The holiday season in Palm Beach

Palm BeachOctober 29, 2026

Palm Beach from Thanksgiving to New Year's

Palm Beach opens its winter season in the five weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year's. The palms on Worth Avenue are wrapped in white lights, Whitehall is dressed for a Gilded Age Christmas, the Society of the Four Arts fills its December calendar with carols and chamber music, and the town's dining rooms settle into long holiday lunches. The island of Palm Beach sits about twenty minutes south of the residence, across the Intracoastal, so it is an easy place to spend a day and still be home on Singer Island by evening.

This post is the holiday calendar for that side of the water: the 2026 dates the organizers have announced, the ones that follow a yearly pattern, and the small practical details that make a Palm Beach day run smoothly in season. Our Worth Avenue morning already walks the avenue and its vias block by block, so here the avenue appears in its holiday dress, alongside everything else the town does in December.

The Palm Beach holiday calendar for 2026

• Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving. The Breakers begins hanging its holiday lights that night.
• Tuesday, December 1: the Worth Avenue holiday tree lighting, with Santa's parade at 6:10 PM.
• December 2 to 13: the Society of the Four Arts holiday concerts, with Carols on the Lawn on Sunday, December 13.
• Thursday to Sunday, December 10 to 13: the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival.
• Wednesday, December 16: the Christmas Concert at Bethesda-by-the-Sea.
• December 18 to 27: holiday evening tours and the Fleurs de Villes flower installation at the Flagler Museum.

Each date above is the one announced for 2026 as of the end of October. Organizers sometimes fine-tune their times as December nears, so take a quick look at each one again in the week before you go. The events calendar covers the rest of the year across the Palm Beaches.

The drive from Singer Island to Palm Beach

Palm Beach is one of the easiest outings from the residence. You leave Singer Island over the Blue Heron Bridge, turn south on US-1 through Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach, and cross the Lake Worth Lagoon on one of the bridges into town. The Flagler Memorial Bridge lands you on Royal Poinciana Way at the north end of the island, close to the Flagler Museum and the Royal Poinciana Plaza. The Royal Park Bridge, a little farther south, brings you onto Royal Palm Way by the Society of the Four Arts, a few blocks from Worth Avenue.

Allow about twenty minutes door to door for Worth Avenue and a little less for the north end of town. On any day with a reservation or a tour time, give yourself an extra ten minutes in December, when the whole town is in its winter season. Both bridges into Palm Beach open for passing boats, which is part of the scenery on the Intracoastal and a pleasant moment to watch the yachts go by.

Getting across to Palm Beach

• Your own car is the simplest for a full day with several stops. The building runs a paid valet, so the car is waiting at the door when you set out. Our rental car guide covers picking one up at the airport.
• Rideshare suits evenings with wine, the tree lighting and the Food & Wine dinners. You are dropped at the door and there is nothing to park.
• A mix of both works well over a week: drive for the daytime outings, ride for the dinners. Our guide to getting around without a car has more on rideshare from the island.

Coming back is the same road in reverse. After an evening in Palm Beach you are back on the twelfth floor in time to open the balcony doors and hear the surf below.

Parking on the island in season

A little planning makes parking in Palm Beach easy, and in December it is worth the two minutes. The Town of Palm Beach runs most of its street parking through the ParkMobile app, divided into zones with posted time limits. Each block has its own sign, so read it where you park, pay in the app, and set a reminder on your phone for when the session ends. When you reach the posted limit, move the car to another zone rather than adding time.

Street parking is paid in the center of town, where the shops and restaurants are closest together. Several of the places in this post have their own parking, which makes arriving simple and saves a walk, and on a day with two or three stops it often makes sense to leave the car in one lot and walk between them.

Where to leave the car

• The Flagler Museum has a free lot for visitors during museum hours, with entrances on Cocoanut Row and Whitehall Way.
• The Society of the Four Arts offers free campus parking for people attending a program or visiting the gardens and libraries. The lots close shortly after the last program of the day, and there is hourly app parking on the streets around it.
• Restaurants and hotels on the island often have valet for diners, the easiest choice for a holiday dinner.
• Worth Avenue has metered street spaces on the avenue and the side streets. For a long afternoon, park once and walk.

Small tips that help in December

• Arrive before 11 AM for a shopping day, when the spaces near the avenue are easiest to find.
• On the night of the tree lighting, plan on rideshare or come early, since the whole town turns out on the avenue for the parade.
• Download ParkMobile before you leave the residence and add the car's plate, so paying takes seconds.

Thanksgiving week in Palm Beach

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, in 2026, and the week around it is when Palm Beach comes back to life for the winter. Shops have their new season on the floor, the museums are open on their winter schedules, and the town's calendar fills with lectures, films and concerts that run through to spring.

