Naples does the holidays in short sleeves, and the walkable downtown makes it easy to string several events together in a single evening under palm trees wrapped in white lights. The season runs from the late November tree lightings straight through the January 3 New Year fireworks. Here is what is on for the 2026 holiday season, with the dates that are confirmed and a note on the ones still to be announced.
| Event | When |
|---|---|
| Fifth Avenue South Christmas Walk & Tree Lighting | December 4 to 5, 2026 |
| Third Street South Christmas on Third | Late November kickoff, 2026 date to be confirmed |
| Naples Christmas Parade | December 8, 2026 |
| Naples Bay Christmas Boat Parade | December 12, 2026 |
| Holiday on the Bay, Venetian Village | December 12, 2026 |
| Night Lights in the Garden | November 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027 |
| New Year fireworks | January 3, 2027, not December 31 |
Fifth Avenue South hosts the biggest holiday showcase in Naples with its annual Christmas Walk and Tree Lighting Ceremony, a two day festival on December 4 and 5, 2026. The official tree lighting happens around 6 PM in Sugden Plaza, and the weekend adds a living nativity, an ice skating rink, live music, Santa, and Avenue dining up and down the street.
Third Street South runs its own long standing Christmas on Third celebration, which traditionally kicks off with a tree lighting in late November and continues with live music on Thursday and Friday evenings through December, plus scheduled artificial snowfall around 7 PM. The district had not locked in its exact 2026 opening date at the time of writing, so check the Third Street South calendar before you plan around one specific evening.
The Naples Christmas Parade marches through downtown on December 8, 2026, beginning around 6:30 PM on Broad Street South and finishing on 8th Street South, winding past the Third Street and Fifth Avenue districts along the way.
Four days later, the Naples Bay Christmas Boat Parade lights up the water on Saturday, December 12, 2026, from about 6:15 to 8:30 PM, as decorated boats cruise Naples Bay. You can watch for free from Tin City, Naples Landing, Bayview Park, and the waterfront restaurants along the bay, or buy a ticketed spot at the Naples City Dock, which hosts the judges and VIP viewing.
Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden at Naples Botanical Garden is the season's signature light display, running November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with the garden aglow in thousands of lights, live music each evening, and festive food and drink. The event is closed on December 24, 25, and 31, and hours are typically 6 to 10 PM on Fridays and Saturdays and 6 to 9 PM on Sundays and Mondays. For everything else the garden offers, see our Naples Botanical Garden guide.
Over at Venetian Village on Gulf Shore Boulevard North, Holiday on the Bay runs the afternoon and evening of December 12, 2026, from about 3 to 7 PM, with free Santa photos, carolers, more than 100,000 twinkling lights along the waterfront walkways, and snow falling around Naples' tallest Christmas tree at 6 PM. The Waterside Shops and Mercato also go all out with holiday decor and their own tree displays, making them easy stops if you are combining shopping with the lights. Our Naples shopping guide covers those districts in full.
One quirk worth knowing: the City of Naples holds its New Year fireworks on January 3, 2027, not December 31. The show launches around 6:30 PM from the Gulf near the Naples Pier and is free to watch from anywhere along the shoreline. Fifth Avenue South also runs a New Year Art Fair around the turn of the year, so the celebrations stretch well into the first weekend of January.
December is peak season in Naples, which means warm 70 degree evenings but also the year's biggest crowds and highest hotel rates, so book early. Downtown parking around Fifth Avenue and Third Street fills fast on event nights, so arrive ahead of the tree lightings or plan to walk in from a few blocks out. For how the season fits into the rest of the year, see our best time to visit Naples guide, and check the events calendar for anything added after these headliners.
Saturday, December 12, 2026, from about 6:15 to 8:30 PM on Naples Bay.
The Christmas Walk and Tree Lighting is a two day festival on December 4 and 5, 2026, with the tree lighting around 6 PM in Sugden Plaza.
December 8, 2026, starting around 6:30 PM and running through downtown Naples.
January 3, 2027, around 6:30 PM, launched from the Gulf near the Naples Pier. The city does not hold its fireworks on December 31.
November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027 at Naples Botanical Garden, closed December 24, 25, and 31.
Tin City, Naples Landing, Bayview Park, and the waterfront restaurants along Naples Bay. The Naples City Dock offers ticketed viewing with the judges and VIP guests.
Plan the rest of your visit with our best time to visit Naples guide, find the lights at Naples Botanical Garden in our garden guide, or see what else is on with the events calendar.