The Boca Raton Holiday Street Parade has always started at Camino Real, where floats line up on Federal Highway and then roll about a mile north to NE Mizner Boulevard. That route was still printed in the city's 2026 participant rules this fall. Parade entries must "enter the line-up from the intersection of Camino Real & Federal Hwy" and complete a route that "extends about one mile along Federal Highway, north to NE Mizner Blvd."
The Florida Department of Transportation's U.S. 1 resurfacing project covers almost the same stretch. Its limits run from Camino Real to NE 8th Street/Mizner Boulevard, a 1.3-mile project that began in August 2026 and is scheduled to finish in Summer 2027, with General Asphalt Company as the contractor. In December 2026, the parade's traditional mile is part of an active state work zone.
Boca Raton's holidays have been built around this one stretch of road for years. With it under construction, the parade is moving, and most of the season takes place at two fixed downtown venues that the roadwork doesn't change.
A state road project put the parade on the move
The 54th Annual Holiday Street Parade is set for Wednesday, December 2, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. This year's theme is "Boca by the Beach," and the City of Boca Raton's event listing says organizers are preparing for more than 60 floats, marching bands and dance groups. The event is free.
At an October city council workshop, a council member asked whether the Federal Highway construction would affect the parade. Boca Post reported that a city staff member said it will. The city is reviewing an alternate route that stays downtown near the traditional location, and staff said the route will be announced once questions about access to parts of U.S. 1 are resolved. Mayor Thomson told the council the project belongs to the state, which scheduled it for the end of the year without the parade in mind. "It is their road, and we just drive on it and do parades on it occasionally," he said, as quoted by Boca Post.
The city's parade-night instructions are the same as in past years. Spectators stay behind temporary barricades and cross at designated crosswalks. Once the last float passes, pedestrians are asked to stay off the street because sweepers start cleaning right away so the road can reopen. The city's Holiday Street Parade page is the official source for the 2026 route.
The Holiday Mile has already published its new course
The one-mile race that starts ahead of the parade has already updated its plans. The Five Guys Boca Raton Holiday Mile benefits the Boca Raton Police Athletic League, and its race page announces an "ALL NEW PARADE ROUTE AND COURSE!" with full details still to come.
The new course starts at 7:15 p.m. at Federal Highway and Glades Road, which the race page marks as new. Runners go down Federal Highway with no turns and finish at Palmetto Park Road and Mizner Boulevard, with the post-race gathering at Sanborn Square. Runner's Edge co-sponsors the race, and Five Guys burgers are included after the finish. The old parade route ran north from Camino Real. This course starts well north of Mizner Boulevard and runs south toward the center of downtown.
This course is the race's mile, and the city sets the parade route separately. For anyone planning to run, these details matter:
- Timing: The course has a strict 15-minute limit. Anyone slower than that pace has to leave the course before the finish.
- Packet pickup: Pick up your packet at Runner's Edge through noon on December 2, or at the starting line after 6:30 p.m. There is no race-day registration at the start.
- T-shirts: Shirts are handed out at the finish line on a first-come basis. Picking up your packet early at Runner's Edge is the race's recommended way to get one.
- Ages: There is a separate one-mile event for runners age 15 and under. Both events are scheduled from 7:15 to 8 p.m.
Mizner Park Amphitheater and Sanborn Square host most of the season
The parade is the only event on the city's holiday calendar that uses Federal Highway itself as its venue. The other events take place at Mizner Park Amphitheater, around Mizner Park, at Sanborn Square on North Federal Highway, and at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center by the beach.
