West Palm Beach Christmas tree lighting and holiday events 2026

Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Details come from the City of West Palm Beach Holiday in Paradise pages as archived in late 2025. This page is updated each year. The city has not announced its 2026 holiday schedule, so this page describes the 2025 season; we will refresh it when the 2026 dates are posted.

West Palm Beach’s holiday season is called Holiday in Paradise, and its star is Sandi, a Christmas tree sculpted from sand at Centennial Square on Clematis Street. The season opens with the free Clematis by Night Holiday Tree Lighting on the downtown waterfront. In 2025 that was Thursday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 10 p.m. Neither the city’s pages nor the downtown events calendar listed the 2026 date when we checked.

Who to call

• City Community Events: 561-822-1515; after hours, 561-822-2222
• Event page: Holiday in Paradise
• Event address for GPS: 100 N. Clematis St.

The 2025 tree lighting

From the city’s tree lighting page:

• When: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, 6 to 10 p.m., free, on the West Palm Beach Waterfront.
• What: music by Sound Society on the main stage, free entertainment, photos with Santa, and the first lighting of Sandi, her sand-sculpture companions and the Ferris wheel.
• Shopping: a Holiday Gift Boutique inside the Lake Pavilion and along Flagler Drive.
• The concert, activities and boutique ran until 9 p.m.; Sandi’s shows and Ferris wheel rides ran until 10.

Nightly shows and the Ferris wheel

After the tree lighting, Sandi and the area around her had synchronized music and light shows every night through Tuesday, Dec. 30, from 6 to 10 p.m., starting on the quarter hour, the city said. Ferris wheel rides ran during the same hours at $5 a person a ride, plus taxes and fees.

Other holiday events in 2025

The city also decorated the Waterfront, The Ben, CityPlace, the Historic Northwest and Northwood as “West Palm Wonderland” in 2025.

New Year’s Eve parking in 2025: all downtown garages were $10 from 5 to 8:59 p.m.; after 9 p.m. the Banyan and City Center garages were $40, Evernia and Clematis $20 and Sapodilla $10, paid on entry. Street parking west of Rosemary Avenue was free.

Is there a Christmas parade?

The city’s Holiday in Paradise program is built around the tree lighting, the nightly shows and New Year’s Eve, not a street parade, and its 2025 schedule listed no parade. If a church, school or neighborhood group is holding a public holiday parade in West Palm Beach, send us the details through our contact page.

What this means for you

• We will post the 2026 tree lighting date when the city announces it; in 2025 it was the first Thursday in December.
• Sandi’s light shows run nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. through the end of December.
• The New Year’s Eve fireworks are free; garages charge event rates.

Related: holiday lights and Christmas events, New Year’s Eve, things to do this month, Fourth of July fireworks and getting around.

Frequently asked questions

When is the West Palm Beach Christmas tree lighting in 2026?

The city has not announced the 2026 date. In 2025 the Clematis by Night Holiday Tree Lighting was Thursday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 10 p.m. on the downtown waterfront, and it was free.

What is Sandi in West Palm Beach?

Sandi is the city’s Christmas tree made of sand, the centerpiece of its Holiday in Paradise season at Centennial Square on Clematis Street, with nightly music and light shows.

Does West Palm Beach have a Christmas parade?

The city’s holiday program, Holiday in Paradise, centers on the tree lighting, nightly light shows and New Year’s Eve fireworks, not a parade. We found no city Christmas parade listed for 2025 or 2026.

Are there New Year’s Eve fireworks in West Palm Beach?

In 2025 the city held a free New Year’s Eve party on the Great Lawn from 8 p.m. to midnight, with a 15-minute fireworks show over the Intracoastal at midnight presented by the Downtown Development Authority.