Ponte Vedra Beach's First December Weekend Runs From the Croquet Lawn to the Intracoastal

Ponte Vedra Beach's three best-known holiday events fall on three nights in a row this year. Friday, Dec. 4, Ponte Vedra Inn & Club unveils its gingerbread display. Saturday, Dec. 5, decorated boats head north up the Intracoastal Waterway in the Palm Valley Boat Parade. Sunday, Dec. 6, Santa Hayrides start back up at the Inn.

Two of those nights happen beside the ocean, at a resort that is partway through a renovation. The third happens on a canal dug more than a century ago, and it's run entirely by volunteers. Each one has its own rules about who gets in, what it costs and where you park. If you want all three, you need to know those rules before Thanksgiving.

Friday: The Inn Opens Its Season Mid-Renovation

The Gingerbread Reveal at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club is listed for Dec. 4. The resort's pastry team unveils this year's display, and then a holiday movie plays outdoors on the Croquet Lawn. The listing doesn't give a start time or price. It gives one phone number, (904) 285-1111, ext. 7771.

Call that number before you plan the evening. At the top of the resort's holiday events calendar, a line says access to select events is limited to resort guests and club members. The individual event pages don't say which events those are.

This year the Inn looks different. According to the resort's renovation update, the new Sports Club is open, with Technogym equipment, fitness studios, an outdoor lap pool and casual dining at Sandpiper Cafe. Work is still underway on the Surf Club and Racquet Club, and some oceanfront pools and dining are temporarily unavailable. The resort expects the rebuilt Surf Club to open in spring 2027 and estimates overall completion in early 2027. Until then, beach access runs through an Interim Surf Club with beach rentals, changing rooms, showers, a Kids Camp room and grab-and-go food.

That puts this year's oceanfront holiday season at a resort running interim facilities. The gingerbread and the Croquet Lawn movie are still on the calendar, and the resort lists select oceanfront pools and dining as temporarily unavailable while the Surf Club work continues.

Saturday: Marker #3 to the Last House in Marsh Landing

The Palm Valley Boat Parade begins Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, at 6 p.m. on the Intracoastal Waterway. The organizers' route page lays out the course. Boats start one mile south of the Palm Valley Bridge on CR-210 and travel north to the last home in Marsh Landing. When the Ponte Vedra Recorder previewed last year's parade, it described decorated boats traveling more than seven miles of the waterway.

According to the parade's own history, it began at Ward's Landing, now Barbara Jean's. Joanne and Clen Ward, Maureen Van Doren and friends started it with a handful of boats, and a shore crowd turned it into a yearly event. The same site calls it "the Mardi Gras of lighted boat parades." Parade director Beacham Still told the Recorder the event "reflects our community's enduring connection to the water," and pointed out that the canal was dug around 1908, when the area was called the Diego Plains.

If you're entering a boat

Registration for 2026 is open in four classes: Over 30' Power Boat, Under 30' Power Boat, Sailboat and Dock Competition. The form doesn't list a deadline. The organizers' parade rules set the procession up like this:

1. All boats gather at Marker #3, about one mile south of the Palm Valley Bridge.
2. Boat numbers go on the starboard side so people on shore can read them.
3. The lead boat sets the pace at no more than 6 knots.
4. Boats keep at least 300 feet apart, including while the boat ahead stops to display at docks where judges are posted.
5. Communication runs on VHF Channel 72.
6. Organizers stagger boat sizes so large boats don't run one after another, which gives spectators and judges a better view.

If your dock is on the route

The dock contest is the reason many Palm Valley homes decorate their docks. The prize is "Palm Valley's Top Dock," with prizes and bragging rights, and the parade organizers and participating boaters do the judging. Judges score only the dock itself. Lit trees, houses and anything else that isn't over the water don't count. A dock has to be registered and has to display its assigned number to be eligible. The organizers' advice: "creativity always beats extravagance… but more lights never hurt anybody!"

Last year the judging didn't happen on parade night. In its 2025 recap, the Recorder reported that dock judging took place Friday, Dec. 5, the day before the parade. If 2026 follows the same pattern, docks would need to be lit and numbered by Friday, Dec. 4, the same evening as the Inn's Gingerbread Reveal. The parade hasn't published a 2026 judging date, so check with the organizers before you plan around it.

If you're watching from land

The parade's viewing page still shows the 2025 plan, dated Dec. 6, 2025. Last year's setup included a free viewing party under the Palm Valley Bridge with first-come bleachers, food trucks, holiday music and kids' games. On-site parking was mostly reserved for ADA needs, and shuttles ran continuously from Landrum Middle School from 5 to 7:45 p.m. The page says many people bring their own chairs and that the parade goes on rain or shine. Organizers haven't posted 2026 shuttle and parking details yet, so check the page again the week of the parade.

The Recorder reported that the Palm Valley Community Association co-hosted the 2025 parade. Questions about entering or sponsoring go to Beacham Still, the parade coordinator, at (904) 395-5217 or [email protected]. The parade's donate page says donations cover its operating costs.

Sunday: Back to the Oceanfront for a Hayride

On Sunday, Dec. 6, things move back to the Inn. Santa Hayrides run that day and again on Dec. 20. Rides are booked in 30-minute slots at $30 per person, and the listing asks guests to arrive on time. Like the Gingerbread Reveal, the listing doesn't say whether the rides are open to the public. The hayride page lists its own number for questions, (904) 280-6075.

Here's the weekend side by side:

The parade was free to watch in 2025, though its 2026 viewing and parking plans haven't been posted yet. The two Inn events have confirmed dates and a phone line, but the listings don't say who can attend.

November Builds Toward It Inland

Most of the November lead-up happens away from both coastlines. Hydaway Collective's flagship site, Hydaway Hollow, is in Palm Valley. The Ponte Vedra Recorder describes it as a nature-focused gathering place for learning, wellness and celebration, with riding lessons, a 4-H club, an After School Guild and homeschool enrichment. Its November calendar lines up with the holidays:

• Nov. 11, Veterans Day: Hooves for Heroes camp, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students care for and ride horses, watch a live horse-jumping demonstration and make handmade cards for veterans.
• Nov. 14: Harvest at Hydaway, a fall celebration open to the whole community. Admission is $10.
• Nov. 23–25: Harvest Explorers camp, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., built around hands-on nature play.
• Nov. 23, 24 and 27: Horse camp days, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Camp details and registration are on Hydaway's camps page.

At the Inn, the season opens with Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 26. The options are a Grand Buffet at the Historic Inn or another dining choice listed on the resort's calendar.

Over on A1A, a familiar place is changing while it stays open. The Jax Daily Record reported on Oct. 23 that Pusser's Bar & Grille, the lakefront restaurant at 816 A1A N., is becoming Craig's Beach House. Restaurateur Craig Miller is leading the change in partnership with Pusser's owner Gary Rogalski. Plans include an expanded menu, new cocktails, seasonal specials and audiovisual upgrades for watching games. A Pusser's manager told the Record the restaurant is expected to stay open during the work. The release didn't give a completion date and said more details would come in the months ahead.

If you want a dinner stop near the water on parade weekend, Palm Valley Fish Camp is at 299 Roscoe Blvd. N. The parade organizers place the Palm Valley Bridge on CR-210 near Roscoe Boulevard.

A December move often means learning a neighborhood through its calendar first, which shuttle lot to use and which events need a phone call ahead. Military and relocating families often arrive here in the middle of the holidays, and Traci Crawford helps them get settled into Ponte Vedra Beach in time to enjoy that first December weekend. When your orders or your move date are set, Schedule a Strategy Session and we'll plan the move around the dates that matter to your family.