Downtown West Palm Beach has two holiday seasons this year, and they don't begin together. CityPlace's Season of Glow began November 14, with a brand-new 40-foot tree at its center. The City's waterfront season gets underway November 27, and Sandi, the sand tree, doesn't light until December 3.
FPL presents both trees. Otherwise the two run on different hosts, different hours and different ideas of where downtown's holiday center is. And the free shuttle that used to connect them stopped running in May, so a December evening that moves between Rosemary Avenue and Flagler Drive now depends on which tree is lit that night and when the last fixed-route ride leaves.
CityPlace went first, and rebuilt its center to do it
In its Season of Glow announcement, Related Ross calls this year's CityPlace program "a reimagined holiday experience." It runs November 14 through December 31, and the developer expects more than 1 million visitors over the season. The new piece is the Discovery Tree, which stands above an animated compass rose and a glass floor. Related Ross describes it as a sister to the Wishing Tree, which CityPlace says carries 10,000 LED lights.
Blachere Illumination designed the lighting across the whole property. It is the firm behind holiday displays on the Champs-Élysées, at Hudson Yards and at Harrods. Its canopies, archways and light sculptures line the walk between the two trees, past the shops and restaurants.
There was a cost to making room for it. CityPlace's own notice says the Water Pavilion is out of operation through January 2027 "as we make way for an exciting new holiday centerpiece." Anyone used to the fountain as a regular stop will have to wait until after New Year's to see it running again.
The rest of the CityPlace schedule runs on a tight, repeating clock:
- Snowfall: 10-minute snow shows set to a playlist, every day through December 31 at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. CityPlace lists them as weather permitting.
- Santa's Workshop, presented by Bank of America: Free, first come, first served, no reservation, through December 24. Hours are 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, and Bank of America cardholders get early access from 5 to 6 p.m. on Fridays. The workshop also offers free gift wrapping, cookie decorating, and hot cocoa and chocolate gifts from Bissinger's.
- Movie Nights, presented by Bank of America: The center lawn turns into an outdoor cinema with an LED screen and lounge seating on Friday, November 20, and Friday, December 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
- Perigold's Makers Market: Open to the public with no RSVP. Its remaining vendor days are November 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29, and the lineup includes Palm Beach Tallow, Palm Beach Embroidery Club, Lulu Vine and Dumela Crafts.
The season also includes Ballet Palm Beach performances and programming for Chanukah and Kwanzaa.
The waterfront waits for December 3, and so does a national vote
Sandi has stood on the waterfront since 2012. She is 35 feet tall, built from 700 tons of sand, and the City calls her "the world's only" holiday sand tree of that kind. This year, lighting night and a national result land on the same Thursday.
USA TODAY 10Best has again nominated Holiday in Paradise for its "Best Public Holiday Lights Display" Readers' Choice award. The display won the top spot in 2021. You can vote once a day until 11:59 a.m. Eastern on Monday, November 30, and the final rankings come out at noon on Thursday, December 3. That evening, the Clematis by Night Holiday Tree Lighting switches Sandi on.
The lighting runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at Waterfront Commons, Meyer Amphitheatre and Flagler Drive, 100 N. Clematis St., and it's free. Phoenix5 and Officers & Gentlemen with the Rhythm Chicks will play, and there will be Santa photos and a Holiday Gift Boutique. The concert and the boutique end at 9 p.m. After that, Sandi's synchronized music-and-light shows run nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. through December 30. Shows normally start on the quarter hour, though special events can shift them. The Ferris wheel at Waterfront Commons runs on the same nightly hours and costs $5 per person.
This year's theme is "The Art of Holidays," with live art and student showcases from Bak Middle School of the Arts, and the City says all signature events are free. The whole lineup is posted at wpb.org/holiday.
Six weeks downtown, by date
Here are both calendars together, starting from this week:
| Date | Where | What | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightly through Dec. 31 | CityPlace, 700 S. Rosemary Ave. | Discovery Tree and Blachere lights; snowfall at 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 p.m. | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | CityPlace center lawn | Holiday Movie Night, 6:30–8:30 p.m. | Free |
| Through Jan. 3 | The Ben, 251 N. Narcissus Ave. | Winter Wonderland ice rink | $30 adults, $15 ages 4–11 |
| Nov. 27 | Citywide | Holiday in Paradise begins | Free |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Online | Last day to vote for Sandi, until 11:59 a.m. | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | 100 N. Clematis St. | Sandi lighting, 6–10 p.m.; 10Best results at noon | Free |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Heart & Soul Park, 825 N. Rosemary Ave. | 10th Annual Winter in Paradise | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Centennial Square and the Great Lawn | Aloha Islanders Tropical Holiday Spectacular, 6–9 p.m. | Free |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | CityPlace center lawn | Holiday Movie Night, 6:30–8:30 p.m. | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | The Great Lawn, 100 N. Clematis St. | New Year's Eve, 8 p.m.–midnight, fireworks over the Intracoastal | Free |
The rink at The Ben is back for its third season, and the organizer says it is larger than last year's. Rentals are included in admission, and public skating is open to children 4 and up. Winter in Paradise, now in its 10th year, is being billed as "Rhythm on Rosemary" this time, with ReaXtion Band, DJ Scoobz, school performances, games and food vendors from 6 to 9 p.m. On New Year's Eve, DJ Reflex and Wonderama perform, the Flagler Museum presents a 15-minute fireworks show at midnight, and Sandi's shows and the Ferris wheel stay open until midnight.
The ride between the trees changed in May
The table shows most of the season's evenings ending after 9 p.m., and this year that's when the cheapest ride between the two trees stops. RideWPB, the City's free downtown shuttle, ended May 31, 2026. Its replacement, West Palm Move, combines an all-electric fixed route with app-based on-demand rides.
According to the Downtown Development Authority's getting-around guide, the West Palm Move fixed route runs every 10 minutes between the Norton Museum of Art and Northwood Village, with stops that include CityPlace and Clematis Street. A ride costs $1, paid by tap only, since cash isn't accepted. Service runs until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Sunday. Sandi's shows go until 10 p.m. on lighting night and every night after. A family that watches the 6:30 snowfall at CityPlace, eats dinner on Rosemary and then walks over for a late Sandi show could miss the last fixed-route ride of the night.
The on-demand option covers that last hour. Rides cost $2, run daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and can be booked through the West Palm Move app or by calling (561) 264-0458. A trip that combines the fixed route and on-demand costs a flat $2. Rose Trolley's zone-based rides cost $1 to $3, but they stop at 7 p.m., so they work for early visits only.
Drivers aiming for the waterfront should start with the Banyan and Evernia garages, which the City lists as the closest to the Holiday in Paradise events. The City's garages are:
- Banyan & Olive, 200 Banyan Blvd.
- City Center, 400 Banyan Blvd.
- Clematis, 500 Banyan Blvd.
- Sapodilla, 645 Clematis St.
- Evernia, 333 Evernia St.
Standard City garage rates are $1 for the first two hours, $2 for each additional half hour and $20 for the day. Special-event rates can go as high as $100, and the $5 weekend and holiday all-day rate doesn't apply during special events. On a busy night, parking once and using the $2 on-demand ride for the trip between trees can cost less than moving the car.
Hosting family over the holidays, or managing a downtown property for owners who will be here for the season? Triple Crown Group helps clients plan arrivals, guest logistics and day-to-day upkeep across West Palm Beach, and we're happy to help with yours. Schedule a consultation to start planning.
