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Worth Avenue tree lighting 2026: Tuesday, December 1, times and parking

The short answer

The Worth Avenue Association holds its Holiday Tree Lighting in Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Santa's parade starts at 6:10 PM on the 100 block of Worth Avenue and the tree is lit at 6:25 PM. The Town lists Worth Avenue meters as active until 5 PM; Midtown meters run to midnight at $5.00 or $7.00 an hour, paid through ParkMobile.

By the Downtown Palm Beach Editorial Team5 min read Last checked October 21, 2026

A tall decorated Christmas tree with red and gold ornaments and bows, ringed by orange traffic cones and a chain, at the edge of Worth Avenue; to the right, palms and two-storey Mediterranean-style shopfronts with red poinsettias along the sidewalk under a blue late-afternoon sky.
Photo: Christopher Ziemnowicz (CZmarlin), CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

Worth Avenue lights its holiday tree on the first evening of December, and the organizer has posted the 2026 date. The search results for this event are mostly last year’s news clips and other towns’ trees, so we went to the source. We read the Worth Avenue Association’s Holidays On Worth page and the Town of Palm Beach’s Park in Palm Beach page on October 21, 2026. This is what is set for the night, what nobody has published, and where a car can sit while you watch.

The short version, checked October 21, 2026

Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Parade at 6:10 PM on the 100 block of Worth Avenue; tree lit at 6:25 PM; listed to 8 PM. That is 41 days after the date we checked. Worth Avenue meters are listed as active to 5 PM; Midtown meters to midnight.

What the Association publishes

The Association says the Holiday Tree Lighting is Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Santa and his elves begin the parade at 6:10 PM on the 100 block of Worth Avenue, and Santa lights the tree at 6:25 PM, 15 minutes later. Its listing runs the evening to 8 PM. The Association, a not-for-profit formed in 1938, names the tree lighting among its regular activities, next to its seasonal shopping events and historical walking tours.

What it does not publish

The event page we read carries no parking notes, no street closure notes and no rain plan. It does not say where the tree stands on the block or whether the shops stay open late. We do not fill those gaps with guesses. The Association’s office is at 256 Worth Avenue, Suite 312, phone 561.659.6909, if you need an answer before the night.

One more point, because the question comes up: this is the Association’s event, not the Town’s. The Town’s events calendar for the season shows no Town tree lighting at all, and no Town ceremony is published, so treat the Association as the organizer for this date.

  • The Town Events calendar for October 21, 2026 to May 31, 2027 shows no Town tree lighting, Veterans Day ceremony or Memorial Day ceremony; it shows Town Hall closures on those holidays and America 250 (Nov 14) and Public Safety and Family Fun Day (Feb 20). Town of Palm Beach: Town Events calendar

Parking that evening, from the Town’s numbers

Here is the part the organizer leaves out. The Town says meters on Worth Avenue are active from 9 AM to 5 PM. The parade starts at 6:10 PM, so by the Town’s own table the Worth Avenue meters stop one hour and 10 minutes before the first elf steps off. The Town does not say whether an event night changes that. Midtown is different: the Town lists the Midtown side streets, South Ocean Boulevard, Hammon Avenue and the 100 block of Royal Palm Way as active from 9 AM to midnight, so a space there is paid for the whole evening.

  • The Town says meters on Worth Avenue (zones 46102, 46206, 46306, 46406), the 200 and 300 blocks of South County Road, One Whitehall Way (46605), Four Arts Plaza, the 200 and 300 blocks of Peruvian and the North End streets are active from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Town of Palm Beach: Park in Palm Beach
  • The Town says Midtown streets (200 to 400 blocks of Brazilian, Australian, Chilean, 300 Hibiscus, 300 Cocoanut) and South Ocean Boulevard, Hammon Avenue and the 100 block of Royal Palm Way are active from 9:00 am to midnight. Town of Palm Beach: Park in Palm Beach

Rates come from the Town’s Master Fee Schedule: $5.00 an hour for the general run of ParkMobile spaces and $7.00 an hour at Mid-Town Beach and in parts of the 100 blocks, Worth included, in zone 46100. The Association lists the evening as 6:10 PM to 8 PM, one hour and 50 minutes. Two paid hours cover it: $10.00 at the lower rate or $14.00 at the higher one, by our arithmetic. The Town publishes no block-by-block rate map, so the zone sign and the app settle which rate applies; that detail is not published anywhere we could find.