The holiday decorations start going up that same week. At The Breakers, the installation begins at 11 PM on Thanksgiving night and takes five days, so by the first days of December the drive and lobby are dressed for the season. The Flagler Museum starts its seasonal tea service in the café on the day after Thanksgiving and runs it through Easter Sunday.

What to do over the long weekend

• Whitehall. The Flagler Museum takes Thanksgiving Day off and welcomes visitors again from Friday, November 27. Its winter exhibition, America Takes the Stage: From the White City to Whitehall, opens November 10, 2026, and runs to May 30, 2027.
• A walking tour. The Worth Avenue Association runs a historical walking tour of the avenue through the season, from November 4, 2026, into early May 2027. Tickets are sold on the association's site.
• The Four Arts. Its Friday Films series and the Saturday screenings of the Metropolitan Opera in HD are running by Thanksgiving, and the gardens are open daily.
• Lunch out on Friday. The holiday weekend is a lively one in town, so reserve a table a few days ahead.

Thanksgiving dinner

Dinner itself can go either way. Several Palm Beach dining rooms serve a Thanksgiving menu, and the hotels take bookings weeks in advance; The Breakers opened its Thanksgiving reservations on October 12. Many guests cook instead. The residence has a full Miele kitchen and a dining table for eight under the chandelier, and our guide to coffee, breakfast and groceries lists where to shop on the way in.

The Worth Avenue holiday tree lighting

The tree lighting on Worth Avenue is the evening the town marks the start of the holidays. The Worth Avenue Association calls it Holidays on Worth, and in 2026 it falls on Tuesday, December 1, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which is where the town has held it in recent years.

How the evening runs

• 6:10 PM: Santa and his elves begin the parade on the 100 block of Worth Avenue.
• 6:25 PM: Santa lights the tree.
• Until 8 PM: the avenue stays festive with the crowd, the lights and the shop windows.

In recent years the tree has stood at the corner of Worth Avenue and Hibiscus Avenue, a tall evergreen hung with ornaments and bows, with the palms along the street wrapped in white lights from trunk to crown. Once it is lit, the tree stays up through the holidays, so if you miss the ceremony you can still walk the avenue after dark any evening in December and see it.

Making a night of it

• Come by rideshare, or arrive by about 5:30 PM to park and find a spot along the avenue before the parade starts.
• Book dinner nearby for around 7:30 PM. The tables around Worth Avenue are in demand that night, so reserve a week or two ahead.
• Bring a light layer. Early December evenings are mild, and a sweater is pleasant once the sun is down.
• Plan to be home around 9:30 or 10, which still leaves time for a nightcap on the balcony.

The tree lighting is a town event with a festive, neighborly feel: local families, longtime winter residents and visitors who have timed their trip to be there. For a couple in town for the first week of December, it is an easy and happy way to start a holiday stay.

Holiday shopping on Worth Avenue

December is when Worth Avenue looks its best. The windows are dressed for the holidays, the planting beds along the sidewalk are filled with red poinsettias, and the lit palms make an evening walk as pleasant as a morning one. Our Worth Avenue morning covers the layout of the avenue and the vias; this section is about using it for gifts.

The avenue runs from the clock tower at the ocean end west toward the Intracoastal, with Saks Fifth Avenue as its department store and the European fashion houses, jewelers and watch houses along the blocks. Behind the storefronts, the courtyard vias hold the smaller shops, galleries and stationers where gift shopping is most personal.

A gift list that suits the avenue

• Jewelry and watches from the houses on the main blocks, for the one gift that matters most.
• Stationery, small leather goods and home pieces from the shops in the vias.
• Art and antiques from the galleries, where the owner is often at the desk and happy to talk about a piece.
• Resort wear for the rest of the trip, or for a winter getaway at home.

How to plan the day

• Shop in the late morning, when the avenue is calm, then have lunch in a courtyard.
• For the lights, come back in the late afternoon and stay through dusk, when the palms come on.
• Ask about shipping a larger gift home, which keeps room in the suitcase.
• Our shopping guide has the full picture of Worth Avenue, Royal Poinciana Way and downtown West Palm Beach.

Most couples find that one long afternoon on the avenue is enough for the holiday list, with time left for a coffee in the vias and the drive home before dinner.

Royal Poinciana Way and the Royal Poinciana Plaza

At the north end of the island, Royal Poinciana Way is the other shopping street in Palm Beach, and in December it has a friendly, local feel. The street runs east from the Flagler Memorial Bridge toward the ocean, lined with palms, cafes with sidewalk tables and small shops under striped awnings. It is the first part of town you reach from Singer Island, a little closer than Worth Avenue.

