On Saturday, Nov. 28, Landing Park at 131 Brooks Street SE will have a Christmas tree it has never had before. The city is putting up an all-new Christmas display at the Downtown Fort Walton Beach Landing this year, with new lighting, a new tree and a Santa's Workshop. All of it goes public at the Holiday Market & Light Up the Night Tree Lighting, which runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is presented by Eglin Federal Credit Union.
That Saturday also opens the season for the whole city, and the order of events is different this year. Hurricane Isaias came ashore in Okaloosa County on the night of Friday, Oct. 9, as Get The Coast reported from the next morning's briefing at The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island. Seven weeks after landfall, the mainland is carrying the first full week of the holidays by itself. The island's biggest seasonal program begins a week after the tree lighting. And the city has tied its two signature events together with the same theme, so the downtown half of the season works as a single story.
The Landing's New Christmas Starts With the Tree
The Nov. 28 market is large. Organizers expect more than 100 local vendors selling handmade goods, locally sourced products and gifts. The day also includes live music, food trucks, cookie decorating and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
The tree lighting is what sets this year apart. The Fort Walton Beach Community Chorus will carol through the countdown, and the new tree goes dark-to-lit as the market's last act of the day. If watching the switch flip is the reason you're going, plan to be on the lawn well before the market closes at 6 p.m.
This is also the first big gathering at the Landing since the storm. The City of Fort Walton Beach reopened its parks on Monday, Oct. 12, with some limitations, according to its post-Isaias update. The Santa's Workshop on the Landing is the piece to remember, because the city reuses the idea nine days later.
Santa's Workshop Moves Up Eglin Parkway on Dec. 7
The theme of the 2026 Fort Walton Beach Christmas Parade is "Inside Santa's Workshop." It starts at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7. The workshop you can walk through at the Landing on Nov. 28 becomes the theme for the parade nine days later.
The route runs north along one corridor:
- Floats line up and step off at Eglin Parkway and First Street.
- The parade travels north on Eglin Parkway.
- It ends at the intersection with Hughes Street.
Being a Monday-night parade on the Parkway, it lands on a school and work night. If you live north of Hughes Street or along First Street, expect your evening drive to be affected near step-off time.
Businesses, groups or organizations that want a float have a short window. The entry fee is $35, proof of liability insurance is required, and applications are due at fwb.org/christmasparade by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24. That deadline falls just five days after this post goes up and two days before Thanksgiving. Recreation Supervisor Polly-Jo Pangelinan is the city's contact for questions at 850-833-9580. A float built on the Workshop theme also gives a local business a reason to stop by the Landing display on Nov. 28 for ideas.
Across the Bridge, the Island's Season Waits on Repairs
Okaloosa Island usually shares the opening of the holidays. This year the timing is set by a construction crew. The Island Resort & Convention Center closed to the public right after Isaias. On Oct. 28, Get The Coast reported that the resort expected to stay closed until late November for renovation and construction work. Every upcoming event at the resort was canceled, including Boo on the Beach.
The resort's statement to its "Island Family," as quoted by Get The Coast, described the work like this:
"Over the next few weeks, our property will undergo necessary renovation and construction work as we focus on repairs and improvements to prepare for our return."
The resort also said it would let the public know if the expected reopening date changed.
The holiday program it has scheduled for after that work is Winter WonderIsland, which runs Dec. 5 through Dec. 31. The resort's Winter WonderIsland page lists twinkling lights, holiday displays, Santa experiences, letters to the North Pole, themed drinks, food trucks and live entertainment. The season opens Saturday, Dec. 5, with Santa's arrival, photos with Santa, a hot chocolate station and live holiday music. After that, the resort's calendar lists Breakfast with Santa and a beach Christmas event on Dec. 12, cookies and crafts on Dec. 19, Christmas dinner on Dec. 25 and New Year's Eve events on Dec. 31.
Destin-Fort Walton Beach's holiday roundup puts both halves on the same list, with the Landing on Nov. 28 and Winter WonderIsland from Dec. 5 to 31. Read side by side, the two dates show a one-week gap between the downtown tree lighting and the island's kickoff. From Nov. 28 to Dec. 5, the Landing's tree and workshop are the main holiday display in the city.
How the Two Halves Fit on One Calendar
Here is how the season lines up from publish day forward, by date and by side of the bridge.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tue., Nov. 24, 5 p.m. | Christmas Parade entry deadline | fwb.org/christmasparade |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Gulfarium closed for Thanksgiving | Okaloosa Island |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. | Holiday Market & Light Up the Night Tree Lighting | The Landing, 131 Brooks St. SE |
| Wed., Dec. 2, 7 p.m. | Underwater Yoga at Gulfarium | Okaloosa Island |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Winter WonderIsland kickoff with Santa | The Island Resort & Convention Center |
| Mon., Dec. 7, 6:30 p.m. | Christmas Parade, "Inside Santa's Workshop" | Eglin Pkwy, First St. to Hughes St. |
| Dec. 5–31 | Winter WonderIsland | The Island Resort & Convention Center |
The Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park calendar fills the island's quiet week before WonderIsland. Beyond the Thanksgiving closure and the Dec. 2 Underwater Yoga, the park lists Military Weekends and Pilates with Dolphins this season, which is worth a look for households with a service member who want something on the island before the resort's lights go on.
On the mainland, the Heritage Park & Cultural Center sits at 139 Miracle Strip Parkway SE, and its grounds include the Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum and the Garnier Post Office Museum. The city reopened the historic buildings and the museum store after the storm. Pair it with the Landing and you have a full downtown day.
The Bridge Between Them Is Changing Too
Getting from the Landing to the island this December means crossing a Brooks Bridge that's partway through a rebuild. In late September, Get The Coast reported that the concrete deck on the new westbound span was finished. In a June update from the same outlet, the project's construction-inspection lead described the plan: shift westbound traffic onto the new bridge in the fall, move eastbound traffic six to eight weeks later, put all traffic on the new structure by year's end, and begin demolishing the old bridge in January. Under that plan, the lane layout you take to Winter WonderIsland could differ from the one you used to get to the Landing a week earlier.
The finished project is described on the FDOT project page. It calls for two new bridges with three lanes each way, 10-foot shoulders and a protected 12-foot shared-use path on each side for people on foot and on bikes. The new bridge also reaches past the U.S. 98 and Santa Rosa Boulevard intersection, which removes the signal there. FDOT's estimated completion is spring 2029. Once the paths open, walking from the Landing's tree to the island's lights becomes a realistic December evening. For this season, the trip still runs through a work zone.
Here at The Babe Group, we'll be at the Landing on Nov. 28, and we keep an eye on projects like the Brooks Bridge because they change how both sides of Fort Walton Beach fit together. If you're planning a move around the holidays, or you'd like to know how this year's changes affect your home's value, reach out for a free home valuation. We'll walk you through it in person.
