Most of the one-night-only events in Broward's 2026 holiday light season happen before the season-long displays switch on. The Holiday Fantasy of Lights drive-thru at Tradewinds Park opens Nov. 21. The one night you can walk that route and the one night you can bike it are Nov. 13 and Nov. 15. Fort Lauderdale's beachfront lighting, its Galt Ocean Mile tree lighting and its New River kickoff also land before Nov. 21.
If you wait for the season to "start," you'll still catch the displays. What you'll miss is the walking, biking and ceremony nights, and none of them repeat.
The water opens the season this week
The 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs Oct. 28 through Nov. 1. It spreads across six sites: Bahia Mar, Las Olas Marina, Hall of Fame Marina, Pier Sixty-Six, Superyacht Village and the Broward County Convention Center. This year the show added an interactive map to help visitors find exhibitors and move between locations.
The boat show weekend starts a busy stretch for downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Intracoastal, and that stretch runs right through the boat parade on Dec. 12.
Tradewinds Park gives you two nights out of the car
Holiday Fantasy of Lights is in its 32nd year. Its own site calls it South Florida's first holiday lights drive-thru. Besides the nightly drive-thru, it sets aside two nights when cars stay out and the route opens to people on foot or on bikes.
Stroll Through the Lights is Friday, Nov. 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person plus processing, sold online only, and you pick a time slot at checkout. Young children get in free with an adult, and the checkout lists that as under 7.
Bike Through the Lights is Sunday, Nov. 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. It costs $12 per bike plus processing, also online only with a chosen time slot. Bike night is for pedal bikes, and electric bikes and scooters aren't allowed. Strollers or wagons attached to a bike are fine. Kids ride free with an adult, but the event page and the checkout give different age cutoffs, so check the cutoff when you buy.
Both pages say spots are limited. The drive-thru sells tickets at the gate. These two nights don't, so you need a ticket before you arrive.
Fort Lauderdale stacks its ceremonies into the same few weeks
The City of Fort Lauderdale runs its own Light Up the Holidays series. Each event is one evening in one place, with a lighting ceremony at a set time.
- Light Up Lauderdale, Thursday, Nov. 5, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Esplanade Park. A kids zone runs all evening, the lighting ceremony is at 6:30 and the Belles of Harmony perform from 7 to 8:30.
- Light Up the Galt, Thursday, Nov. 12, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at North Beach Restaurants and Shoppes, NE 33rd Ave. and NE 33rd St. It has a tree lighting at 6:30, a holiday pop-up gift market with local businesses and live music on 33rd Street.
- Light Up the Beach, Thursday, Nov. 19, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Las Olas Oceanside Park. More than 50,000 lights go on along the beachfront, the Fort Lauderdale Symphonic Winds perform, and "Olas," the 20-foot beach snowman, returns to A1A and Las Olas Boulevard.
- Light Up Sistrunk, Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 8 p.m. on Sistrunk Boulevard between NW 9th and 11th avenues. A giant holiday tree is lit at 7, and the evening includes live bands, a toy giveaway from the Black AIDS Advisory Group, a health fair, food trucks and a teen area with a DJ.
- Menorah Lighting Celebration, Sunday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m. at Las Olas Oceanside Park, on the third night of Hanukkah.
- Light Up Carter Park, Friday, Dec. 11, 5 to 8 p.m. at Carter Park. The city describes it as free.
Three of these six fall in the first three weeks of November, on back-to-back Thursdays. Add the Tradewinds stroll and bike nights and you get five one-night events between Nov. 5 and Nov. 19, all before the drive-thru opens.
