At 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 28, two holiday programs start at the same time on neighboring stretches of Scenic Highway 30A. In Seaside, the Holiday Parade and Turn on the Town begins with a parade along 30A. In WaterColor, the 19th annual Old Florida Holiday & Winter Market opens in Cerulean Park and Town Center.
They start together but end an hour apart. Seaside's program wraps at 8 p.m. WaterColor's runs until 9. That extra hour sets the order for the evening. Start next door, then come home to Cerulean Park while the bonfires are still lit.
Tuesday through Friday of Thanksgiving week is smaller and closer to home, and most of it needs no reservation. Here is how the week leads up to that Saturday.
One Saturday, Two Programs
The two events have different sponsors and different causes. They still fit together well for anyone who lives between them.
| Seaside Holiday Parade & Turn on the Town | Old Florida Holiday & Winter Market | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, November 28, 2026 | Saturday, November 28, 2026 |
| Hours | 3 to 8 p.m. | 3 to 9 p.m. |
| Where | Parade along 30A, Krier Plaza, Seaside Amphitheater, Christmas Village | Cerulean Park and WaterColor Town Center |
| Program | Parade, Emerald Coast Theatre Company performance, Christmas tree lighting, Santa photos until 8 p.m. | Winter market, local artists and vendors, carriage rides, carolers, bonfires and s'mores, food trucks, Santa photos, tree lighting |
| Hosted by | Seaside; parade registration proceeds benefit Point Washington Medical Clinic | WaterColor Community Association |
| Admission | Not listed as ticketed | Free and open to the public |
According to Seaside's event page, the parade comes first. Next is a live performance by Emerald Coast Theatre Company at Krier Plaza, then the Christmas tree lighting in the Seaside Amphitheater, where Santa officially opens the season. After the lighting, Santa moves to the Christmas Village for photos until 8 p.m. All parade registration proceeds go to Point Washington Medical Clinic.
On the WaterColor side, the 30A.com event listing describes falling snow and holiday lights around the park, horse-drawn carriage rides, live carolers and Christmas music, bonfires and s'mores, local food trucks, and photos with Santa. Admission is free. The WaterColor Inn holiday page adds local artists and vendors, the traditional lighting of the WaterColor Christmas tree, and a WaterColor Store that stays open until 9 p.m. for holiday shopping.
The Hour After Eight
The WaterColor Store's 9 p.m. close matters for the evening. Once Santa photos end at Seaside's Christmas Village, the 30A crowd has an hour left at Cerulean Park. The bonfires, food trucks and carriage rides are still going, and the store is open for one last stop.
That makes Seaside the first leg and WaterColor the second. A 3 p.m. start in Seaside gets you the parade, the Krier Plaza performance and the amphitheater lighting. The walk back to Town Center ends at an event designed to run later.
Neither page gives an exact time for its tree lighting, so the timing inside each window is still to be announced. The safe plan uses the published end times. Get to Seaside in time for the parade, and save the last part of the evening for WaterColor.
The Week That Leads Up to It
Before Saturday, Thanksgiving week in WaterColor is a run of small events, most within the community and most walk-in. One is a parade-free warm-up at Marina Park two nights before the holiday.
- Tuesday, November 24. The WaterColor Community Association hosts Thanksgiving Movie Night at Marina Park from 5 to 7 p.m. Bring lawn chairs and blankets. Popcorn is free while it lasts.
- Thursday, November 26. WaterColor Lakehouse serves a Thanksgiving Day buffet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is the one meal of the week that requires a reservation, booked through [email protected]. Fish Out of Water serves turkey and dressing with its all-day à la carte menu from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The community calendar also lists live music at WaterColor Beach Club from 3 to 6 p.m.
- Friday, November 27. Fish Out of Water hosts Breakfast with Santa from 8 a.m. to noon, again with no reservations. At the same time, WaterColor Beach Club runs Burn Off the Turkey. Pick up a biking or walking and running map at the WaterColor Inn front desk or the beach club. The holiday page lists pickup from 8 to 9 a.m., while the Inn's general events page gives 9 to 10 a.m. in its instructions, so confirm with the front desk before Friday. Track the route on your own app, with Strava recommended, and email a screenshot of your results to [email protected] by 2 p.m. Winners in the run and bike categories are announced by email at sunset. Trivia Night follows from 4 to 6 p.m.
Friday morning is crowded too. Breakfast with Santa runs from 8 a.m. to noon, which covers either listed map-pickup window, so one person in the household can collect the map while the rest hold a table. Saturday then brings Santa to the Christmas Village in Seaside and to Cerulean Park in WaterColor, which means three chances at a Santa photo in two days without leaving 30A.
Two Thanksgiving Day plans, one booked and one walk-in, also make the holiday itself easy to adjust. The Lakehouse buffet ends at 3 p.m., the same hour the Beach Club music starts. Fish Out of Water keeps serving until 9.
Filling the Gap Between Lightings
The market is spread across Cerulean Park and Town Center, so the shops and restaurants around the park are part of the evening. Town Center's food and drink includes Beach Happy Cafe, Fish Out of Water, Scratch Biscuit Kitchen, and The Wine Bar WaterColor. For shopping, there are Beachfolly, Envie Boutique, Indigo WaterColor, Love and Grow Clothing, Old Florida Outfitters, The WaterColor Store, and WaterColor Kids. The St. Joe Company's retail listing for WaterColor Town Center also lists Wine World at WaterColor.
Only the WaterColor Store has posted market-night hours. Call or check with the others before you plan a dinner or a stop between the two lightings.
Getting Home After Dark
The complimentary WaterColor Trolley runs on demand through the WC Trolley app. The 30A.com WaterColor guide lists daily service from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and notes that hours may change seasonally. At those hours, the trolley would stop before either Saturday program ends. Plan the trip back from the market on foot or by bike unless the app shows longer hours that night.
Seaside's parade travels along 30A. Its event page lists the address as 2227 E County Highway 30A and gives no traffic details. Walking or biking between the two towns that afternoon avoids the question altogether.
One calendar note: an older WaterColor events listing still shows a Saturday, November 29 tree lighting. The market's current pages from the WaterColor Community Association and the Inn both list Saturday, November 28, 2026.
After the Lights Come On
Once Saturday is over, December in WaterColor is quieter, with two dates to save. The WaterColor Store and WaterColor Kids holiday sale runs December 21 through 24, in store and online. It takes 15 percent off storewide December 21 to 23 and 25 percent off on Christmas Eve, applied automatically at checkout. On Christmas Day, Fish Out of Water serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m., with chef-curated holiday dishes alongside its à la carte and kids' menus. As at Thanksgiving, seating is first come, first served.
If you're hosting family for Thanksgiving week and want to talk through what a WaterColor or Seaside address means the rest of the year, The Lauderdale Group is happy to meet over coffee in Town Center. Request a personalized 30A consultation, and we'll save time for the market on the 28th.
