Holiday To-Do List
Naples’ Holiday To-Do List
As the days grow shorter and the temperatures start to drop, it can only mean one thing: Naples is getting ready for the holidays! There’s no shortage of things to do in Bonita Springs, Estero, Naples, and Marco Island, this time of year, whether you’re looking for festive traditions or some retail therapy. Here are just a few of the things on our Naples Holiday To Do List!
Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden
Date: 25th November to 23rd December, 26th December to 30th December, and 1st January
Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM through December 16th, then 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM through 1st January
Location: Naples Botanical Garden
Thousands of lights will illuminate the Garden during the 13th annual Night Lights in the Garden. Entertainment, food will be available. Adult $30, adult FLEX $50; ages 4-17 $14, ages 4-17 FLEX $20; children under 4 FREE; members FREE.
Christmas at Palm Cottage
Date: Tuesdays-Saturdays December 1st to December 31st
Time: Noon to 3:00 PM
Location: 137 12th Ave. S., Naples
Vintage cottage, home of the Naples Historical Society, and its garden, elegantly decorated. Tickets cost $13.
Trees & Teas Festival
Date: Tuesdays-Sundays November 29th to December 18th
Time: 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Fifth Ave. S., Naples
Decorated trees created by local artists in the Sugden Theatre lobby and teas from The Naples Spice and Tea Exchange. Let’s not forget the scheduled music! Holiday wreaths will be available.
An Old Fashioned Holiday
Date: December 3rd, 2022- January 1st, 2023
Time: 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: Riverside Park, 10450 Reynolds St., Bonita Springs
Tree lighting at dusk, musical entertainment, snow flurries and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. The Artists’ Cottages and the Historical Society will be open. Winners of the holiday lighting contest. Food and beverage available, courtesy of the City of Bonita Springs. The event is free of cost.
49th Annual Christmas Walk and Tree Lighting Ceremony
Date: 2nd December and 3rd December
Time: Fri, Dec 2, 2022 | 5:00pm; Sat, Dec 3, 2022 | 10:00am
Location: Sugden Plaza, 701 Fifth Ave. S., Naples
Official Christmas tree lighting on Fifth Avenue South in Sugden Plaza and holiday experiences, including a living nativity by the First Church of the Nazarene, skating rink, live music, Santa Claus and Avenue dining.
Rudolph Was a Radical: Holiday Films as Social Commentary
Date: 13th December
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Location: Collier Museum at Governmental Center, 3331 U.S. 41 E., Naples
Museums Director Amanda Townsend will be exploring some of our favorite holiday TV shows and movies. Not just feel-good stories, these films reflect many of the social concerns of the times in which they were made. Join us for an exploration of the social commentary offered through these beloved and timely classics.
Christmas Gala Fundraiser
Date: 2nd December
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Palm Cottage at Naples
This is an annual black-tie dinner and fundraiser to support the Naples Historical Society’s programs.
Christmas Glow Run 5K
Date: 9th December
Time: 06:45 PM
Location: Sugden Regional Park, 4284 Avalon Drive, Naples
National anthem, Run on paths lined with thousands of lights and dozens of lighted characters. Running or walking with glowing decorations encouraged; 100 percent chance of snow at the finish. Organized by Elite Events. Tickets cost $45.
Snowfest 2022 at Naples White Christmas’
Date: 3rd December
Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Golden Gate Community Center and Golden Gate Community Park, 3300 Santa Barbara Blvd., Naples
All Aboard! The Golden Gate Express! Come and join Santa and the elves at Santa’s workshop. Enjoy arts & crafts, jolly dancing, photo opportunities and food vendors for all to enjoy. Cost is $3 per person (3 & older)
Neapolitan Community Choir Concert
Date: 4th December
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: North Naples Church, 6000 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples
Join the Neapolitan Community Choir for this FREE concert and enjoy the beauitful sounds of the best vocal arrangements available. This concert is free but you must register for a ticket.
“Light up Estero” by the Rotary Club
Date: 3rd December
Time: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: Ocean Church 22100 South Tamiami Trail Estero, FL 33928 United States
“Light Up Estero – Unity In The Community” is our focus as we gather in the parking lot of Ocean Church to honor those volunteers, first responders and the workforce in our recovery from Hurricane Ian. We will have a candlelight tree lighting, Christmas carol sing-a-long, holiday music from the New Horizons Children’s Choir, bounce house, food trucks, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus and a special holiday gift for all. The event is free
Holiday Boat Parade
Date: 10th December
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Tin City docks, 1200 Fifth Ave. S, Naples Florida
Pure Florida is welcoming guests for a sunset cruise and Holiday Boat Parade viewing from the Naples waterways Saturday, December 10. The Holiday Boat Parade Cruise departs at 5:00 p.m. from the historic Tin City docks, located at 1200 Fifth Ave. S, Naples Florida. The experience features a cruise through Naples Bay and Port Royal canals to see our luxurious neighbors, watching the sunset, followed by the MIACC Holiday Boat Parade. Naples Holiday To Do List is incomplete without Holiday Boat Parade. Move to the music, enjoy entertaining narration from Pure Florida’s captain and crew, watch for dolphins and cheer on the decorated boats as they cruise by during the Holiday Boat Parade. Tickets are available for $70 per person plus taxes.
Al Fresco Chanukah Party and Menorah Lighting — JCMI
Date: 5th December
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Jewish Congregation of Marco Island, 990 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island
The congregation will light all eight candles of its menorah on the lawn, signifying the final day of Hanukkah, with music and holiday treats for the community. People are asked to bring seating.