The full calendar on one page
| Date | Event | Where | How you experience it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 | Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show | Six sites, Bahia Mar to the Convention Center | On foot, multi-site |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | Light Up Lauderdale | Esplanade Park | Walk-up evening, 6:30 lighting |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Light Up the Galt | NE 33rd Ave. and NE 33rd St. | Walk-up evening, 6:30 lighting |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Stroll Through the Lights | Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek | On foot, timed online ticket |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Bike Through the Lights | Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek | Pedal bike, timed online ticket |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Light Up the Beach | Las Olas Oceanside Park | Walk-up evening, 6:30 lighting |
| Nov. 21 to Jan. 2 | Holiday Fantasy of Lights drive-thru | Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek | By car, nightly 6 to 10 p.m. |
| Nov. 21 to Dec. 30 | Flamingo Gardens Winter Wonderland | 3750 Flamingo Road, Davie | On foot, timed ticket |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Light Up Sistrunk | Sistrunk Blvd. | Street festival, 7 p.m. tree lighting |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Menorah Lighting Celebration | Las Olas Oceanside Park | Evening ceremony, 6 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Light Up Carter Park | Carter Park | Free evening event |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Winterfest Boat Parade | New River to Lake Santa Barbara | From shore or a paid viewing area |
What's still there if you miss a date
The season-long events catch you if you miss the one-night ones, and each has its own rules.
The Holiday Fantasy of Lights drive-thru runs nightly from 6 to 10 p.m., Nov. 21, 2026 through Jan. 2, 2027. The tickets page lists $34 per car. The gate takes cash and gives change, and credit cards at the gate or online carry a 3% processing fee. Online tickets come with a QR code, and the event calls that the quickest way in. Special-effect glasses cost $3 a pair. The online checkout has shown a lower per-car price than the posted $34, so look at both before you buy. Joining the event's VIP mailing list gets you a $4 coupon for the drive-thru.
Part of every ticket goes to Gilda's Club South Florida. The event is also an official Toys for Tots drop-off, so bring a new, unwrapped toy.
Flamingo Gardens Winter Wonderland in Davie runs nightly from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Nov. 21 through Dec. 30, with last admission at 8:30. It's closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission is $24 for ages 12 and up, $17 for ages 3 to 11, and free for ages 2 and under. Members get 25% off, but the event is a separate fundraiser, so daytime admission and membership don't cover it. Online buyers pick an arrival time and capacity is limited, which matters most on December weekends. The gardens promise new light displays this year, plus a 35-foot tree, Santa's Village and live music every night.
The lights along the New River also stay up after the Nov. 5 kickoff. The city describes Light Up Lauderdale as a 10-week celebration along the riverbank, so you can still walk Riverwalk under the lights long after the ceremony.
Dec. 12 needs its own plan
The 55th Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade is Saturday, Dec. 12. This year's theme is "Party in the U.S.A.," tied to America's 250th anniversary, and the boats travel a 12-mile route. A pre-show of non-motorized boats starts at 5:30 p.m., and the parade leaves the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale at 6. The boats head east to the Intracoastal and then north to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach.
Watching from the route is free. Winterfest names bridges, the Riverside Hotel and other spots along the way as viewing options. Its paid Parade Public Viewing Area is at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park, 80 Las Olas Circle. Gates open at 4 p.m., everyone gets a chair, and iHeart Radio personalities call the parade. Boats should reach the viewing area around 6:30. Tickets are $40 for adults and $30 for children 12 and under, and children 3 and under get in free. The area doesn't allow pets, and Winterfest encourages rideshare.
The route ends in Pompano Beach, so the parade isn't only a downtown Fort Lauderdale event. If you live in the northern part of the county, the boats come to you.
Small details that save a wasted trip
- Use the right Tradewinds entrance. The drive-thru uses the North Entrance at 3600 W. Sample Road, near Sample Road and the Florida Turnpike. The Stroll and Bike instructions send you to the South Entrance at the same address. The ticket calendar labels the Stroll at the North Entrance, though, so read your ticket confirmation before you go.
- Check what you're riding on bike night. Pedal bikes only. An e-bike will keep you out.
- Bring the right vehicle to the drive-thru. The FAQ says it's for cars. The checkout lists separate prices for larger vehicles, so groups should check before booking.
- Avoid the closed nights at Flamingo Gardens. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are dark.
Tradewinds is close to home for Laura Sanders, whose office is right in Coconut Creek, and she loves hearing which Broward light nights families are planning around each year. If you're mapping out your November or have questions about the community you're celebrating in, Let's Connect.