The Royal Poinciana Plaza, at 340 Royal Poinciana Way, is a low, open-air plaza of white buildings around courtyards and fountains. Its shops include Cartier, Bottega Veneta, LOEWE, Chloé, Thom Browne and Kiton, with James Perse, Jenni Kayne, Veronica Beard, Staud and LoveShackFancy for easier clothes. For food there is Sant Ambroeus, the Milanese cafe, along with Tutto Mare and Celis Juice Bar.

What happens at the plaza

• Glazer Hall hosts concerts through the season. The fall 2026 calendar includes Christian McBride on October 30 and Rufus Wainwright on November 11.
• Live jazz at Sant Ambroeus, billed as The Royal Riviera, played on the plaza this October, and the plaza's calendar posts the next evenings of music.
• Trunk shows and wine evenings fill the weeks before the holidays.
• Holiday events are posted on the plaza's own calendar as the season approaches, so check it the week before you come.

Pairing it with the rest of the north end

The plaza sits a short way north of the Flagler Museum, close to the Lake Trail, so it makes a good lunch stop on a day spent at that end of the island. It is a two-minute drive between the two, and on a mild December day it is also a pleasant walk along Cocoanut Row. A morning at Whitehall, lunch at the plaza and an hour of browsing fills a day nicely and still has you home by mid-afternoon for the pool.

Christmas at Whitehall

Whitehall, the Gilded Age house Henry Flagler built on the shore of the Lake Worth Lagoon, is one of the most festive houses in Palm Beach in December. It is now the Flagler Museum, and each winter its first floor is decorated for the holidays. In 2026 the theme draws on HBO's The Gilded Age, with floral arrangements inspired by the series in each historic room.

What to see in December 2026

• The Grand Hall tree. A 16-foot Christmas tree stands in the marble Grand Hall. It is lit on Sunday, December 6, at a members' celebration with music, a choir, a selection from The Nutcracker, and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
• Fleurs de Villes: The Gilded Age. From December 18 to 27, fifteen mannequins dressed in thousands of fresh flowers stand throughout the museum.
• America Takes the Stage. The season's exhibition, From the White City to Whitehall, runs November 10, 2026, to May 30, 2027.
• Railcar No. 91. Flagler's private railroad car sits in the Flagler Kenan Pavilion beside the house.

Visiting by day

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday from noon to 5 PM. Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day are the museum's days off, so a Palm Beach Monday is a good day for the shops and the Lake Trail. Free docent-led tours of the first floor run Tuesday through Saturday at 11 AM, 12:30 PM and 2 PM, and on Sunday at 12:30 and 2 PM; each tour takes up to 35 people, so arrive a little early in December. Tickets are sold on the museum's site.

The café serves its Gilded Age-style tea from the day after Thanksgiving through Easter Sunday, a pleasant way to end an afternoon at the house. Allow about two hours for the house, the pavilion and tea, and use the free lot on Cocoanut Row.

Holiday evening tours at the Flagler Museum

The loveliest way to see Whitehall at Christmas is after dark. For a few nights before and after Christmas, the museum runs Holiday Evening Tours: a docent leads a small group through the decorated first floor, with carolers, a pianist and organ music in the rooms, and then everyone gathers on the Front Portico for winter refreshments.

The 2026 evening tour dates

• Dates: December 18 to 23, then December 26 and 27.
• Start times: 6:00, 6:20, 6:40 and 7:00 PM each evening.
• Tickets: sold through the museum's online ticketing. Book as soon as your dates are set, since these are the most popular evenings of the museum's year.

The evening tours overlap with Fleurs de Villes, so the flower-dressed mannequins are part of the walk-through. The tours pause for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which leaves those two nights for the family table and makes the tours an easy fit for the days around them.

How to build the evening

• Take the 6:00 PM tour and book dinner in Palm Beach for around 7:30 PM. Worth Avenue and the restaurants around Royal Palm Way are about five minutes away.
• Or take the 7:00 PM tour after an early dinner at the north end of town, and be home before 9:30.
• Dress as you would for dinner. The rooms are formal and the portico is pleasant in a light jacket.

For members

The Christmas tree lighting on Sunday, December 6, from 3 to 5 PM, is open to members of the museum at the Family/Dual level and above. Membership also includes museum admission, which suits guests on a longer winter stay who plan to return to Whitehall more than once; the museum's site lists the levels.

An evening at Whitehall pairs well with a quiet next morning: coffee on the balcony at sunrise, a slow breakfast and a few hours on the beach before the next outing.

