Santa lights the tree at Old School Square at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1. For the next two and a half weeks the Holiday Village around it is open only four days a week. From Dec. 3 through Dec. 20, the City of Delray Beach's posted hours cover Thursday through Sunday. The ticketed activities have no listed hours Monday through Wednesday.
That four-day week sets the pattern for much of downtown's December. Nearly every other dated event this season also lands on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. That includes the art walk, the art festival, the menorah lighting, both parades and the tree market. If you know the Holiday Village schedule, you can plan most of the month around it.
The tree keeps a four-day week until the last stretch
This year is the 33rd for the tree, which stands at 51 N. Swinton Ave. According to the Downtown Development Authority, it started as a 50-foot tree the DDA bought in 1993 to help revive downtown. Two years later it was raised to 100 feet for the city's centennial.
The City's tree page lists the hours for the Gingerbread Ticket House, the carousel, mini golf, ice skating and the tree in four blocks:
| Dates | Days | Village hours | Ice skating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 1 | Tuesday, lighting night | 6 to 9 p.m. | Part of the evening |
| Dec. 3 to 20 | Thursday and Friday | 5 to 9 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 3 to 20 | Saturday and Sunday | 1 to 9 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 21 to 23 | Monday to Wednesday | 1 to 9 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 24 to 25 | Christmas Eve and Day | Tree and carousel only, 5 to 9 p.m. | Closed |
| Dec. 26 to 27 | Saturday and Sunday | 1 to 9 p.m. | 5 to 9 p.m. |
Two things stand out in the table. On weekends the village opens at 1 p.m., but skating doesn't start until 5 p.m., so a Saturday afternoon visit covers the carousel and mini golf and leaves the rink for later. And Dec. 21 to 23 is the only time the village opens Monday through Wednesday. It runs on the weekend schedule, so that's the most open stretch of the season.
Each day the last tickets for the carousel, skating and mini golf are sold at 8:30 p.m. The City notes that hours may change depending on crowds. According to the DDA, the tree and Santa's Village stay up through New Year's Day. The City's posted activity schedule ends Dec. 27.
What costs nothing, and when
Walking through the tree is free whenever it's open. According to the DDA, the inside tells the story of Delray as the "Village by the Sea" through animated holiday scenes. The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum decorated the Spady House inside the tree, and the City thanks the museum by name on its event page.
The paid activities are priced the same as last year:
- Holiday Carousel: $6 per ride
- Ice skating: $6
- Mini golf: $6
- Ride All Day Wristband: $20
- Santa photos: $10 for a take-away photo
The math is simple. With all three activities at $6, the $20 wristband pays off at the fourth ride or round. Tickets are sold only at the Gingerbread Ticket House, and the City lists them as nonrefundable.
The biggest free item falls on the days the rest of the village closes. On Dec. 24 and 25, the carousel gives free rides from 5 to 9 p.m. while skating and mini golf stay closed. On Christmas Eve, the DDA calendar also lists a service at Old School Square from 6 to 8 p.m. Christmas music starts at 6 p.m. and the candlelight service at 6:30 p.m. That puts the service and the free carousel on the same campus at the same hour.
Santa keeps a narrower schedule than the tree
Santa's House runs on its own schedule, and it's shorter than the village's. Several days are set aside for specific groups of visitors. Here are the City's listed hours:
- Dec. 1: 7:30 to 9 p.m., just after the lighting
- Dec. 3: 5 to 8:30 p.m., a Spanish and Creole session
- Dec. 4 to 6 and Dec. 10 to 11: 5 to 8:30 p.m.
- Dec. 12: 3 to 6 p.m.
- Dec. 13: sensory-friendly session from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., then standard visits from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
- Dec. 17 to 18: 5 to 8:30 p.m.
- Dec. 19: American Sign Language session from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., then standard visits from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
- Dec. 20: 5 to 8:30 p.m.
- Dec. 21 to 23: 4 to 8:30 p.m.
Santa has no listed hours on Dec. 26 and 27, even though the rest of the village is open. The last ticket sells 30 minutes before closing.
The short Dec. 12 window lines up with the busiest weekend of the season.
