Local Holiday Happenings to Enjoy

No matter how you celebrate, we’ve rounded up the best local events sure to help you sleigh the season in style

November 25, 2025

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Stuart’s Seventeenth Annual Holiday Home Tour returns on December 7.

Holiday Homes

Some of Stuart’s most beautiful homes will open their decked-out doors to take part in the GFWC Woman’s Club of Stuart’s Seventeenth Annual Holiday Home Tour on December 7. Proceeds from the tour will benefit scholarships for local women in need. “This year we have among the best collection of houses we’ve ever had on the Home Tour, including a home built circa 1895 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places,” says Jo Baxter, a member of the home tour committee. Ticket prices vary, and attendees can opt to drive between the homes or go for the VIP Bus Experience.

Ugly Christmas sweaters on display at the Jupiter/Tequesta Christmas Parade. Photo courtesy of The Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association

Christmas Parades

Tequesta: The Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association will host the Forty-Ninth Annual Jupiter/Tequesta Christmas Parade on December 14. The festivities will kick off at 1 p.m. as the parade steps off from the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology parking lot in Jupiter, and then heads north on Central Boulevard to its ending point at Abacoa Community Park. This year’s parade features more than 3,000 participants (including bands, cheerleading squads, dance teams, and first responders) and more than 100 floats. The parade theme, “100 Years of Jupiter,” celebrates the Town of Jupiter’s centennial. Parade director Michael Cesarano says he looks forward to seeing generations of families returning year after year. “I have moms and dads who marched in the parade when they were little. Now, I get to see their kids marching,” says Cesarano.

Jupiter: On December 6, check out the Jupiter Elks Lodge Christmas Parade at 11 a.m., followed by a craft fair, a community barbecue, photo ops with Santa, and shopping for handcrafted holiday goods.

A host of Waldos parades through Jupiter on bicycles at the Jupiter/Tequesta Christmas Parade. Photo courtesy of The Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association

Hobe Sound: The Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce’s Thirty-Ninth Annual Hobe Sound Christmas Parade kicks off December 6 at 1 p.m., featuring a “100 Years of Martin County” theme and over 75 parade entries.

Stuart: Hosted by the Visiting Nurse Association on December 5, the Sixty-Fourth Annual Stuart Christmas Parade will march along SE Ocean Boulevard beginning at 7 p.m. Participants will vie for a host of highly coveted awards, including the Best Christmas Movies–themed float award. Local shutterbugs can even compete in the Stuart Christmas Parade’s photo contest after the event is over.

Pier-goers in Juno Beach view the Jewish Community Synagogue’s sand-sculpted menorah. Photo courtesy of The Jewish Community Synagogue

Hanukkah Celebrations

Juno Beach: Bring your towel or chair to Juno Beach December 14 at 4 p.m. for the Jewish Community Synagogue’s Annual Hanukkah Celebration. Watch as the first light is illuminated on a sand-sculpted menorah, while noshing on traditional latkes and donuts. Rabbi Leib Ezagui encourages people of all faiths to attend. “It’s hopefully a way to connect all people in a fun, inspiring way,” says Ezagui. “Hanukkah is a holiday of light whether you are Jewish or not. We need more light and more peace in the world.”

Jupiter: Get ready to go for the gelt: the Twenty-First Annual Hanukkah Festival hosted by Chabad of Jupiter will take place December 21 at 4 p.m. in Downtown Abacoa. The event features a giant menorah lighting, bounce houses and bungee jumpers, food and drink, and the much-anticipated chocolate gelt drop from a helicopter.

Port St. Lucie: Farther north, Chabad of Martin & St. Lucie Community’s Hanukkah Celebration will take place December 14 at 3 p.m. in Tradition Square. Attendees will get their fill of food like falafel, donuts, and latkes; plus a host of activities like live entertainment, a fire truck gelt drop, and a menorah lighting ceremony.

Despite balmy temps, attendees at There’s Snow Place Like Jupiter anxiously await the delivery of 32 tons of snow. Photo courtesy of There’s Snow Place Like Jupiter

Festive Fun for Everyone

Jupiter: The forecast calls for snow at the annual There’s Snow Place Like Jupiter holiday event December 13 beginning at 3 p.m. The Town of Jupiter promises to delivery 32 tons of real snow so that even Florida kids (and adults alike) can make snowballs, snow angels, and snowmen galore. Visit the festive Winter Village featuring holiday displays and photo ops, dance to DJs spinning holiday tunes, and look out for special guest appearances by Mr. and Mrs. Claus plus Anna and Elsa from Frozen.

Port St. Lucie: Part tree lighting ceremony and part carnival, the Festival of Lights takes place December 6 at 2 p.m., including a parade of lights, midway games and rides, holiday vendors, fireworks, and more.