The Society of the Four Arts in December

The Society of the Four Arts sits on Royal Palm Way, a short walk from Worth Avenue, and December is one of the fullest months on its calendar. Founded in the 1930s for art, music, drama and literature, it runs concerts, films, lectures and book talks through the winter, with gardens open every day.

Holiday concerts and highlights, December 2026

• Wednesday, December 2: Cabaret with Seth Rudetsky and Friends, a Broadway evening.
• Wednesday, December 9: the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center plays Baroque concertos.
• Sunday, December 13: Carols on the Lawn, an outdoor holiday presentation.
• December 8, 14 and 15: lectures on the Phipps family's Old Westbury Gardens, on royal portrait photography with Hugo Burnand, and on Ethel Kennedy with Kerry Kennedy in conversation with Simon Doonan.
• Fridays and Saturdays: Friday Films and the Metropolitan Opera in HD, including The Magic Flute on Saturday, December 12.
• Wednesday, January 6, 2027: Cabaret with Faith Prince, for guests staying into the new year.

Tickets for each program are sold on the Four Arts site, and the popular concerts are worth booking as soon as you know your dates.

The gardens and the library

The gardens are open daily from 11 AM to 4 PM with no charge: a series of planted garden rooms with pergolas, palms and fountains, the Four Arts Demonstration Garden and the Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden. The Gioconda and Joseph King Library is open weekdays from 9 AM to 4:45 PM. A half hour in the gardens is a good pause between a morning on Worth Avenue and lunch.

Parking on the campus is free for people visiting the gardens or attending a program. Our arts and culture guide covers the Four Arts alongside the Norton Museum and the Kravis Center across the water.

The Christmas Concert at Bethesda-by-the-Sea

Bethesda-by-the-Sea, the Episcopal church at 141 South County Road, holds one of the best-loved Christmas concerts in Palm Beach. The church is a Gothic-style stone building with a tall square tower and a cloistered garden, a short drive north of Worth Avenue, and it is beautiful at night in December.

The 2026 Christmas Concert

• When: Wednesday, December 16, 2026, at 7 PM.
• What: the Bethesda Choir with a group of instrumentalists, and carols in which the audience sings along with the orchestra.
• After: a tree lighting reception with Christmas cookies and champagne.
• Tickets: on sale in November through the church's website.

Because tickets open only a few weeks ahead, set a reminder for early November and book as soon as they appear. Arrive twenty to thirty minutes before the start to park and find your seats.

Other music in the season

The church has a full music program through the winter, and its website lists the Christmas services and seasonal music once the schedule is set. On the Lake Trail, the small Royal Poinciana Chapel, built in 1898 on land Henry Flagler donated, is another historic church in town that visitors enjoy seeing on a ride or a walk.

Pairing the concert with dinner

• Have an early dinner in Palm Beach at about 5:30 PM, then walk or drive to the church.
• Or eat lightly at the residence and go out for the concert and reception, which make a full evening on their own.
• Dress for a holiday evening out: a jacket for men, a dress or smart trousers for women.

The drive home from South County Road takes about twenty minutes, and the residence is quiet and warm when you come in.

The Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival

For food lovers, the second weekend of December is the high point of the season. The Wine Spectator's Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival returns for its 19th year from Thursday, December 10, to Sunday, December 13, 2026, with dinners, lunches, brunches and tastings across the Palm Beaches and a lineup of well-known chefs.

Chefs on the 2026 program

The chefs coming for 2026 include Daniel Boulud, Maneet Chauhan, Robert Irvine, Mike Lata, Karen Akunowicz, Mauro Colagreco, Michelle Bernstein, Tristen Epps-Long and Stephanie Izard.

Festival events on the island of Palm Beach

• Thursday, December 10, 7 PM: Dinner at Florie's at the Four Seasons Resort, with Taub Family Vineyards; and The First Bite at Buccan, with Terlato Wines.
• Friday, December 11, 3 PM: the HMF Social at The Breakers.
• Saturday, December 12, 11 AM: Cooking with Mauro at the Four Seasons Resort.
• Sunday, December 13, 11 AM: Daniel & Friends at Café Boulud.

The festival's Grand Tasting closes the weekend on Sunday, December 13, from 2 to 6 PM, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. Our December in West Palm Beach post covers that side of the bridge.

Tips for the festival weekend

• Tickets are sold on the festival's website. Book the seated dinners you want first, as soon as your dates are set.
• Events are for guests 21 and over unless the listing says otherwise.
• Take a rideshare to and from the evening events. The drive is about twenty minutes each way.
• Leave Saturday morning or Sunday morning open for the beach, so the weekend has room to breathe.

