On Saturday, November 28, the City of Jacksonville's Christmas tree goes back up at Riverfront Plaza for its second year. The tree lighting, the Jacksonville Light Boat Parade and the fireworks are once again packed into one evening, this time on a downtown riverfront that has changed a lot in twelve months.

Last November, Riverfront Plaza had only just opened, and the night served as a first look at it. This year the Northbank Riverwalk runs continuously from Riverside Arts Market to the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. A new music park sits right next to the plaza, and the walkway over McCoys Creek is open again. On that side of the river, the parade now passes a riverfront you can walk the whole way.

Last November, the Plaza Was a Preview

Jacksonville Today described the inaugural River Fest on November 29, 2025, as a preview of Riverfront Plaza's first phase, built on the former Jacksonville Landing site. The evening was split across both banks. The tree lighting and food trucks were at the plaza, with snacks, hot cocoa and adult beverages from Friends of JWJ Park. Across the river, Friendship Fountain hosted its own program with a holiday lights and music show and a silent disco that ran from 6 to 9 p.m.

News4JAX reported that the tree lighting included performances from the Alhambra Theatre's "Elf the Musical," Scott Jones' School of Dance and the youth skate group SK8HERS. That year's parade started at the west end of the Shipyards, ran along the Northbank, turned south just before the Acosta Bridge and finished heading east along the Southbank.

At that point the Riverwalk west of the plaza was still being rebuilt. The city began closing parts of the Northbank Riverwalk through downtown and into Riverside for redesign in mid-2024, when work started on the music park.

The Northbank Riverwalk Reconnected in May

The rebuilt riverfront had its grand opening on May 13, 2026. Jacksonville Today's coverage noted that the Riverwalk now runs from RAM to the Hyatt on East Coastline Drive. That is the stretch of riverbank the boats followed last year before turning south at the Acosta.

From the plaza heading west, the walk now looks like this:

• Riverfront Plaza, 2 W. Independent Drive. This is the phase-one park with the playground on the pavilion roof, native plant gardens, an event lawn and a more flood-resistant bulkhead.
• Riverfront Music Garden, 300 Water St. It sits behind the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. A huge clef shape is built into a Riverwalk section with floating docks on either side, and paths shaped like musical notes lead to drums, plus speakers that play local music when you step on the colored plates.
• The Walk of Fame. Rotating mirror racks carry the names of local musicians. The list includes .38 Special, Blind Blake, Charlie "Hoss" Singleton, Frederick Delius, Jahaan Sweet and Longineu Parsons II, and JJ Grey & Mofro has a plaque there too.
• The McCoys Creek crossing. A new pedestrian walkway crosses the open mouth of the creek, whose channel was rebuilt from May Street to the St. Johns River. It goes over the railroad bridge and under the Acosta Bridge.
• Corkscrew Park. The renovated park under the Acosta Bridge has exercise equipment.

If the 2026 route follows last year's, every stop on that list overlooks the water the boats pass before they cross to the Southbank. The Music Garden's floating docks and performance lawn are a short walk from the tree, so you can watch the lighting and then get to the water's edge before the first boats show up.

The 2026 Schedule, Next to Last Year's

The city's Holiday River Fest page lists a schedule that adjusts the 2025 timing. The biggest change is at the end of the night.

Since the tree now lights up just five minutes before the boats head out, the plaza turns straight into a parade-viewing spot with no gap in between. The 2026 schedule lists an 8:15 p.m. announcement of the parade winners on the Holiday Stage presented by Publix at the plaza, with the fireworks following about 15 minutes later. Last year, according to Jacksonville Today, the fireworks included a "waterfall" effect pouring off the Main Street and Acosta bridges into the river.

Bank of America presents the evening. Community First Credit Union sponsors the tree lighting and fireworks, and the city lists hot cocoa, festive treats, food trucks and family activities around the plaza.

If Your Boat Is in the Parade, the Deadline Comes First

If you'd rather be on the water than watching from the Riverwalk, entering is free. The city's Light Boat Parade page invites captains and crews to decorate any motor-assisted vessel. Boats are judged on overall appearance, creativity and how the decorations are put together, in four categories:

1. Vessels under 30 feet
2. Vessels 30 feet and over
3. Sailboat
4. Corporate

Registration for the judged competition closes Monday, November 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., and the free form is linked from that page. That's twelve days before the parade, so your registration is due before most of the lights go on the boat.

Getting Downtown, With Last Year's Plan as the Baseline

The city's Holiday River Fest page is the official source for 2026 parking and road details. Until those are posted, the 2025 plan First Coast News laid out gives a good sense of how the night works. Here's how it went in 2025:

• Parking. Public parking was at the Duval County Public Schools building on the Southbank, near RiversEdge, and at the Kings Avenue garage. On the Northbank, weekend meters were free and the Yates Garage on Adams Street was open to the public.
• River Taxi. The St. Johns River Taxi started boarding on the Southbank at 5:15 p.m.
• Main Street Bridge. All lanes and sidewalks closed from 5:30 to 10 p.m., with the bridge locked in the up position from 6 p.m. to about 10 p.m.
• Acosta Bridge. All lanes closed from 7:45 to 9 p.m. for the fireworks.
• East Coastline Drive. Closed from 5 to 10 p.m. between Riverfront Plaza and South Newnan Street.

With the Main Street Bridge closed to people on foot as well as cars, crossing between the banks after 5:30 meant going around. Last year's suggested viewing spots were Riverfront Plaza on the Northbank, plus Friendship Fountain and the expanded Southbank Riverwalk across the river. If you park on the Northbank this year, you have a longer continuous Riverwalk to spread out along than you did then.

The Plaza After the Tree Comes Down

Holiday River Fest is the plaza's biggest night, but the riverfront is easier to use on regular evenings too. Jax Parks hosts First Fridays at Riverfront Plaza, a monthly food truck and vendor night from 6 to 9 p.m. It has music, games, local vendors and the Fountain Bar, and it's currently held at the plaza. The next one after Thanksgiving falls on Friday, December 4.

The plaza also has a permanent food tenant in the works. In July, the city chose European Street Cafe to run the 2,377-square-foot dining space in the pavilion under the rooftop playground, and the city expected it to open in fall 2026. The Jax Daily Record reported that the plan calls for "a more urban, grab-and-go format" with breakfast, coffee drinks and Italian ice. It will be the family business's fourth café, after San Marco, Riverside and Jacksonville Beach.

Owner Andy Zarka told Jacksonville Today he spent many hours at the old Jacksonville Landing with his family. Back in May he said, "I miss those days. I was talking to some people about what used to be here with the Jacksonville Landing and how much I missed sitting with a cold beer and watching the dolphins go by."

The east half of the site is next. Jacksonville Today reported in May that phase two was under construction. The plans include a beer garden overlooking the river, a deck with 12 swings raised above the Riverwalk, a water feature, a restaurant on the western edge and a bike and pedestrian connection to the Main Street Bridge. The target for completion is the end of 2027, and city officials put the cost of the whole Riverfront Plaza site at $78.5 million.

That puts this year's tree lighting on a plaza where the west half is finished and the east half is still being built. At the 2027 edition, phase two will be close to its finish date.

Living close to downtown makes it a lot easier to catch nights like November 28 without fighting bridge closures and garage lines. If you're thinking about a home within easy reach of the Northbank Riverwalk, or a quick drive to the Southbank parking, Dana Hancock and our team would love to show you around. Work With Us, and we'll help you find a place that makes it easy to get downtown for the riverfront's busiest nights.