The holidays will be here before you know it. It’s not too early to start thinking about fun holiday activities that are scheduled for this year. While not everything is guaranteed to be open over the holidays, if you live in Panama City or you are visiting Panama City, you’ll find plenty of things to do and activities to keep you entertained.
Here’s a look at this year’s holiday activities in Panama City, Florida.
Beach Ball Drop On New Year’s Eve
Image via Flickr under CC BY 2.0 by jody.clabom
Whether you’re looking for an adult or family-friendly activity on New Year’s Eve, the Beach Ball Drop is the place to be. If you have young ones, attend the first ball drop at 8 p.m. Otherwise, stick around until the main ball drop at midnight. Why not do both? Some people enjoy catching two different ball drop events on New Year’s Eve!
Family-friendly New Year’s Eve festivities start at 5:30 p.m. and include free live music and a big street festival. There will be plenty of activities and games for kids, plus shopping and plenty of food vendors. During the first ball drop, 10,000 inflated beach balls will be released down on revelers.
After the first drop, there will be more music as people party and prepare for the midnight countdown. When midnight rolls around, you will want to be near Celebration Tower. Did you know that Panama City Beach’s Tower is ten feet taller than the one in Times Square? And, atop the tower is one of the world’s largest beach balls, which has a diameter of almost ten feet? During the final ten-second New Year’s Eve countdown, the giant beach ball starts descending. When the clock strikes midnight, watch an impressive display of fireworks light up the sky over Panama City Beach.
Holly Fair
The Junior League of Panama City is back this year with their Holly Fair, which is scheduled to take place November 11th through November 14th. The Junior League of Panama City is a female-led organization that is committed to promoting voluntarism and improving communities through effective actions and leadership of trained volunteers. 100% of the net proceeds they raise will support the mission and programs of The Junior League of Panama City.
This year’s event will be held at Edgewater Beach Resort. The schedule of events is as follows:
- November 11th: Preview party from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. with a live and silent auction; tickets are $60.
- November 12th: Champagne Brunch from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. ($25) and general shopping from 10:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. ($10).
- November 13th: General shopping from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ($10).
- November 14th: Crafting with the Clauses from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. ($10) and general shopping from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. ($10).
Crafting with the Clauses is one of the event’s highlights. The $10 fee includes a photo with Santa Claus, who will be available for photos from noon to 2 p.m.
Beach Home For The Holidays
Start your Christmas holiday celebrations early this year with Panama City Beach’s Beach Home for the Holidays on November 26th and 27th. Bring your family to Aaron Bessant Park, where the stage is set. There will be s’mores, carol-themed concerts, and activities for kids. Even Santa will make an appearance. There will be fireworks as the encore both nights.
Josh Turner will be the headliner on November 26th. Turner is known for his deep bass voice and is very popular on country radio. In fact, he’s sold more than six million records and reached over 3.2 billion global streams.
Bethlehem Christmas Village
Every December, Capt. Anderson’s Marina hosts a family-friendly nativity scene for a few days. During the event, families can visit the interactive exhibit between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Kids can try to find lodging, just like Joseph and Mary did. Experience the manger scene together with your kids.
December Market And Festival In Fort Walton
On December 4th, take a road trip to Fort Walton for their December Market and Festival. There will be an outdoor market and festival in the west parking lot and the Christmas Open House going on inside. You’ll find plenty of available merchandise from a wide selection of vendors. There will be food, balloon animals, and there’s a chance your kids might even see Santa and his elf. If you come early in the day, you might also catch the children’s choir.
DeFrance Holiday Market In Fort Walton
On November 13th, Fort Walton Beach is holding its annual Holiday Market from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. If you want to get a jump on your holiday shopping, you’ll find a wide variety of Christmas gift ideas, Christmas decor, holiday wreaths, jewelry, and so much more. There will be free ice cream and grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. Proceeds from the grilled menu items will go toward helping the Cinco Baptist Children’s Ministry.
Christmas Parade
Are you looking for a Christmas parade for you and your family to attend this holiday? Fortunately, the Panama City Beach Optimist Club holds its annual parade with dozens of entries. There are decorated floats, marching bands, fire trucks, custom automobiles, and more.
Christmas Tree Lighting
In early December, Panama City usually does its annual tree lighting ceremony. Last year, it was held at the new city hall for the first time. Prior to that, it took place in different parks throughout the city. This year’s event has not been formally announced yet, but it is expected that it will take place at City Hall again.
Being involved in the community is important to us at Panama City Toyota. We look forward to attending and promoting various annual events, especially holiday ones such as the beach ball drop and the Christmas tree lighting.
Do you have any recommendations for holiday events we should add to our list? If so, please contact us so we can add your recommendations to our list!