A long weekend from Thursday to Monday fits the festival well: two festival meals in Palm Beach, a beach day at home and a quiet dinner in the residence kitchen.

The Breakers at the holidays

The Breakers, the oceanfront hotel at the heart of Palm Beach, is one of the town's great holiday sights. Its main drive runs 1,040 feet from South County Road to the hotel, lined with royal palms and Canary Island date palms, and each December thousands of soft white lights wrap the palms along it. In all the hotel uses about 170,000 lights, 8,000 ornaments and 126 bows, and the lobby holds two 18-foot evergreens and four menorahs.

The decorations go up over five days starting at 11 PM on Thanksgiving night, so the hotel is in full holiday dress by the first week of December.

Holiday dining at The Breakers, 2026

• Christmas Eve: dinner at Flagler Steakhouse, 4 to 9 PM.
• Christmas Day: brunch at The Circle, noon to 3 PM, and a holiday feast in the Ponce de Leon Ballroom, 2 to 6 PM. Flagler Steakhouse serves from 11 AM to 9 PM.
• New Year's Eve: dinner at Flagler Steakhouse, 5 to 10 PM, or the celebration at HMF from 8:30 PM to 12:30 AM, for guests 21 and over.
• New Year's Day: brunch at The Circle, noon to 3 PM.

Reservations for the December holiday meals open on Monday, November 2, and every one of them requires a booking. The Breakers is a separate hotel from the residence, so when you call, mention that you are staying elsewhere on the coast and ask which seatings are open to you.

Seeing the lights

A dinner or a drink at one of the hotel's restaurants is the easiest way to see the drive and the lobby lit up at night. HMF, the hotel's lounge and bar, is also the setting for the Food & Wine Festival's HMF Social on December 11. Our Palm Beach dining guide has more on dressing for the hotel dining rooms.

The Lake Trail by bike

The Lake Trail is the prettiest ride in Palm Beach and a lovely way to spend a December morning. It is a paved path of about five miles along the island's west shore, on the Lake Worth Lagoon, with the water on one side and the hedges and gardens of the old estates on the other.

The route

• The south section runs about 1.7 miles from South Lake Drive near Peruvian Avenue to Royal Poinciana Way. It passes the Flagler Museum and the Royal Poinciana Chapel of 1898, with a short detour at Royal Palm Way by the Society of the Four Arts.
• The north section runs about 3.3 miles from the Flagler Memorial Bridge to North Lake Way, circling past the Sailfish Club near its northern end.

Riding the whole trail and back is about ten miles, a comfortable outing of around two hours at an easy pace with stops. The path is for bikes and walkers only, with a 10 mph speed limit and no motorized or electric bikes, so it stays calm. The one restroom right on the trail is at Bradley Park, near the middle.

Bikes and parking

• The Palm Beach Bicycle Trail Shop rents bikes for the trail; call ahead in December to reserve.
• Parking for the trail is on the side streets nearby. Pick a street close to the path, read the posted limits, and pay in the app where it applies.
• Bring water, sunscreen and a light layer for the start of the morning, when the air off the lagoon is cool.

When to ride

Go between 8 and 10 AM, when the light is soft on the water and the path is quiet. Finish at Royal Poinciana Way for coffee or an early lunch, then drive home over the bridge for an afternoon on the beach. The lagoon on one side, the old gardens on the other and the cool air of a December morning make it a ride worth repeating before the week is out.

Holiday lunch and dinner tables in Palm Beach

Eating out is one of the great pleasures of Palm Beach in December, and lunch is the town's signature meal. Guests remember the long courtyard lunches, a table on a hotel terrace and a glass of Champagne at a cafe on Royal Poinciana Way long after the holiday trip is over.

Names to know

• Café Boulud, Daniel Boulud's restaurant in town, for a classic French lunch or dinner.
• Buccan, on South County Road, for a lively dinner of shared plates.
• Florie's at the Four Seasons Resort, Mauro Colagreco's restaurant by the ocean.
• The Breakers, with Flagler Steakhouse, The Circle and HMF.
• Sant Ambroeus at the Royal Poinciana Plaza, for a Milanese lunch or coffee and pastries.
• The courtyard tables in the vias off Worth Avenue, described in our Worth Avenue morning.

Booking in season

• Reserve dinner one to two weeks ahead for any December weekend, and earlier for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
• For lunch, a few days' notice is usually enough; go before 12:30 PM or after 2 PM for the calmest tables.
• Ask for the terrace or courtyard when you book. December days are mild enough for lunch outdoors.
• Many dining rooms offer set menus on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Ask about them when you reserve.

