Fort Lauderdale's Holiday Calendar Runs East, and Its Biggest Nights Wait Past the Las Olas Bridge

Fort Lauderdale's holiday season starts tonight at Esplanade Park and ends five weeks later with boats on the Intracoastal. Along the way the city's events move east and north, one evening at a time. Three of the largest stops are Light Up the Beach, the Menorah Lighting Celebration and the Winterfest Boat Parade viewing area. All three sit at the east end of Las Olas Boulevard, on the far side of a bridge that the Florida Department of Transportation has narrowed to one 10-foot lane in each direction. Those three evenings take some planning this year. The others mostly run the way they always have.

Thursdays First, Then the Weekends

The City of Fort Lauderdale's Light Up the Holidays schedule opens downtown and then spreads out to the neighborhoods. Light Up Lauderdale runs tonight, Thursday, November 5, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Esplanade Park, with a lighting ceremony at 6:30 p.m. and the Belles of Harmony from 7:00. The event also kicks off a 10-week run of holiday lights along the New River.

The rest of the season looks like this:

Light Up the Galt puts the Galt Ocean Mile on 33rd Street for one evening. The program lists live music, a holiday pop-up gift market with local businesses, strolling characters including the Grinch and Cindy Lou, a stilt-walking Nutcracker and a 6:30 p.m. tree lighting. Light Up Sistrunk lights its tree at 7 p.m. and adds a free toy giveaway sponsored by the Black AIDS Advisory Group, a health fair, food trucks and a teen area with a DJ.

The city has also set aside two "quiet weekends" on the barrier island when no permitted events are allowed: November 13 to 15 and December 25 to 27. The first one falls right between the Galt lighting and the beach lighting. The second comes after the parade.

Downtown, the Galt, Sistrunk and Carter Park can each be reached without crossing the Intracoastal from the mainland side. The entries at Las Olas Oceanside Park and the parade viewing area can't.

The Bridge Every Beach-End Event Shares

FDOT is rehabilitating the East Las Olas Boulevard Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. The project is a $14.1 million job that started in May 2026. The FDOT project page lists bridge deck, electrical, span lock and marine fender work and estimates completion in summer 2027. The agency's traffic notice gives late 2027.

A 48-hour full closure from September 29 to October 1 shifted traffic into its current setup. According to FDOT's October 1 traffic shift notice, the bridge's north side is closed and all traffic now runs on the south side. That leaves one 10-foot lane each way. The north sidewalk is closed, and pedestrians and cyclists use the south side. FDOT says this setup stays in place "through late 2026," that schedules can change with weather, and that drivers should allow extra time and use other routes when they can.

That window covers every beach-end holiday event on the calendar. Each one has its main moment in the early evening: the 6:30 p.m. beach lighting, the 6 p.m. menorah lighting and the parade's arrival at the viewing area around 6:30 p.m.

November 19, at the Foot of A1A

Light Up the Beach turns on more than 50,000 lights along the beachfront and brings back "Olas," the city's 20-foot beach snowman at A1A and Las Olas Boulevard. The evening includes the Fort Lauderdale Symphonic Winds and a kids zone with Santa, inflatables and slides. The lighting ceremony is at 6:30 p.m.

The closest city garage is the Las Olas Garage at 200 E. Las Olas Circle. It has 649 spaces, runs 24 hours and charges $4 an hour, or $1.50 an hour at the registered resident rate, with a 10-hour maximum. The east side of Birch Road between East Las Olas and Las Olas Circle adds nine metered spaces at the same rates, with a four-hour limit. The city has charged special-event rates at beach parking before, and resident discounts have not applied during those events. Check the city's parking page the week of the event.

The free LauderGO! Community Shuttle won't get you home from this one. Its Beach Link route runs weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 6:33 p.m., about three minutes after the lighting starts and two hours before the event ends. Anyone who rides over in the afternoon will need another way back across the bridge.

December 6, the Third Night of Hanukkah at LOOP

The Menorah Lighting Celebration returns to Las Olas Oceanside Park on Sunday, December 6, at 6 p.m. The city's listing marks it as the third night of Hanukkah, with the traditional lighting, music and holiday treats.

Sunday is also the day The MKT at Las Olas Oceanside Park sets up. It is listed as a Sunday marketplace running 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with vendors that change from week to week. Since the market closes an hour before the menorah lighting, December 6 could be one afternoon-to-evening trip across the bridge. On Sundays the Beach Link shuttle runs until 6:40 p.m., and the city's Sunday route map labels a stop "Oceanside Park (LOOP)." That works for getting there but not for getting home after the lighting.

December 12, When the Bridge Opens for Boats

The 55th Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade lines up along the New River docks west of Stranahan House and continues to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. A non-motorized vessel pre-show starts at 5:30 p.m. and the parade starts at 6:00. The route goes east on the New River to the Intracoastal, then north to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach, about 12 miles. Winterfest says it takes roughly two and a half hours to pass any one spot. The country duo LOCASH is this year's Grand Marshal, and Charles Fazzino is the 2026 poster artist.

Winterfest's ticketed Parade Public Viewing Area is at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park, on the southeast corner of Las Olas Boulevard and the Intracoastal. That is the east foot of the bridge under construction. Tickets are listed at $40 for adults and $30 for children 12 and under, and children 3 and under get in free. Every guest gets a chair, and iHeart Radio personalities provide commentary. The Winterfest ticket store shows prices from $30 to $60 and includes a reserved seating option, so the final prices are on the checkout page.

On parade day, the evening goes roughly like this:

1. 2:30 p.m. The New River closes to boats not in the parade, from the fork near Little Florida, west of Cooley's Landing, east to Marker 9.
2. 4:00 p.m. Gates open at the viewing area, with the Culinary Courtyard, stage entertainment and photos with Santa.
3. 4:50 p.m. The Intracoastal closes from Port Everglades to just south of the Oakland Park Bridge.
4. 6:00 p.m. The parade leaves downtown. Winterfest asks viewing-area guests to be east of the Las Olas Bridge by now. It also warns that parking at the Las Olas Garage will be very limited.
5. About 6:30 p.m. The parade reaches the viewing area, and the Las Olas Bridge closes to cars.

Winterfest says the bridge will be "locked open" for the parade. The bridge schedule says the same thing in driving terms: the span stays raised for boats and closed to cars. Here are Winterfest's approximate closing times for drivers, from downtown to the north end of the route:

Anyone who gets to the east end of Las Olas after about 6:30 p.m. should expect to stay there until 8:30. The Saturday Beach Link shuttle stops at 6:29 p.m., about when the bridge closes.

Winterfest also lists bridges and the Riverside Hotel at 620 E. Las Olas Boulevard as viewing spots. Its hotel, restaurant and attraction directory can be filtered to places "On Parade Route." The parade follows the New River before it reaches the Intracoastal, so viewing spots downtown see it first, west of the Las Olas Bridge.

For Fort Lauderdale homeowners who travel during the season, these dates affect more than holiday plans. On December 12, the bridges close to cars on Winterfest's published, approximate schedule. On November 19 and December 6, the main events at the beach end of Las Olas fall in the early evening while the bridge carries one lane each way. Houseguests arriving at dusk, a cleaner finishing late or a contractor heading home will all be crossing that same bridge.

Luxe Home Concierge coordinates visits, vendors and deliveries for seasonal and second-home owners. That includes moving those schedules around road closures like this one, so your home is ready when you arrive. Schedule your Luxe consultation.