A Seraphic Fire Christmas
Date: 6th December
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: Vanderbilt Presbyterian – Naples, FL
Within a serene candle-lit setting, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season will quiet and the a capella voices of Seraphic Fire will fill the room with musical peace and joy. Enjoy familiar favorites such as the hauntingly simple, yet lush Jesus Christ the Apple Tree and the enchanting Silent Night, and come away cherishing a newly discovered gem. Associate Conductor James K. Bass and the ensemble are pleased to present seasonal carols and heart-warming music in the 20th season of A Seraphic Fire Christmas.
Cookies and Milk with Santa
Date: 17th December
Time: 10:00 AM – 12 PM
Location: Mackle Park, Marco Island
Sponsored by Christmas Island Style and Marco Island Parks and Recreation
Annual Tree Lighting and Community Celebration
Date: 3rd December
Time: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Veterans’ Community Park, 901 Park Ave, Marco Island
5 pm Ribbon Cutting & Speeches; 6 pm Tree Lighting Even; 7 pm Concert Featuring Joel Fry
Christmas Parade
Date: 6th December
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Broad Avenue South in Naples
Floats, fire engines, school groups, school bands, dance troupes, boy and girl scouts, civic groups and so much more bring this annual tradition to life! And, don’t forget Santa and Mrs. Claus! The parade route will be from Broad Avenue South to 3rd Street South, proceeding north to 5th Avenue South, east on 5th Avenue South, and South on 8th Street South past City Hall, ending at 8th Avenue South and 8th Street South.
Advent Noontime Concerts
Date: 14th December
Time: 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM
Location: Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, 1225 Piper Blvd., Naples.
Advent is the season of waiting. The weeks preceding Christmas can be a time of preparation, of expectation. Maybe the promise of a better world. Maybe something wonderful is about to happen. Music lovers don’t need to wait long for plenty of music bringing “comfort and joy” during Advent and throughout the holiday season. The challenge is wading through the many offerings, all of the excellent quality, with an abundance of wonderful performances.
Naples Concert Band
Date: 4th December
Time: 2 PM
Location: Cambier Park in the City of Naples, Florida
Christmas vocal quartet entertains with “White Christmas” “Christmas on Broadway” and Leroy Andersons “A Christmas Festival”. An oboe duet of Sue Adney and Dianne Salminen will be featured playing Ennio Morricone’s “Gabriel’s Oboe”. “Midnight Sleigh Ride”, “A Hanukkah Festival”, “A Mariah Carey Christmas” and “Christmas At The Movies” are a few of the other selections that will set the mood for this year’s Holiday Celebration.
Christmas Gloria
Date: 5th December
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Emmanual Lutheran Church, 777 Mooring Line Drive, Naples, FL
Voices of Naples sings seasonal works. Freewill offering to help scholarship fund for music.
Holiday Harmony at Bonita Springs
Date: 9th December
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: St. Leo’s Parish Life Center, Bonita Springs
Gulfshore Opera rings in the seasonal cheer with a Holiday Harmony concert tour to begin the first week of December. Opening in Bonita Springs, St. Leo’s Parish Life Center will host GO’s initial Holiday Harmony concert on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m., in which audiences can enjoy singing or humming along to popular songs like “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” as well as more traditional Christmas carols like “O Holy Night.”
The Grinch
Date: 10th December
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Riverside Park, 10450 Reynolds St., Bonita Springs
The event is free of cost but remember to bring your own seating.
TheatreZone’s “Home for the Holidays”
Date: 9th December to 11th December
Time: 7:30 PM on 9th December to 10th December, and 2:00 PM on 10th December to 11th December
Location: G&L Theatre, Community School of Naples campus, 13275 Livingston Road, Naples
Here you will witness a TheatreZone original production featuring vocals, dance and orchestra on holiday favorites like “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and off-the-beaten-path gems like “Ugly Christmas Sweater.” Entry costs $50-65, while premium tickets are for $85.
Bonita Springs Christmas Boat Parade
Date: 10th December
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: Imperial River, Bonita Springs
The Boat Parade begins at the Bay Water Boat Club then travels up the Imperial River.
Naples Christmas Boat Parade
Date: 10th December
Time: 6:15 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: Naples Bay
The parade may be viewed from: Naples City Dock (ticketed), Pinchers Tin City, Riverwalk Restaurant, Naples Landing, Kelly’s Fish House, The Boat House on Naples Bay, and Bayview Park.
Rudolph & Friends
Date: 16th December
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Vineyards Community Park, 6231 Arbor Blvd., Naples
A party for all generations! Tickets cost $20.
Marco Island Christmas Style Boat Parade
Date: 17th December
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Macro Viewing locations include the Snook Inn, the Esplanade along Smokehouse Bay, and the Marco Island Yacht Club
Boats bedecked with themed or holiday splendor await you. Viewing spots include Esplanade on Smokehouse Bay and Snook Inn on the Marco River. We hope you enjoy our Naples Holiday To Do List.
Of course, no visit to Naples during the holidays would be complete without a stop at our Christmas markets. The ones at Bayfront and Cambier parks are especially popular, with dozens of vendors selling everything from handmade ornaments to delicious food. While you’re there, consider dining at one of the upscale waterfront restaurants in Naples to complete the experience. Be sure to wander down Fifth Avenue while you’re there – it will be lined with gorgeous decorations!
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