  • The Town's Master Fee Schedule sets parking at $5.00/hour for "All other ParkMobile Spaces." Town of Palm Beach: Master Fee Schedule (Rev 10/13/2026)
  • The Master Fee Schedule sets $7.00/hour for Sunrise (100 Block), South Ocean Blvd (Mid-Town Beach), parts of the 100 blocks of Brazilian, Australian, Chilean, Peruvian, Worth and Hammon in ParkMobile zone 46100, the rest of the 100 block of Hammon and the 100 Block of Royal Palm. Town of Palm Beach: Master Fee Schedule (Rev 10/13/2026)
  • The Master Fee Schedule sets $7.00/hour for parts of the 100 blocks of Worth, Peruvian and other streets in zone 46100 and $5.00/hour for all other ParkMobile spaces, but the Town does not publish a block-by-block rate map. The posted zone sign and the app are the only way to confirm a given space's rate. Town of Palm Beach: Master Fee Schedule (Rev 10/13/2026)

Payment is by ParkMobile: the app, a call to 877-727-5714, parkmobile.io in a browser, or a text of PARK to 77223. No dashboard receipt is needed, because officers check sessions by license plate. A valid disabled placard or plate gets up to 4 hours without charge in any paid space. Fines for expired meters are $60 in commercial areas and $75 in residential areas.

The Town’s parking map adds detail. Zone 46102 on the 100 block, where the parade starts, has 23 spaces and a two-hour session cap; the map gives three hours on the 200 block alone. By our count of that map, the 14 Midtown zones with meters running to midnight hold 436 spaces, 252 of them at the $7.00 beach rate. The two private garages the Town names, Apollo at 405 Hibiscus Avenue and One Parking at The Esplanade, 150 Worth Avenue, publish no rates. One Parking lists valet daily from 9 AM to 6 PM, which ends 10 minutes before the parade. The Town’s parking page lists both. The parking picker ranks every zone by walk.

If you read the Association’s parking page you will see three-hour metered parking on Worth Avenue; that is the Association’s figure, and the Town’s own table does not confirm a time limit there. The Association also says to ask participating merchants to validate tickets if you use one of its lots.

  • The Worth Avenue Association says three-hour metered parking is available on Worth Avenue via ParkMobile, with valet at the Apollo lot off Hibiscus Avenue and at One Parking in The Esplanade on the 100 block. Worth Avenue Association: Parking
  • The Worth Avenue Association says visitors using one of its parking lots should ask participating merchants to validate the ticket. Worth Avenue Association: Parking
  • The Town's ParkMobile table is headed "Session Time Limit" but lists only the hours meters are active (for example Worth Avenue 9:00 am to 5:00 pm); it gives a maximum stay only for the Southern Boulevard Causeway and Phipps Ocean Park (4 hours). The Worth Avenue Association says Worth Avenue meters are three-hour and Peruvian Avenue four-hour. The Town does not confirm those limits on its own page. Town of Palm Beach: Park in Palm Beach

The other holiday dates on the island that week

We checked every dated holiday listing in our events file for the seven days from December 1 to December 7. Besides the tree lighting, there are two:

  • Thursday, December 3: The Hot Sardines’ Holiday Stomp at Glazer Hall, The Royal Poinciana Plaza, at 8 PM, ticketed, per the Plaza calendar.
  • Sunday, December 6: the Flagler Museum’s Christmas Tree Lighting Festivities, 3 to 5 PM in Whitehall’s Grand Hall. The Museum lists it for Members at the Family/Dual level and above.

Later in December the island’s holiday listings pick up again: Carols on the Lawn at the Four Arts on Sunday, December 13, free and outdoors; the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Christmas Concert on Wednesday, December 16; and the Flagler Museum’s Holiday Evening Tours and Fleurs de Villes from December 18. Our Flagler Museum holiday guide has the tour times and prices. The What’s on this date? checker shows any single day, and the events page lists the season.

