Holidays at the Jersey Shore: Your 2026 Guide to Shore-Side Cheer

Let's clear something up. People think the Jersey Shore closes after Labor Day. The umbrellas go away, the boardwalk gets quiet, and everybody heads inland until Memorial Day.

Not even close.

From Thanksgiving weekend to New Year's Eve, Monmouth and Ocean Counties turn into one long holiday celebration. Santa shows up on fire trucks. Downtowns light up their trees. Victorian porches in Ocean Grove get dressed to the nines, and the Asbury Park boardwalk turns into a holiday market. Most of it is free and open to everyone.

This is the part of Shore life the summer crowd never sees. It's also the part that makes people want to live here year-round.

Here's everything happening for the rest of 2026, in order, so you can plan your season.

Running all season: lights, markets, and wonderlands

These run for weeks, so you can go whenever it suits you.

Magic of Lights at PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmdel). The Shore's favorite drive-through light show opens Friday, November 20 and runs into the new year. Load up the car, put the holiday playlist on, and drive. Tickets are required.

U-Pick Tulips: Winter Wonderland at Holland Ridge Farms (Cream Ridge). Yes, tulips in winter. Runs November 13 through January 10, with tickets from $17 (ages 3+).

Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson). It's back this winter, rebuilt around three new themed lands, with nightly tree-lighting shows, carolers, and Santa.

Asbury Park Holiday Bazaar (Grand Arcade, Convention Hall). A European-style Christmas market right on the boardwalk, with local makers, vintage finds, food, and music. Free to attend.

Thanksgiving weekend: Nov 27–29 (Fri 12–8 PM; Sat & Sun 12–5 PM)
Then every weekend: Dec 4–6, 11–13, 18–20 (Fridays 3–7 PM; Sat & Sun 12–5 PM)

Friday, Dec 4: Downtown Toms River Tree Lighting at Town Hall on Washington Street. Usually there's live entertainment starting at 5 PM, and Santa arrives on a fire truck to light the tree.

Friday, Dec 4: Manasquan Candy Cane Hunt on Main Street.

Dec 4–5: Lavallette Hometown Christmas Weekend. Holiday specials at Lavallette's shops, ending with caroling, Santa, and the tree lighting on Saturday, Dec 5 at the Municipal Building.

Friday, Dec 4 (evening): Hanukkah begins. Watch for community menorah lightings around the Shore, including Red Bank's Riverside Gardens Park and Pier Village in Long Branch.

Saturday, Dec 5: Asbury Park Santa Run. Thousands of Santas running a 5K that starts at the Stone Pony and benefits Lunch Break. Run it or just watch, it's a great show either way.

Saturday, Dec 5: Ocean Grove Victorian Holiday House & Inn Tour. A self-guided walk through beautifully decorated Victorian homes and inns. If you love architecture, don't miss this one. Ocean Grove usually holds its Christmas celebration the same Saturday: a live nativity in the Great Auditorium and a tree lighting in Auditorium Square. Confirm with the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.

Saturday, Dec 5 (expected): Ship Bottom Christmas Parade (LBI). Marching bands, floats, and antique cars along Long Beach Boulevard from 5th to 25th Street. It's usually held the first Saturday of December at 1 PM. Confirm the date with the Borough of Ship Bottom.

Starting Dec 4: Scrooge at the Spring Lake Theatre. The musical version of A Christmas Carol, with performances most weekends through mid-December. Tickets required.

Mid-December

Dec 9–10: Garden Club of LBI Holiday Tour of Homes. Decorated island homes, from Barnegat Light down to Beach Haven. Tickets are $55.

Weekends in December: The Historic Village at Allaire (Wall). A restored 19th-century village inside Allaire State Park, and December is its best month. There are three ways to go: the evening Holiday Stroll with a tree lighting, the daytime Christmas at Allaire for families, and the candlelit Lantern Tours for adults, which sell out. Check allairevillage.org for 2026 dates and tickets.

Sundays Dec 13 & 20: Porta Fresh Holiday Markets, Asbury Park (911 Kingsley St), 12–4 PM.

Sunday, Dec 20: Pick your holiday show.

A Classical Christmas at the Jersey Shore Arts Center, Ocean Grove, 2–4 PM Broadway for the Holidays at the Grunin Center Black Box Theater, Ocean County

College, Toms River, 2 PM ($22–$26)

Ring in 2027

Thursday, Dec 31 (expected): First Night Ocean County, Seaside Heights. A New Year's Eve that works for kids, held in the afternoon on the boardwalk. There are live shows, characters, a countdown balloon drop, and fireworks over the ocean at about 5 PM, so everyone's home before bedtime. Confirm the 2026 lineup with the Seaside Heights BID.

Why I love the Shore in December

I'll be honest with you. Summer is what gets people to the Shore. The off-season is what makes them stay.

When you're standing on Broad Street with a hot chocolate while Holiday Express plays, or walking past Ocean Grove's lit-up porches, you see what these towns are like when they belong to the people who live here. You get the community, the small businesses, and the neighbors who show up every year.

If you've been thinking about making the Shore your full-time home, or a second one, December is the best time to see it for real. Go to a tree lighting. Walk the downtown. Picture yourself here in February, not just July.

And when you're ready to talk about which town fits your life, from Red Bank to Long Beach Island and everywhere in between, I'm here.

Let's talk: Send me a DM on Instagram at @therealchristensachs, or reach out to me directly. Happy holidays from the Shore!

— Christen Sachs, The Lifestyle Broker | Nest Seekers International | Author of The Resilient Realtor