On Saturday, December 5, boats strung with lights will head north up the Intracoastal from just south of the Palm Valley Bridge at 6 p.m. Two hours later, Matteo Bocelli takes the stage at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall for Winter Nights. The night before, the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club unveils its annual gingerbread display and shows a holiday movie outdoors on the Croquet Lawn. The next day brings Santa Hayrides at the Inn and Kenny G's holiday tour back at the Concert Hall.
That makes Friday through Sunday, December 4 to 6, the busiest weekend of Ponte Vedra's holiday season. The other thing that stands out this year is where it all happens. None of the Inn's 2026 holiday events that list a venue are held on the oceanfront.
Oceanfront Dining Is Paused, So the Inn's Holidays Happen Inland
The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club's renovation page says work on the Surf Club and Racquet Club is ongoing. Some amenities, including the oceanfront pools and dining, are temporarily closed. The rebuilt Surf Club is expected to open in spring 2027. For now, an Interim Surf Club keeps the beach open with rentals, changing rooms, showers, a deck and grab-and-go food. The new Sports Club is already open, with Sandpiper Cafe for casual meals.
The holiday calendar works around the construction. Every event on the Inn's 2026 holiday calendar that names a venue uses one of three places: the Historic Inn, the Golf Club Dining Room or the Croquet Lawn. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day each offer a Grand Buffet at the Historic Inn or a prix fixe dinner in the Golf Club Dining Room. The Gingerbread Reveal movie is on the Croquet Lawn. New Year's Eve dinner is in the Historic Inn Dining Room.
Outside the Inn, most of the other big events are along the Intracoastal in Palm Valley, at the Concert Hall on A1A North and around Sawgrass. The Sawgrass Marriott is the oceanside exception, with a holiday Thanksgiving menu and a Teddy Bear Brunch at 1912 Ocean Bar & Rooftop. Many of the inland events fall within the same three days.
The Weekend, Plus a Tuesday Encore
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Gingerbread Reveal and outdoor holiday movie | Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, Croquet Lawn | Not yet listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Palm Valley Boat Parade | Intracoastal Waterway, Palm Valley | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Winter Nights with Matteo Bocelli | Ponte Vedra Concert Hall | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Santa Hayrides | Ponte Vedra Inn & Club | Not yet listed |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Kenny G, The Miracles Holiday and Hits Tour | Ponte Vedra Concert Hall | 7:30 p.m. |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Mindi Abair's I Can't Wait For Christmas | Ponte Vedra Concert Hall | 8 p.m. |
The Mindi Abair show isn't technically part of the weekend. She is bringing Andréa Lisa, Rebecca Jade, Arthur Thompson, Xavier Gordon and Darryl Williams, and it's an easy weeknight add-on once the weekend is over. The Concert Hall is at 1050 A1A North, and its directions and parking page covers getting there. The weekend before also has a show: Samantha Fish, Cedric Burnside and Daddy Long Legs play on Thursday, December 3.
Saturday Night Overlaps
Saturday has the tightest schedule. The Palm Valley Boat Parade starts at 6 p.m. The route begins one mile south of the Palm Valley Bridge and runs north to the last home in Marsh Landing. Last year's parade ran from 6 to 8 p.m. If 2026 follows the same pattern, the end of the parade will overlap with Bocelli's 8 p.m. start.
The parade's viewing page describes a viewing party under the bridge with first-come bleachers, food trucks and kids' games. Onsite parking is limited and reserved for ADA needs, with shuttles from Landrum Middle School running from 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. The page's event details still list the December 6, 2025 parade, so check the 2026 logistics closer to the date. In 2024, Florida News Line suggested restaurants along the route and Mickler's Wharf as places to watch, along with the bridge itself. The parade is entirely volunteer-run, and donations made through its site help pay for it.
Here's one way to fit the whole weekend in:
- Friday: See the Gingerbread Reveal, then stay for the movie on the Croquet Lawn. Bring a blanket and plan on the evening getting cool.
- Saturday: Choose either the parade or the concert. Families with young kids can watch the first boats from near the bridge and head home early. Adults with Bocelli tickets should leave plenty of time to get from the waterway to A1A North before 8 p.m.
- Sunday: Do a Santa Hayride at the Inn earlier in the day, then see Kenny G at 7:30 p.m.
The Inn's calendar doesn't yet list times, a departure point or prices for the Hayrides, and the Gingerbread Reveal page doesn't list a time either. Check both pages again before you plan the day around them.
November Starts at Sawgrass Village
Before that weekend, November's biggest events are around Sawgrass. First Coast Cultural Center's 35th annual Holiday Shoppes is at 6000B Sawgrass Village Circle. A $45 private preview runs Friday, November 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Public hours are Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, November 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Since you'll be at the Village anyway, stop by Monkee's of Ponte Vedra. The women's boutique held its grand opening August 13, and the Ponte Vedra Recorder profiled it on October 1. Next door to the Shoppes space, at 6000-C Sawgrass Village Circle, Claxton Bank expects to open a full-service branch in the first quarter of 2027, pending regulatory approval.
On the U.S. 1 side of town, House of Coffee opened August 29 at 10580 U.S. 1, Suite 412. In September, the Recorder reported that the shop is planning a grand opening in November. No date has been given yet. The Concert Hall also has a midmonth show: Paula Cole plays Thursday, November 12.
Thanksgiving Week Has Two Kickoffs
The season starts in two places on back-to-back days. On Thursday, November 26, the Inn serves Thanksgiving two ways. The Historic Inn Grand Buffet runs from noon to 7 p.m. The Golf Club Dining Room prix fixe runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Both cost $110 per adult and $30 per child ages 4 to 10.
On Friday, November 27, the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa holds its annual Tree Lighting Celebration, with holiday crafts, treats, snowfall effects and s'mores by the fire. The resort is also putting up a life-size gingerbread display in its lobby starting Thanksgiving weekend. So you can see two gingerbread displays in a week: the Marriott's in late November, then the Inn's reveal on December 4.
The Rest of December Is Mostly at the Historic Inn
After the first weekend, the calendar slows down and most of what's left is at the Inn. The second round of Santa Hayrides is Sunday, December 20. Breakfast with Santa runs December 19 and 20 and costs $48 per adult and $30 per child ages 4 to 10.
Holiday dining hours are a little different each day:
- Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24: Historic Inn Grand Buffet, 3 to 9 p.m., or Golf Club Dining Room prix fixe, 5 to 9 p.m. Both are $110 per adult and $30 per child.
- Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25: Historic Inn Grand Buffet, 2 to 8 p.m., or Golf Club Dining Room prix fixe, 5 to 9 p.m. Same prices.
- New Year's Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31: A prix fixe dinner in the Historic Inn Dining Room for $130 per person. Later that night, the Starlight Soirée welcomes 2027 with live music from Who Rescued Who, late-night food and a champagne toast. It's $160++ per person and for ages 21 and up.
This is the last holiday season before the rebuilt Surf Club is expected to open in spring 2027. Event pages and ticket availability can change, so check each listing again in the week before you go.
If December 4 to 6 has you hosting out-of-town family for the Boat Parade and the Croquet Lawn movie, I'd love to help those visits go smoothly, from local recommendations to the questions guests tend to ask once they've seen Ponte Vedra at its most festive. Meredith Rowe is always glad to talk over coffee. Schedule a Free Consultation whenever the timing feels right.
