Embrace the season with all of the festive fun the Treasure Coast has to offer this holiday season.
Tree Lightings, Festivals & Traditional Parades
Kick off the season at the downtown Vero Beach Tree Lighting Festival in Pocahontas Park on November 18 and visit Santa. Bubble snow, music, and food trucks will accompany a holiday movie on the green.
Check out downtown Fort Pierce’s Sights & Sounds on Second Parade on December 3 at 4 pm followed by a tree-lighting. The downtown Fort Pierce light show featuring over 100,000 beautiful lights set to music will run daily through January, 6 - 9 pm.
Downtown Stuart’s tree lighting will be on November 24 at 4 pm.
The Vero Beach Christmas Parade on Ocean Drive begins at 6 pm on December 2.
Enjoy the newly-branded Winterfest at Riverside Theatre, December 1-3. Winterfest is the rebranded, signature fundraising event for Riverside Theatre’s educational programs, formally known as Festival of Trees, Winterfest is Vero’s premier holiday event. Riverside Theatre transforms into a holiday wonderland filled with beautifully decorated trees, centerpieces, wreaths, vendor booths, arts and crafts, live performances, Santa’s Village, and even an “ice” skating rink!
Schacht Grove hosts a Holiday Festival on December 2, 11 am - 2 pm, featuring Santa & Mrs. Claus, letters to Santa, face painting, Kona Ice, food trucks, bounce house, petting zoo and their famous U-pick groves.
Visit LaPorte Farms for their annual Christmas Park and Walk for a stroll through a winter wonderland while enjoying hot cider, hot chocolate and Christmas punch, December 12-13 and 28-30, 6-9 pm.
Light Displays
Prepare to be dazzled by some amazing light shows and displays.
Vero Beach Museum of Art’s Art After Dark is an outdoor digital art exhibition using slick technology to project mesmerizing images onto the exterior walls of the museum. This is free to the public and only showing December 15-16 at 6 pm.
Vero Beach Museum of Art's Art After Dark
Visit McKee Botanical Gardens for the Festival of Lights for sparkling lights and festive holiday displays, snow flurries, visits with Santa, a large-scale model train display, the 1924 Wurlitzer Band Organ, and local entertainment. Enjoy outdoor holiday classic movies and festive treats. Plus outdoor holiday classic movies and festive treats. December 15 - 17, 19 - 22, and 28 - 30, 6-8 pm.
Drop by Heathcote Botanical Gardens November 24 - December 30 for the Garden of Lights Festival featuring lighted scenes, animals, music, and refreshments.
And don't forget to visit the downtown Fort Pierce light show featuring over 100,000 beautiful lights set to music will run daily through January, 6 - 9 pm.
Music & Performances
Ignite your festive spirit at the Atlantic Classical Orchestra’s Holiday Concert, Home for the Holidays. Embrace the season with beloved classics such as "Carol of the Bells," "Winter Wonderland," "White Christmas," "The Nutcracker," a medley celebrating Hanukkah, a participatory audience sing-along, and a whole lot more. Enjoy this holiday concert Friday, December 8 at 7 pm at Redeemer Lutheran, 2450 SE Ocean Blvd in Stuart; Saturday, December 9, 2023, at 2 pm & 4 pm at Tradition Town Hall, 10799 SW Civic Lane in Port St. Lucie; and Sunday, December 10, 2:00 pm at Waxlax Center at St. Edward’s School, 895 Saint Edwards Dr in Vero Beach.
Ballet Vero presents Nutcracker on the Indian River, a unique Vero Beach production. The libretto and classical score retain all the whimsy and magic of the original ballet, but move the action to the year Vero was founded (1919). By taking the ballet’s heroine, Marie, on a holiday journey from New York to Florida, Fifth Avenue Mansions, Grand Central Station, and rail cars become settings. Instead of a second act featuring candy characters, Marie will dream of the shores of the Indian River Lagoon and will be entertained by all manner of local flora and fauna. From land crabs to manatees and river otters to bougainvillea, Nutcracker on the Indian River will take all the magic of the stage and use that magic to both entertain and inspire. Enjoy Ballet Vero’s unique take on the ballet classic on December 30 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center or attend a special hour-long performance geared to the needs of the differently abled individuals and young children m December 29 at 7:30 pm also at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center.
Ballet Vero's Nutcracker on the Indian River
The Treasure Coast Youth Ballet performs the traditional The Nutcracker at Sunrise Theatre on December 1 at 7 pm.
Vero Beach High School Performing Arts concert, jazz, and symphonic bands, chorus, orchestra, and theatre will perform for The Holiday Album, a festive family favorite, on December 12 and 13 at 7 pm at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center.
Enjoy holiday-themed music and spirits at Summer Crush with performances including A Johnny Rogers Christmas: Deck the Holly with Buddy Holly and other Rock Legends on December 9, A Jazzy Big Band Christmas With the Fort Pierce Jazz Society on December 10, and A Beachin’ Christmas Dance Party saluting the music of the beach Boys and Jimmy Buffet and Ugly Sweater Contest on December 16.
Boat Parades
Don’t forget about these favorite boat parades for some fun, floating holiday decorations.
The Indian River County Holiday Boat Parade, on December 14 at 6 pm begins at Vero Beach City Marina. Bring chairs and/or blankets to Royal Palm Pointe or the city marina for the best viewing. Another popular holiday boat parade is the St. Lucie County Christmas Boat Parade along Seaway Drive in Fort Pierce on December 9.
