On Saturday, Nov. 28, the Seaside Farmers Market packs up at 1 p.m. Two hours later, the SEASIDE® Holiday Parade leaves Seagrove Plaza and heads down 30A toward Central Square. By evening the same amphitheater lawn that held produce tents that morning has a lit Christmas tree, with Santa taking photos nearby until 8 p.m.
That Saturday closes a full week of events on one patch of grass. Over Thanksgiving week, the Seaside Amphitheater holds a ballet, a concert, a market and a tree lighting. If you live in town or are opening up the house for the holiday, you can plan the whole week around one lawn.
The week on one lawn
Here is the official Seaside schedule for Nov. 22 through Nov. 28:
- Sunday, Nov. 22, 5–7 p.m.: The Nutcracker Act II by Ballet Pensacola on the Amphitheater Stage. Free.
- Wednesday, Nov. 25, 4–6 p.m.: Sounds of Seaside with BOUKOU GROOVE, the night before Thanksgiving.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.: Seaside Farmers Market in the Amphitheater.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 3–8 p.m.: SEASIDE® Holiday Parade & Turn on the Town.
Each event depends on the one before it clearing out, and the gaps get shorter as the week goes on. Sunday's ballet has the lawn to itself. Saturday asks the same space to hold a morning market and an evening tree lighting, with a parade arriving in between.
Sunday: Pick your spot on the lawn early
Seaside bills Ballet Pensacola's Nutcracker Act II as its annual start to the holiday season. The performance begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22. Seating on the Amphitheater lawn is first-come, first-served, and Seaside asks guests to bring lawn chairs and blankets. The event is free, open to the public, and welcomes all ages. 30A.com's listing gives the same date and time.
Seats are free and there are no reservations, so the only thing that gets you a good view is arriving early. If you live a short walk or bike ride away, you can show up shortly before 5 with a blanket. If you're driving in, add time for parking or the shuttle.
Wednesday: Same lawn, earlier start
Sounds of Seaside moves the lawn into late afternoon. The Nov. 25 show runs 4 to 6 p.m. in the Seaside Amphitheater, with BOUKOU GROOVE on stage. Seaside's event page asks you to bring blankets and chairs, the same as Sunday.
That Wednesday is the night before Thanksgiving. A two-hour show that wraps up at 6 fits around a day of grocery runs and airport pickups. If you're in town before the holiday, the rest of the November lineup gives you a few more Wednesdays to try it:
- Nov. 11: Flow Tribe
- Nov. 18: Roman Street
- Nov. 25: BOUKOU GROOVE
Saturday: The two-hour turnover
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the week in Seaside. It's also the day when the road matters as much as the lawn.
Time on Nov. 28 | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
9 a.m.–1 p.m. | Seaside Farmers Market | Amphitheater |
3 p.m. | Holiday Parade starts | Seagrove Plaza, then down 30A |
Afternoon | Emerald Coast Theatre Company performance | Krier Plaza |
After the parade | Christmas tree lighting with Santa | Seaside Amphitheater |
Until 8 p.m. | Photos with Santa | Christmas Village |
According to Seaside's own announcement, the parade begins at 3 p.m. in Seagrove Plaza, travels down 30A and ends in Central Square. Seaside's event page lays out the rest of the afternoon. After the parade comes a live performance by Emerald Coast Theatre Company at Krier Plaza. Then everyone gathers in the Amphitheater, where Santa takes part in the tree lighting. Santa photos at the Christmas Village continue until 8 p.m. Seaside hasn't posted a time for the tree lighting itself.
What last year's road closure tells you
Last year's county paperwork shows the pattern. For the 2025 parade, Seaside asked Walton County to close County Road 30A from Campbell Street to Central Square, a 1.5-mile stretch, from about 3 to 4:30 p.m. That request went on the Walton County Board of County Commissioners consent agenda. The same document says the parade was an annual Seaside event until COVID and started up again in 2023.
If 2026 follows the same pattern, the road reopens about three and a half hours after the market closes and more than three hours before Santa's last photo. The road would be closed for roughly 90 minutes, while the celebration runs into the evening. Treat the 2025 window as a planning guide, not this year's confirmed schedule. If you need to drive that part of 30A on Saturday afternoon, either finish before 3 p.m. or wait until the parade has passed.
Where the money goes
All proceeds from parade registration go to Point Washington Medical Clinic. The county document describes the clinic as a local 501(c)(3). To put a golf cart, a club or a family group in the parade, start at the Turn on the Town event page, which links to registration.
Getting to the lawn without parking at it
On a day when part of 30A may close for the parade, the Seaside Shuttle matters. Seaside's 2026 notice says the free shuttle runs daily from 6 a.m. to midnight, with three shuttles. They run between a designated lot off Hwy. 331 South, past Sanctuary at 331, and the Lyceum Archway. Since the shuttle runs until midnight, it's still going long after Santa's 8 p.m. finish.
In-town parking is paid, and Seaside says rates change with location, day of the week, how full the lots are and town events. Check the Seaside parking page that weekend rather than counting on the usual rate.
Eating between the market and the parade
That two-hour gap on Saturday is lunch. Two of Seaside's 2026 dining stories are steps from the lawn.
Wild Nectar opened on Airstream Row in May 2026. It's a fresh-pressed juice bar and coastal kitchen serving juices, açaí bowls, salads and sandwiches, plus rotating seasonal specials. Owners Kolbi Amos and Hayden Shaw came to Seaside from East Pass Coffee in Destin. In Seaside's opening announcement, Amos said, "We want to create a cozy spot embraced by the community." Coming off the market at 1 p.m., a bowl from Airstream Row is a light lunch before the parade.
The Daytrader Tiki Bar & Restaurant was featured in the 2026 Michelin Guide, according to Seaside's June 2026 dining story. It sits at the entrance to Coleman Beach Pavilion, 2236 E County Hwy 30A, Units 4 & 5. Chef Nikhil Abuvala's menu blends Polynesian and American dishes. The story mentions boiled peanuts with red Hawaiian sea salt, tuna crispy rice, rice bowls and a Maui burger, along with nonalcoholic drinks for all ages. It works well if your Saturday plan is to stay in town from the parade through the tree lighting.
For a sit-down dinner after Santa's last photo, Seaside's winter guide points to Bud & Alley's, which has served oceanfront dining in Seaside since 1986. The same guide reminds you that hours vary by merchant over the season, so call ahead on a holiday weekend.
The following Saturday, the lawn changes again
Once the tree is lit, Central Square moves on to the next event a week later. The SEASIDE® Holiday Market brings local artisans and makers to Central Square on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The regular Farmers Market also runs that Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Santa returns for photos from 4 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 13 and Dec. 20. Seaside's Oct. 15 winter guide says more holiday events will be added as they're announced, so the Seaside events calendar is worth checking again before Thanksgiving week.
If you're opening your Seaside home for Thanksgiving week and want help planning guest arrivals around Saturday's parade, or you're wondering how a holiday weekend like this one affects showings and rental bookings, The Kendall Hood Collection knows this calendar well. Schedule Your Concierge Consultation, and we'll help you plan around the lawn, the road and the week.