The big nights

For Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, book three to four weeks ahead, and earlier if you have a particular room in mind. An early seating, around 6 PM, is easier to find and leaves the rest of the evening for a walk past the lights on Worth Avenue or a drink on the balcony back home. Take a rideshare both ways on those two nights and the evening stays relaxed from start to finish.

What to order in December

December is stone crab season in Florida, and the claws, served chilled with mustard sauce, appear on menus all over town. Our post on stone crab season explains how they are caught and served. Local grouper and snapper are on most menus too. The Palm Beach dining guide has the full picture, from courtyard lunches to steakhouses.

What to wear for a Palm Beach holiday day

Dressing for Palm Beach in December is simple once you know the town's register: resort-smart by day and a notch dressier at night. Days are mild, usually in the low 70s to low 80s, and the evenings cool off enough to want a sweater or a light jacket.

By day

• Linen trousers or chinos and a collared shirt for men; a sundress, or a skirt or trousers with a light top, for women.
• Comfortable flat shoes or loafers for the vias and the uneven paving of the older courtyards.
• Sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen. The December sun is bright even when the air is cool.
• A light cardigan or wrap for air-conditioned shops and museums.

By night

• A jacket for men at the more formal dining rooms and hotel restaurants, with or without a tie.
• A dress or smart separates for women, with a wrap for the evening breeze.
• Something festive for the tree lighting, the Christmas Concert or New Year's Eve; the town enjoys dressing for the season.
• For concerts, lectures and church, the same smart evening clothes work well, with a layer for air-conditioned halls.

For the Lake Trail and the beach

• Athletic clothes and sneakers for the ride, with a thin layer for the first half hour.
• Swimwear, a cover-up and sandals for the beach days at home. The residents' pool and whirlpool are heated, so a swim is pleasant every day of the holidays.

Pack one more evening outfit than you think you need. In December the invitations and reservations tend to multiply once you arrive. Our packing list covers the rest of what to bring, and the when to visit guide describes the winter weather month by month.

Pairing a Palm Beach day with an evening at the residence

The best holiday weeks in Palm Beach mix days out with evenings at home, and the residence makes the home half easy. After a morning on Worth Avenue or an afternoon at Whitehall, you are back on Singer Island in about twenty minutes, with the whole twelfth-floor balcony to yourselves and the Atlantic below.

An evening in, after a day out

• A late-afternoon swim. The residents' heated pool and whirlpool are an elevator ride down, a pleasant way to shake off a day of walking.
• Dinner at home. The Miele kitchen has everything for a holiday meal, and the table for eight sits under a crystal chandelier with the ocean through the glass. Pick up stone crabs, a bottle of wine and bread on the way back from Palm Beach.
• The balcony after dark. The balcony runs the width of the home, with seating for an evening drink and the sound of the surf below.
• The spa the next morning. The resort's spa, about 100,000 square feet with 22 treatment rooms, is below the residence. Treatments are booked and paid for with the resort; our spa and wellness guide explains how.

Why the mix works

Palm Beach in December is social and lively in the best way, and a day there is a full one, with shops, lunch, a museum and a concert. Coming home to a quiet residence with its own kitchen and balcony gives the week an easy, unhurried rhythm. You can stay out late one night and stay in the next, cook one evening and book a table the next, and never feel that you are living out of a suitcase.

Couples especially enjoy this rhythm. Our page on a week for two describes how most couples settle into the residence, and the celebrations page covers anniversaries and milestone birthdays kept small, which December suits well.

Beach days at home between Palm Beach days

A holiday stay at the residence gives you two kinds of day: Palm Beach days and beach days. On the beach days, you don't need the car at all. The private beach is directly below the building, the water is a clear December blue, and the beach-butler service sets out chairs and umbrellas for residents and guests.

How a beach day goes

• Sunrise from the balcony. The residence faces east, so the sun comes up over the Atlantic in front of you. In December it rises around seven, an easy hour for coffee outside.
• A walk on the sand. Singer Island's beach is long and wide, good for a morning walk north or south from the building.
• Chairs and a swim. Settle in on the private beach in the late morning, when the sun has warmed the sand.
• Lunch at home or nearby. Make sandwiches in the kitchen, or try one of the island's casual spots in our guide to Singer Island restaurants.
• The heated pool in the afternoon, or the fitness centre, the yoga terrace and the meditation garden, all included with the stay.
• A book on the balcony as the light goes golden on the water, before dinner at home or on the island.

Spacing the week

Most guests find that alternating works best: a Palm Beach day, then a beach day, then another outing. It keeps every day fresh and leaves you rested for the evenings out. Our beach day page and the guide to Singer Island beaches describe the sand, the water and the spots up and down the island.

