On Friday, Nov. 13, the vendors at the Burns Road Community Center pack up at 6 p.m. That is the same minute the Palm Beach Gardens High School marching band starts leading Santa through The Gardens Mall to his throne in the Grand Court. One event ends and the next begins right after it. Most of the season works that way.
The city's holiday calendar has no Christmas parade. Palm Beach Gardens Now reports that the tree lighting is the city's main holiday celebration. So the big holiday moments come in two short bursts. The first is Nov. 13 and 14. The second is Dec. 4 and 5. Each weekend pairs a free city event with something at the mall, and Sunday morning at the GreenMarket closes out both. If you plan around those two weekends, you will catch most of the season.
Weekend One Starts Friday on Burns Road
The city's Harvest and Holiday Bazaar fills the Burns Road Community Center at 4404 Burns Road. More than 70 local vendors sell handmade goods, crafts, textiles, art and food. Admission is free, and all ages are welcome. The two days have different hours, and that changes how the weekend fits together.
Here is how the weekend lays out, day by day:
- Friday, Nov. 13. The Bazaar runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. At 6 p.m., Santa's Arrival Parade starts at The Gardens Mall, with the high school marching band and costumed characters walking Santa to the Grand Court.
- Saturday, Nov. 14. The Bazaar opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m., so morning is the only window. Also at 2 p.m., Academy of Dance performs in Nordstrom Court at the mall. Santa photos in the Enchanted Garden start that day.
- Sunday, Nov. 15. The Gardens GreenMarket is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Hall Municipal Campus, 10500 N. Military Trail. It runs every Sunday, and the season opened Oct. 4.
Friday has the longer Bazaar hours, but the Saturday close at 2 p.m. is the one to remember. Saturday's 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. window is the Bazaar's last session.
The Mall Supplies the Parade
The city has no Christmas parade on its calendar, so the closest thing is the one The Gardens Mall runs indoors. Santa comes in with a marching band and a cast of characters, and he stays. Photos with Santa in his Enchanted Garden, on the Lower Level Grand Court, run during mall hours from Nov. 14 through Dec. 24. The mall encourages reservations and also takes walk-ups.
The Salvation Army Angel Tree goes up on Nov. 20 and stays through Dec. 20 on the lower level east wing. Each paper angel lists the name and needs of a child in Palm Beach County. That puts a one-month window on a tradition many families think of as running all season. Angels picked up in late November leave the most time for shopping before the Dec. 20 cutoff.
Weekend Two Is One Park, Two Nights
The second weekend's city events all happen at The Gardens North County District Park, 5101 117th Court North. The city has put a movie night, a footrace and its tree lighting into about 26 hours on the same grounds.
| When | What | Where at the park |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Films on the Field: Elf, rated PG, free | Field 10 |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 2 to 4 p.m. | Race-day registration and packet pickup | District Park |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 3:30 p.m. | Trailblazer 2K Family Fun Run | District Park |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 4 p.m. | Tree lighting event opens with ice rink, inflatables, music and food vendors | District Park |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 4:15 p.m. | Trailblazer 5K | District Park |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 5 p.m. | Race awards | District Park |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 5:45 p.m. | Santa arrives on a fire truck and the tree is lit | District Park |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 6 to 7 p.m. | Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus | District Park |
The Friday movie fits a family's schedule. Elf starts at 6:30 and ends by 8:30. According to Palm Beach Gardens Now, the city hands out a free holiday cookie while supplies last. On Saturday the tree lighting event runs from 4 to 8 p.m. and is free for all ages. The rink is synthetic ice, which suits a park in South Florida in early December.
The Race Is Timed to Finish at the Tree
The Gardens Trailblazer 5K is planned around the tree lighting. The city's race announcement puts the 2K at 3:30 p.m. and the 5K at 4:15 p.m. on Dec. 5 at District Park. On Race Roster, awards are at 5 p.m. and the tree lighting ceremony is at 5:45. A runner who finishes the 5K has time to cool down, collect an award and walk over before Santa's fire truck arrives.
Signing up early costs less, but not by much. Race Roster lists the 5K at $44.79 from Nov. 1 through Dec. 4 and $50.14 on race day. The 2K Family Fun Run is $34.09 through Dec. 4 and $39.44 on Dec. 5. Both races go up by the same $5.35 on race day, and all listed prices include required fees. Participants 17 and under get $5 off during registration. Children 2 and under don't need to register for the 2K, and the 2K is not chip timed. The 10% promo code the city printed in October expired on Oct. 31.
There is one small change at the park. On Oct. 22, the city posted that the gravity swing at Gardens District Park had been removed for repairs. If your children usually head there while you wait for the lights, check before you promise it.
The Same Saturday Has a Daytime Stop
Dec. 5 starts well before the race. The Gardens Mall holds Maltz Jupiter Theatre Day in the Grand Court from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 5% of the day's sales logged at Concierge go to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. That makes the second weekend look like the first: a mall event and a city event on the same day, with the city's ending after dark. Sunday, Dec. 6, closes the weekend with the GreenMarket from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the City Hall campus.
After the Tree Is Lit
The city's two big weekends are over by Dec. 6. After that, most holiday events move to the mall's two indoor stages. Mark these dates:
- Friday, Dec. 11, 5:30 p.m.: Char-Mar School dance performance, Nordstrom Court
- Saturday, Dec. 12, starting 10 a.m.: MUSICTHON, a holiday program from the Palm Beach Music Teachers Association with performances by Palm Beach County Schools music programs, benefiting Breakthrough T1D Foundation, Nordstrom Court
- Sunday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m.: Dance Theater of Florida holiday performance, Grand Court
- Friday, Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m.: North Palm Youth Symphony, Grand Court
- Saturday, Dec. 19, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.: Paris Ballet's The Nutcracker, Nordstrom Court
Burns Road stays busy at a smaller scale. Stories in the Park meets at the Burns Road Playground on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 9 to 10 a.m. From Dec. 1 through Dec. 18, Palm Beach Gardens Now reports, Santa's Mailbox sits in the lobby of the Burns Road Community Center. Leave a letter with a readable return address and Santa writes back, with no stamp needed. The mailbox closes on Dec. 18, six days before Christmas Eve, so families who want a reply should drop off letters early in that window.
For more ideas on getting outside in the city this winter, see our guide to outdoor life in Palm Beach Gardens communities. For this summer's openings on both ends of town, read how Palm Beach Gardens got two downtowns.
If you have family visiting for the Dec. 5 tree lighting and the subject of homes comes up, whether for them or for you, I'm always glad to talk about Palm Beach Gardens over coffee once the holidays settle down. Barbara C. Smith has spent 45 years in these communities, and the conversation is easy to start. Let's Connect.