Making a night of it

Worth Avenue runs three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway, so the 100 block is the ocean end, closest to Midtown Beach and the beach-rate meters. Our Worth Avenue guide covers the vias and the street block by block, and the restaurant guide covers dinner before or after. If you want the history before the lights, the Association’s walking tour runs on Wednesdays from November 4, at 10:30 am, $30 per person.

Worth Avenue questions

How long is Worth Avenue?

The Worth Avenue Association says it spans just three blocks, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: Information

What are the vias on Worth Avenue?

Small courtyard lanes off the main street. The Association's directory has a category for The Vias, with listings on Via Mizner, Via Parigi, Via Amore and Via Bice.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: Directory, The Vias

Who designed Worth Avenue's look?

The Worth Avenue Association credits Addison Mizner's Mediterranean Revival architecture with shaping the avenue from its earliest days, along with its quiet courtyards and vias.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: The Association

When was the Everglades Club built?

The Preservation Foundation's timeline says the Mizner-designed Everglades Club opened on Worth Avenue in 1919; the Worth Avenue Association gives 1918.

Source: Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach: Timeline

Who runs Worth Avenue's events?

The Worth Avenue Association, a not-for-profit formed in 1938, at 256 Worth Avenue, Suite 312, phone 561.659.6909. Its activities include the Holiday Tree Lighting, seasonal shopping events and historical walking tours.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: The Association

When is the Worth Avenue tree lighting in 2026?

Tuesday, December 1, 2026. Santa and his elves start the parade at 6:10 pm on the 100 block of Worth Avenue and Santa lights the tree at 6:25 pm.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: Holidays On Worth (Holiday Tree Lighting)

Is there a walking tour of Worth Avenue?

Yes. The Association runs a 75-minute historical tour every Wednesday from November 4, 2026 to May 5, 2027 at 10:30 am, starting in Via Amore at 256 Worth Avenue. It costs $30 and needs an Eventbrite ticket.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: Historical Walking Tour of Worth Avenue

Is the Worth Avenue walking tour accessible?

The Association says it is completely wheelchair accessible with no steps, about three quarters of a mile long, limited to 40 people, and runs rain or shine.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: Historical Walking Tour of Worth Avenue

When was Worth Avenue last restored?

The Town's key dates list "2010: Worth Avenue restored."

Source: Town of Palm Beach: History of Palm Beach

What is Pan's Garden?

The Preservation Foundation's Pan's Garden, established in 1994, is Florida's first all-native botanical garden, open every day 10 am to 4 pm at 386 Hibiscus Avenue.

Source: Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach: Pan's Garden

Does Worth Avenue have restaurants?

The Worth Avenue Association says the avenue offers international dining options including several restaurants, eateries and cafes, with al fresco dining.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: home page

What kind of shopping is on Worth Avenue?

The Association describes luxury brands and one-of-a-kind boutiques: art, apparel, home furnishings, accessories and jewelry.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: home page

Do Worth Avenue shops validate parking?

The Worth Avenue Association says to ask participating merchants to validate your ticket if you use one of its parking lots.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: Parking

Where is the public beach near Worth Avenue?

Midtown Municipal Beach, which the Town places north of Worth Avenue in the 300 block of South Ocean Boulevard.

Source: Town of Palm Beach: Hours & Schedules

What hours are Worth Avenue meters active?

The Town lists Worth Avenue zones 46102, 46206, 46306 and 46406 as active from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Source: Town of Palm Beach: Park in Palm Beach

Where can I valet near Worth Avenue?

The Worth Avenue Association names the Apollo lot off Hibiscus Avenue and One Parking in The Esplanade on the 100 block of Worth Avenue; the Town lists them at 405 Hibiscus Ave and 150 Worth Ave.

Source: Worth Avenue Association: Parking

Are Worth Avenue meters running during the tree lighting?

The Town lists Worth Avenue meter zones 46102, 46206, 46306 and 46406 as active from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and the Midtown streets, South Ocean Boulevard, Hammon Avenue and the 100 block of Royal Palm Way from 9:00 am to midnight. Read the zone sign for the evening of the tree lighting.

Source: Town of Palm Beach: Park in Palm Beach

Written by the Downtown Palm Beach Editorial Team. Some content may be AI-generated. People check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: Town of Palm Beach (official site)

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