For more on Christmas and New Year's on the island itself, from the beach on Christmas morning to a holiday dinner at home, read our post on Christmas on Singer Island.

A sample holiday week, December 12 to 19

Here is one way a week in mid-December 2026 can come together, mixing the Palm Beach calendar with beach days at home. It runs Saturday to Saturday and uses the dates announced for this year.

1. Saturday, December 12: arrival. Check in from 4 PM by smart lock. Unpack, shop for groceries on the way, and have a simple dinner on the balcony.
2. Sunday, December 13: festival day. Daniel & Friends at Café Boulud at 11 AM, or a slow beach morning followed by the Food & Wine Grand Tasting from 2 to 6 PM in West Palm Beach. Carols on the Lawn at the Four Arts falls the same day; check its time on the Four Arts calendar and choose the one that suits you.
3. Monday, December 14: beach day. Chairs on the private beach, a swim in the heated pool, and dinner cooked at home. Monday is the Flagler Museum's day off, which makes it the natural day to stay on the island.
4. Tuesday, December 15: the Lake Trail and Royal Poinciana Way. Ride the trail from 8:30 AM, lunch at the Royal Poinciana Plaza, and an afternoon at the spa below the residence, booked ahead with the resort.
5. Wednesday, December 16: Worth Avenue and the Christmas Concert. Gift shopping on the avenue in the late morning, a courtyard lunch, home for a rest, then the 7 PM Christmas Concert at Bethesda-by-the-Sea and its tree lighting reception.
6. Thursday, December 17: beach day. A lazy morning, the yoga terrace before lunch, and an early night.
7. Friday, December 18: Whitehall. The first night of the Holiday Evening Tours and Fleurs de Villes. Take the 6 PM tour, then dinner in Palm Beach at 7:30.
8. Saturday, December 19: departure. Sunrise coffee on the balcony and checkout by 10 AM.

Swap days freely. Every Palm Beach item above sits about twenty minutes from the residence, so a change of plans costs little. Our itineraries page has more ways to shape a week, and the plan page gathers the practical details.

Christmas to New Year's in Palm Beach

The week between Christmas and New Year's is the most social week of the Palm Beach year. The town is in full holiday swing, the decorations are still up, and there is something on almost every evening. For guests staying across the holiday, here is how the last week of 2026 looks.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

• Christmas falls on a Friday in 2026. Whitehall's evening tours pause for Christmas Eve and the museum rests on Christmas Day, which leaves both days for the beach and a holiday table.
• Many Palm Beach dining rooms serve Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus; The Breakers has dinner at Flagler Steakhouse on Christmas Eve and brunch at The Circle on Christmas Day.
• Many guests spend Christmas morning at the residence and on the beach, then go out for a late lunch or come home to a dinner cooked in the kitchen.

The days after Christmas

• December 26 and 27: the last two Holiday Evening Tours at Whitehall, and the last two days of Fleurs de Villes.
• The avenue is still dressed for the season after Christmas, and the days between the holidays are pleasant for a walk and a little shopping.
• The Four Arts gardens stay open daily, and the Lake Trail is quiet in the mornings.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day

• New Year's Eve falls on a Thursday. Book a Palm Beach dinner early, or the celebration at HMF, which runs to 12:30 AM for guests 21 and over.
• Take a rideshare both ways, and be home in time for a quiet toast. The residence keeps quiet hours from 11 PM, which suits a calm, grown-up end to the year.
• New Year's Day is a day off for the Flagler Museum, and brunch at The Circle at The Breakers, or a long walk on the beach below the residence, starts the year well.

The Four Arts calendar picks up again in the first week of January, with Cabaret with Faith Prince on January 6, 2027, for guests who stay into the new year.

Booking the residence for the holidays

Holiday weeks book early all along the Palm Beaches, and a little planning makes booking the residence simple. The residence sleeps up to six in two suites and a sofa bed, and it suits couples, two couples traveling together, and friends who want a home base twenty minutes from Palm Beach.

Good to know before you book

• Check-in is from 4 to 10 PM by smart lock, and checkout is at 10 AM. From December through April there is no early check-in, so plan a lunch on the way in.
• Guests are six at most, and guests must be 25 or older to book.
• The house rules include no pets, no smoking and no parties or events, with quiet hours from 11 PM to 7 AM. The full list is on the house rules page.
• Included with the stay are the residents' heated pool and whirlpool, the fitness centre, the yoga terrace and meditation garden, the private beach with beach-butler service, 24-hour security and EV charging. Valet parking is paid and run by the building.
• Arriving by air: President Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT), formerly Palm Beach International (PBI), is about fifteen minutes from the residence, and DJT is also the closest airport to the island of Palm Beach.

