jetty's. My advice is the north end: Jupiter gets the finish, and book the inlet restaurants early. It's also a toy drive. Bring a new unwrapped toy; a toy fleet makes dockside pickups for Toys for Tots and Little Smiles, and the organizers say 16,000 toys came in last year. If you're entering a boat, register by November 19 and the $50 deposit is waived.

The county's other two boat parades I can't confirm for 2026. The Boynton Beach and Delray Beach Holiday Boat Parade is run out of Boynton, and neither the city's calendar nor the redevelopment agency's site would open for me in October, so I have no date to give you. Boca Raton's December calendar listed the street parade, the POPS and the Mizner Park nights but no boat parade when I checked. Watch both city calendars in November.

The second and third weeks

The Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival is December 10 to 13, with the 19th Grand Tasting on Sunday the 13th, 2 to 6, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach; Discover The Palm Beaches lists it at $179 early bird through November 13, then $229, 21 and up only, with Daniel Boulud, Robert Irvine and Maneet Chauhan on the chef list and dinners at the Four Seasons, The Breakers and Café Boulud among others. Boca's Merry in Mizner nights are Tuesdays, a Surf's Up Santa on the 8th and a Stuff-A-Plush on the 15th, both 6 to 8 in Mizner Park.

Luminary Nights at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, Fridays and Saturdays December 11, 12, 18 and 19, 6 to 9, at 500 Captain Armour's Way: the lighthouse calls it a new holiday tradition, with the big ficus tree lit, a tunnel of lights leading up toward the tower, artisans, live entertainment and food. Prices weren't on the page; tickets are sold by date. Gumbo Limbo Aglow in Boca does the aquariums after dark on Saturdays December 12, 19 and 26, 6 to 8.

The Palm Beaches Marathon is the weekend of December 12 and 13: the 5K and 10K Saturday at 7:30, the marathon, half and relay Sunday at 6, all starting and finishing on Flagler Drive at Datura Street. The marathon is two flat loops up Flagler past Manatee Lagoon and back, so Flagler Drive is not the way to an open house that Sunday morning. Then the Boca Bowl on Friday the 18th at FAU's stadium on Glades Road.

Lights and the zoo

Zoo Lights at the Palm Beach Zoo runs November 20 through January 3. In December the calendar shows it open nightly from Thursday the 3rd through the 23rd and again the 26th through the 31st, 5 to 9, stretching to 10 on Saturday the 12th and every night December 18 through 23, and closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Thursdays of December 3, 10 and 17 are 21 and up, and nobody under 21 gets in. The zoo's page lists a tree show every 20 minutes, a menorah lighting space, free photos with Santa through the 23rd, hot chocolate and s'mores, and free parking. It doesn't print a per-ticket price, only group pricing of $19.25 an adult and $15.25 a child for 15 or more, so look at the ticket portal for the night you want. Tickets are nonrefundable and the zoo runs rain or shine, which under an El Niño is worth remembering.

Christmas at Whitehall

The Flagler Museum, One Whitehall Way in Palm Beach, does the Gilded Age Christmas, with a twist this year. From December 18 through 27, Fleurs de Villes: The Gilded Age fills the house with 15 mannequins dressed in thousands of fresh flowers, inspired by the HBO series. The Holiday Evening Tours run December 18 through 23 and again the 26th and 27th, docent-led through the first floor with carolers, the flowers in every historic room and refreshments on the front portico after, tours at 6, 6:20, 6:40 and 7, $65 for adults and $35 for children. If you're new to the county, this is the one December evening I'd insist on. Worth Avenue's own tree lighting is the other island tradition people ask me about, and I couldn't confirm a 2026 date for it when I wrote this; walk the Avenue the first week of December and you'll find out.

Christmas week

The Kravis Center brings How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical into Dreyfoos Hall December 22 through 27, 85 minutes with no intermission, nine performances including a 1 o'clock on Christmas Eve, and every patron needs a ticket regardless of age. The zoo is dark the 24th and 25th, Whitehall's evening tours pick back up the 26th, and Delray's tree and Santa's village stay open through New Year's Day. The beach the morning of the 25th is the quietest it will be all season.

New Year's Eve

Sandi's New Year's Eve is the city's free party on the West Palm Beach waterfront, Thursday, December 31, 8 to midnight at Centennial Square and the Great Lawn, with DJ Reflex and the party band Wonderama. The city's page doesn't mention fireworks, so I won't promise them. The zoo does Zoo Years Eve the same night, 5 to 9, with a countdown in the fountain every hour and a complimentary toast, the version for anyone who wants to be asleep by 10. I couldn't confirm a public fireworks show anywhere in the county for 2026 from an official page, so if fireworks matter to you, watch the city pages in late December.