The parade weekend, hour by hour
The year's two parades run on back-to-back nights, both on the village's Thursday-to-Sunday schedule. The boat parade goes on Friday, Dec. 11 and the street parade on Saturday, Dec. 12. Here's the timeline from the City's Holiday Boat Parade and Holiday Parade listings:
- Friday, about 6:30 p.m. The decorated boats leave Lantana and head south down the Intracoastal through Boynton Beach toward Delray. The route ends at the C-15 Canal, south of Linton Boulevard.
- Friday, about 7:45 p.m. The George Bush Boulevard bridge goes up as the parade passes.
- Friday, about 8:00 p.m. The Atlantic Avenue bridge goes up.
- Friday, about 8:15 p.m. The Linton Boulevard bridge goes up.
- Saturday, 3 to 6 p.m. Santa's House is open at Old School Square.
- Saturday, 6 p.m. The "Neon North Pole" Holiday Parade sets off on Atlantic Avenue from the Intracoastal bridge to NW 5th Avenue. More than 70 floats, marching bands, dance teams and walking groups are entered, and Santa rides on a Delray Beach Fire Department truck.
The City says the bridge times are estimates based on past years, and the bridges stay up while the boats pass underneath. On Friday, people driving between the barrier island and the mainland are likely to run into the raised bridges between 7:45 and 8:15 p.m. In Delray, the City's suggested places to watch are Deck 84 at 840 E. Atlantic Ave., Veterans Park at 802 N.E. 1st St. and Knowles Park at 1001 S. Federal Hwy. The City also asks guests to bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots.
On Saturday, Santa's House closes at 6 p.m., the same time the parade starts, and the parade is the one with Santa on the fire truck. Families can visit him at the house in the afternoon and see him again on Atlantic Avenue that evening. Awards go to the Grand Float, Best Non-Profit, Best Dance/Cheer Group, Best Business/Commercial and Best Marching Band.
The rest of the month fills the same evenings
Most of the other dated downtown events also fall on a Thursday through Sunday, many of them on the Old School Square campus.
The lighting itself takes up Atlantic Avenue. According to the DDA, the avenue closes to traffic from Swinton Avenue to NE 5th Avenue for the evening, with food, games, carolers and a silent disco. The City lists more than 60 vendors along Atlantic Avenue, Old School Square and Pineapple Grove, plus food trucks on Swinton.
The next night, Wednesday, Dec. 2, the third annual Delray In White Holiday Dinner & Charity Toy Drive is held at Old School Square from 5 to 10 p.m. Tables cost $800 to $3,000, registration is required in advance, and there are no individual tickets. The DDA listing says this year adds more community tables, a larger dance floor and new VIP perks.
The first full weekend is crowded:
- Friday, Dec. 4: First Friday Art Walk, according to the DDA calendar
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Holiday School Spectacular at Old School Square at 6 p.m., per the City listing, and the first day of the 26th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Art Festival
- Sunday, Dec. 6: the second day of the art festival, and in the evening the Grand Chanukah Festival and Menorah Lighting at Old School Square with Chabad of East Delray and the City
Last year, the menorah lighting took place on Dec. 14. This year it falls on the first weekend of December, before either parade.
The following Thursday, Dec. 10, Cocoa, Cookies & Crafts is a free community event at Old School Square from 6 to 8 p.m. A week after that, on Thursday, Dec. 17, the Twilight Tree Market sets up beside the tree from 5 to 9 p.m. with curated vendors selling handcrafted and holiday goods. Both of those evenings are also Holiday Village nights.
The one event that covers the whole season is the DDA's Shop Small: Holiday Rewards Pass. It runs from Nov. 28 through Dec. 31, and visits to participating downtown businesses earn points you can trade for downtown gift cards. It starts the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so it's already earning points for three days before the tree is lit on Dec. 1.
For questions about the tree and village, the City lists Delray Beach Parks and Recreation at 561-243-7250, option 3.
If you have family coming for the tree this year and someone asks what it's like to own a home a few blocks from Old School Square, I'm happy to talk about it any day of the week, including the days the Holiday Village is closed. You can reach me directly through Michelle Yales to schedule a free consultation.