Our how to book page explains the steps, and the arrival page covers the first hour on the twelfth floor.

The rest of the winter season

The holidays open a season that runs into spring. After New Year's, the horse shows begin in Wellington, the golf season peaks in Palm Beach Gardens, and spring training starts in Jupiter in February. Our posts on the Wellington equestrian season, golf season in Palm Beach Gardens and spring training in Jupiter cover each one.

Common questions

When is the Worth Avenue tree lighting in 2026?

The Worth Avenue Association's Holidays on Worth tree lighting is on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Santa and his elves start the parade at 6:10 PM on the 100 block of Worth Avenue, and Santa lights the tree at 6:25 PM. The evening runs until about 8 PM. Come by rideshare or arrive early to park, and book a nearby dinner ahead.

When are the holiday evening tours at the Flagler Museum?

In 2026 the Holiday Evening Tours at Whitehall run December 18 to 23, then December 26 and 27, with start times at 6:00, 6:20, 6:40 and 7:00 PM. A docent leads each group through the decorated first floor with carolers and music, followed by refreshments on the Front Portico. Tickets are sold through the museum's website.

What are the dates of the 2026 Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival?

The 19th Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival runs Thursday, December 10, to Sunday, December 13, 2026. Events on the island of Palm Beach include dinners at Florie's and Buccan, the HMF Social at The Breakers and Daniel & Friends at Café Boulud. The Grand Tasting is on Sunday, December 13, from 2 to 6 PM at the convention center in West Palm Beach.

How far is Palm Beach from the residence?

The island of Palm Beach is about twenty minutes south of the residence by car, over the Blue Heron Bridge, south on US-1 and across one of the bridges into town. Royal Poinciana Way and the Flagler Museum, at the north end of the island, are a little closer. In December, allow an extra ten minutes on any day with a reservation or a tour time.

Where should we park in Palm Beach during the holidays?

Street parking in the Town of Palm Beach is paid through the ParkMobile app in zones with posted time limits, so read the sign on each block. The Flagler Museum has a free lot during museum hours, and the Four Arts offers free campus parking for garden and program visitors. Restaurants often have valet, and rideshare is easiest for evenings.

Is the Christmas Concert at Bethesda-by-the-Sea open to visitors?

Yes. The 2026 Christmas Concert is on Wednesday, December 16, at 7 PM at the church on South County Road, with the Bethesda Choir, instrumentalists and carols for everyone to sing. A tree lighting reception with cookies and champagne follows. Tickets go on sale in November through the church's website, so book early.

What should we wear in Palm Beach in December?

Resort-smart by day and a notch dressier at night. Linen, collared shirts, sundresses and comfortable flat shoes work for shopping and museums. For dinner, men often wear a jacket and women a dress or smart separates. Days are mild, in the low 70s to low 80s, and evenings call for a sweater or light jacket.

Can we check in early over the holidays?

Check-in runs from 4 to 10 PM by smart lock, and from December through April that window holds, with no early check-in. Checkout is at 10 AM. If you land in the morning, a lunch in Palm Beach or on Royal Poinciana Way makes a pleasant first stop on the way to Singer Island.

Sources

• Holidays On Worth: Worth Avenue Holiday Tree Lighting (Worth Avenue Association)
• Worth Avenue Association: events and Historical Walking Tour
• Holidays at Whitehall (Flagler Museum)
• Flagler Museum: season exhibitions and programs
• Flagler Museum: visitor information
• Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival 2026
• Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival: 2026 schedule
• Christmas Concert (Bethesda-by-the-Sea)
• The Society of the Four Arts: upcoming programs
• The Society of the Four Arts: hours, parking and information
• The Royal Poinciana Plaza
• The Royal Poinciana Plaza: events
• Celebrate the Splendor of the Holidays at The Breakers
• Palm Beach Lake Trail (100 Florida Trails)

Photographs

• Cover photo: “Worth Avenue in Palm Beach FL during December - facing west” by CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz would appreciate a photo credit if this image is used anywhere other than Wikipedia. P, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Photo: “Worth Avenue in Palm Beach Florida with Christmas tree 2015” by CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz — a photo credit is required if this image is used anywhere other than Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Photo: “Royal Poinciana Way (2)” by Jaykravetz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Photo: “Whitehall (Henry M. Flagler House)” by Rich Andrews, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Photo: “Ballroom at Whitehall (Henry Morrison Flagler Museum)” by Khowald, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
• Photo: “Bethesda-by-th-Sea 003” by Clariosophic, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Photographs of the residence and the resort are the owner’s own.