Outside: snook, sailfish and manatees

Three things from the FWC. First, snook closes in our region, the Southeast, from December 15 through January 31, so the last two weeks of the open season are December 1 to 14: one fish per person per day, 28 to 32 inches total length, snook permit and license required. Second, sailfish are open all year, one billfish per person per day, 63 inches lower jaw to fork, federal HMS angling permit in federal waters, and anything you land reported to NOAA within 24 hours. What the rulebook won't tell you, and what I'll offer as opinion rather than statistic, is that the Palm Beach sailfish calendar runs on cold fronts, and December is when the first real ones arrive; stand on the Jupiter or Boynton jetty the morning after one and watch where the charter fleet lines up. Third, manatees. Manatee Lagoon, the free center at 6000 North Flagler Drive next to the FPL plant, calls November 15 to March 31 manatee season and is open daily through it; its rule of thumb is that when the Lake Worth Lagoon drops to 68 degrees or colder, the manatees gather in the warm outflow next door. A December cold front is a manatee forecast. If you're buying a house with a dock, learn the posted manatee zones before you learn the throttle.

Season, by the numbers

People ask when season starts and I give them the airport. Palm Beach International's traffic report shows 888,705 passengers in December 2025 against 8,657,372 for the whole calendar year; divide that by twelve and December was about 23 percent above an average month, by my arithmetic. That's season. If you're house hunting: book showings in the morning before the beach traffic, don't try to cross the Intracoastal at Indiantown Road at 7:30 on December 5, and give yourself twice the time on Okeechobee Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue after 4. The upside: December is when you see a house with the windows open and the neighbors home, which is how you want to see it.

Buying in December

Florida's homestead rule is simple and it's worth real money. You have to hold title and live in the house as your permanent residence on January 1 and file with the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser by March 1; the Appraiser's page says missing March 1 waives the exemption for that year. A closing any day up to December 31 sets you up for 2027. A January 2 closing waits a year. The exemption is $25,000 on the first $50,000 of assessed value, including school taxes, plus an additional exemption on value above $50,000 that doesn't apply to school taxes and was capped at $25,722 for 2025, and it starts the Save Our Homes cap, which holds your assessed value increases to 3 percent a year or the change in the consumer price index, whichever is lower. You can e-file. If you're moving from another Florida homestead, the exemption doesn't transfer by itself; you file a new application, and ask about porting your old cap in the same sitting.

One more December thing: the sellers. A house that goes on the market the second week of December, when the rest of the county is at a boat parade, usually belongs to someone who needs to move rather than someone testing the market. That's an opinion, not a statistic, but it's the one I'd act on. Title companies and lenders are busy the last ten days of the year, so if a December 31 closing is the goal, get the contract signed by the first week of the month. The relocation page covers the towns from Tequesta to Boca Raton, the buying page covers the process, the selling page is there if you're the one listing in December, and if you'd rather just ask, send me a message.

Questions people ask about December here

What is the weather like in Palm Beach County in December?

The 1991 to 2020 normals at the West Palm Beach airport go from a high of 78 and a low of 64 on December 1 to 75 and 59 on December 31, with about a tenth of an inch of rain a day in the normals. The Climate Prediction Center expects a strong to very strong El Niño this winter, which the Miami forecast office says usually brings cool and wet conditions to South Florida.

When is the Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade in 2026, and where can I watch it?

Saturday, December 5, 2026, rain or shine. The boats leave North Palm Beach at 6 and run up the Intracoastal to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, arriving around 8. Public viewing spots listed by the organizers include the North Palm Beach Country Club, Bert Winters Park and Juno Park in Juno Beach, and Sawfish Bay Park, Lighthouse Park, Waterway Park, the Riverwalk and Harbourside Place in Jupiter.

When is Delray Beach's 100-foot Christmas tree lit?

Tuesday, December 1, 2026, at Old School Square, with the event running 6 to 9 and the tree lit at 7. The tree and Santa's village, with ice skating, a carousel and mini golf, stay open through New Year's Day.

Is there a Nutcracker at the Kravis Center in 2026?

Yes. Ballet Palm Beach performs The Nutcracker in Dreyfoos Hall December 4 to 6, 2026: Friday at 7, Saturday at 2 and 7, and Sunday at 1 and 5. Miami City Ballet's Nutcracker runs December 11 to 27 at the Arsht Center in Miami; its page did not list Kravis Center dates when this was written.

What is Sandi in West Palm Beach?

Sandi is the city's holiday tree, a sand sculpture on the downtown waterfront. For 2026 the city lights Sandi at Clematis by Night on Thursday, December 3, 6 to 10, free, and hosts Sandi's New Year's Eve on the Great Lawn December 31 from 8 to midnight. The city had not posted Sandi's 2026 height or nightly show schedule when this was written.

When is Zoo Lights at the Palm Beach Zoo?

November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027 on the zoo's calendar, generally 5 to 9, with 10 o'clock closings on December 12 and December 18 to 23. It is closed December 24 and 25, the Thursdays of December 3, 10 and 17 are 21 and up, and December 31 is Zoo Years Eve with an hourly countdown.

If I close on a house in December, do I get the homestead exemption?

Yes, if you hold title and live in the home as your permanent residence on January 1, 2027, and file with the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser by March 1. The exemption is $25,000 on the first $50,000 of assessed value plus an additional exemption above $50,000 that does not apply to school taxes, and it starts the Save Our Homes cap on assessment increases.

Talk with William. If a December move is on the table, call me now. Closing before December 31 means the homestead exemption for next year, and I can show you Palm Beach County between the tree lightings and the boat parade. Call or text (772) 800-2274 or send a message.

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, fees and club rules change; confirm current details with the club and association. William Merchant, REALTOR®, RE/MAX Gold. Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated.

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William Merchant