On the morning of Saturday, Nov. 14, the city's Veterans Day gathering fills Horan Park from 10 a.m. to noon. By noon, two blocks of Corey Avenue are closed to traffic and the street party is underway, with The Horny Toads on the bill and a firetruck display from 1 to 4 p.m. The celebration runs until 9 p.m. and costs nothing.
Five weeks later the season ends where it started. On Friday, Dec. 18, Horan Park at 7701 Boca Ciega Drive hosts the city's Rockin' Rudolph viewing party for the Holiday Boat Parade. Between those two dates, the island's holiday calendar has a clear layout. Horan Park opens and closes the season, Corey Avenue hosts the weekends in between, and the two largest events both move people south toward Pass-a-Grille.
The full calendar, in order
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14, 10 a.m.–noon | City Veterans Day gathering | Horan Park | Not listed |
| Sat., Nov. 14, noon–9 p.m. | Corey Avenue Veterans Day Celebration | Corey Avenue | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 27, 6 p.m. | Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony | The Don CeSar lobby | Not listed |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | Shop Small Saturday Corey Avenue | Corey Avenue to Pass-a-Grille | Free |
| Sat.–Sun., Dec. 5–6, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Holiday Art & Craft Festival | 300 Corey Avenue | Free |
| Wed., Dec. 9 | Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley | St. Pete Beach | Not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 9–11 a.m. | Breakfast with Santa | Community Center, Boca Ciega Ballroom | Not listed |
| Fri., Dec. 18, 6 p.m. | Holiday Boat Parade and Rockin' Rudolph | On the water and at Horan Park | Viewing party free |
Corey Avenue hosts three of the five weekends in that table. The city runs the morning and family events, and The Don CeSar adds a lobby tree lighting on the evening after Thanksgiving.
Corey Avenue carries three of the season's weekends
The Corey Avenue Veterans Day Celebration starts the stretch on Nov. 14, and the same street hosts another event two weeks later. That timing makes Corey Avenue the island's main holiday street for most of November and early December. No other street on the calendar hosts more than one of the season's events.
The third is the Corey Avenue Holiday Art & Craft Festival, set for Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5–6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at 300 Corey Avenue, with free admission. It's the only two-day event on the island's calendar, so it's the one weekend with a built-in second chance.
The street itself is changing during the run of events. St. Pete Rising reported on Oct. 23 that Willy's Burgers & Booze at 645 Corey Avenue has started construction after a long permitting process. The open-air bar and restaurant has been closed since the hurricanes of late 2024. In the Facebook post St. Pete Rising quoted, the business wrote that "the road back has been anything but easy" and said the team had spent 14 months on permitting. No reopening date has been announced.
Shop Small Saturday sends the street south
The Shop Small Saturday Corey Avenue event on Nov. 28 runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free. It's also the only Corey Avenue event that reaches past Corey Avenue. An old-fashioned hop-on, hop-off trolley will run from Corey Avenue south through Pass-a-Grille and stop along the way.
That trolley ties the two shopping districts together for the day. In Pass-a-Grille, one shop along the way has a new name since last holiday season. Eva's Emporium at 3112 Pass-a-Grille Way has rebranded as Pass-a-Gift and held its grand opening in September. It sells locally made goods, keepsakes, coastal décor, apparel, jewelry and gifts, according to LocalShops1's Sept. 17 roundup. With the trolley running and the shop newly opened, Pass-a-Gift fits naturally into the day.
The evening before, The Don CeSar holds its Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday, Nov. 27, at 6 p.m. in the lobby, according to the hotel's 2026 holiday events page. The hotel is also hosting a Thanksgiving brunch buffet in its King Charles Ballroom with carving stations, seafood, sushi and seasonal desserts. The page doesn't list a price, so check the booking details before you plan around it. Put together, the lighting and Shop Small Saturday give the island a two-day stretch right after Thanksgiving: a Friday evening at the south end and a Saturday that runs from Corey Avenue to Pass-a-Grille.
The quieter middle of December belongs to the city
After the Dec. 5–6 festival, the calendar moves from the street to city programs. The Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley runs on Wednesday, Dec. 9, according to Paradise News's Oct. 21 events roundup, which links to the city's recreation page for details.
Breakfast with Santa takes place on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Community Center's Boca Ciega Ballroom, according to the city's December calendar. One regional roundup lists it on Dec. 14, which is a Monday. The city's listing of Saturday, Dec. 12, is the date to plan around, and registration runs through the city's parks and recreation catalog.
Both are smaller events in a week with no Corey Avenue event. They fill the gap before the season's biggest night.
Dec. 18 ends the season on the water
The City of St. Pete Beach Resident Services and the Bay to Bay Foundation are bringing back the St. Pete Beach Holiday Boat Parade on Friday, Dec. 18, starting at 6 p.m. The city's announcement is open to boats of any size, "covered in lights or simply filled with holiday spirit." Captains can register through the Bay to Bay Foundation. The foundation's route page says the fleet travels through St. Pete Beach and Boca Ciega and finishes near Pass-a-Grille. Both the route and the timing are approximate and depend on the weather.
So the season's last big event finishes at the same southern end the Shop Small trolley headed toward three weeks earlier. The city also says its official parade map includes estimated times at viewing points along the route, so households can plan backyard and dockside gatherings around them.
You can watch from three public spots:
- Horan Park, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive. The city's Rockin' Rudolph viewing party runs from 6 to 9 p.m. with The Horny Toads, food, beer and wine. Visit St. Pete-Clearwater lists admission as free and also lists a tree-lighting ceremony at the park during the same evening, without a separate lighting time.
- Egan Park, 9101 Blind Pass Road. Visit St. Pete-Clearwater lists it as another viewing location.
- The Corey Causeway pedestrian walkway. It's the third public viewing option on the same listing.
Horan Park is the only one of the three with a hosted party, a band and a tree. It also hosted the season's first event on the morning of Nov. 14, so the same park opens and closes the season.
Two other projects still in progress
Two more projects are in progress without a confirmed finish date. Bararam, a Spanish-style tapas restaurant and bar at 6702 Gulf Boulevard beside Sola Bistro, was still expected to open "this fall" in The Gabber's Oct. 5 business roundup. That roundup gave no specific opening date.
On the bay side, the city posted a request for bids on Sept. 30 to rehabilitate the 7th Avenue Fishing Pier. The pre-bid meeting was Oct. 7, and bids were due at 9 a.m. on Nov. 4. That's the first step toward repairs, and no work schedule has been announced yet.
That means three more spots are still coming: Willy's on Corey Avenue, Bararam on Gulf Boulevard and the pier on the bay. None of them has a confirmed date yet. Check back with each one before you plan a holiday outing around it.
If you'd like your home ready before family arrives for the holidays, or you're wondering how the work along Corey Avenue and Gulf Boulevard could affect its value, Home Selling Group of Florida can help you plan both. Request a Free Home Valuation, and we'll walk you through what your home could sell for in this market.