| Date | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Holiday Tree Lighting | Mizner Park Amphitheater | 6–10 p.m., lighting at 7:30 | Free |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Holiday Mile and 54th Holiday Street Parade | Downtown, final route from the city | Run 7:15, parade 7:30–9 p.m. | Parade free |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Holiday Pops with The Symphonia | Mizner Park Amphitheater | Doors 6 p.m., show 7 | $25–$60 |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Merry in Mizner: Surfs Up Santa | Downtown Boca Adirondack chair, Federal Hwy and Mizner Blvd | 6–8 p.m. | Not listed |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Night Market | Sanborn Square, 72 N. Federal Highway | 6–9 p.m. | Not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Gumbo Limbo Aglow begins | Gumbo Limbo Nature Center | 6–8 p.m. | $8 resident, $10 nonresident |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | FAU Tuba Christmas | Mizner Park Amphitheater | 5 p.m. | Free |
| Tue., Dec. 15 | Merry in Mizner: Stuff-A-Plush | Mizner Park South Gazebo | 6 p.m. | Free, first 200 |
The amphitheater hosts three events in three weeks. The Holiday Tree Lighting on November 21 keeps its 2025 venue and its 6 to 10 p.m. window. The ceremonial lighting moves to 7:30 p.m., 15 minutes later than last year's 7:15.
Holiday Pops on December 5 is the only ticketed city event of the season. The Symphonia Boca Raton performs under conductor John Devlin, joined by the FAU Chamber Singers and Schola Cantorum of Florida. New this year is the POPS Pop-Up, a children's pre-show that starts at 6 p.m. and is included with a concert ticket, TAPinto Boca Raton reported. On December 13, FAU's Tuba Christmas returns to the same stage at 5 p.m., with free admission for the audience.
Sanborn Square hosts the season's shopping night. The Night Market on December 10 has a holiday theme, with artisans, live music, food vendors and a mobile bar. The city is offering free BocaConnect rides to the market, which helps on a downtown evening when Federal Highway lanes may be restricted. Sanborn Square is also where the Holiday Mile ends on December 2.
The two Merry in Mizner evenings take place just steps from the northern end of the FDOT project. Surfs Up Santa sits at the Downtown Boca Adirondack chair near Federal Highway and Mizner Boulevard on December 8. On December 15, Stuff-A-Plush at the Mizner Park South Gazebo is free and limited to the first 200 attendees.
Gumbo Limbo Aglow is the one holiday evening away from downtown
Gumbo Limbo Aglow is the only event on the city's holiday calendar that doesn't involve downtown. The nature center opens its outdoor aquariums after dark on four Saturdays: December 12, 19 and 26, plus January 2. Each evening runs 6 to 8 p.m. and includes holiday refreshments, crafts, yard games and a photo with Luna, the center's sea turtle mascot. Each night has its own theme, which the center announces on social media.
Registration opened November 1, and the price structure rewards booking early. December 12 is a pre-season special at $8 for residents and $10 for nonresidents. The later three nights cost $10 and $13. Walk-ins pay $15 and $20 per person, and only when a night hasn't sold out. Children under 2 are free, and every child must come with a registered parent or guardian. The program can be canceled for bad weather or low registration.
Boat parades are on December 11, outside Boca
Boca Raton ended its own holiday boat parade, which had been part of city celebrations since 1975, in 2024. The Coastal Star reported that the decision followed a drop in participation despite increased promotion. A city spokeswoman told the paper that combined parades nearby, including the one Delray Beach and Boynton Beach have run together since 2016, drew boaters and spectators away.
This year, both nearby boat parades fall on the same Friday night, December 11, starting at 6 p.m. The Boynton Beach–Delray Beach Holiday Boat Parade runs south from the Ocean Avenue Bridge in Lantana to the C-15 Canal in Delray Beach. Boynton Harbor Marina is the official viewing location, and Intracoastal Park, Jaycee Park and Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park are also listed as places to watch. To the south, the 64th Greater Pompano Beach Chamber Holiday Boat Parade names The Cove in Deerfield Beach as its VIP viewing site.
Back in Boca, the December 10 Night Market and the first Gumbo Limbo Aglow on December 12 fall on either side of that Friday. On December 2, the Holiday Mile starts at Glades Road at 7:15 p.m., and the parade steps off at 7:30 on the route the city posts to its Holiday Street Parade page.
At Vlasek Real Estate Group, we follow downtown Boca Raton block by block, including how FDOT's U.S. 1 work is changing the stretch of Federal Highway around Mizner Park and Sanborn Square between now and Summer 2027. If you'd like a clear picture of how the project affects the streets near a home you own or are considering, request your personalized consultation.
