On Boundary Street in the Historic District, Martin Family Park and DuBois Park sit side by side. For years they have held the whole of the Town of Bluffton's holiday program. The tree goes up at Martin Family Park, and it is tall enough that town crews need heavy equipment to decorate its top, above the roofline of the DuBois Park Pavilion next door. Santa's Workshop opens in that pavilion. A movie plays on the lawn after dark, and the next morning the parade winds through the Historic District.
That weekend comes back on Dec. 4 and 5, with the 55th annual Christmas Parade. After it, the 2026 calendar keeps going. From Dec. 11 through Dec. 20, the town's holiday programming moves west to New Riverside Barn Park, where Bluffton is putting in a free outdoor ice rink for the first time. Counted by days on the calendar, most of Bluffton's town-run December now happens a few miles from Old Town.
Three Seasons of the Same Weekend
The 2024 and 2025 seasons set the baseline, and 2026 repeats their opening weekend. In both earlier years, the town's December events stayed within the same two adjacent parks and the parade route.
| Season | Tree Lighting | After the Lighting | Parade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fri., Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m., Martin Family Park | Santa's Workshop at DuBois Park Pavilion; "Polar Express" at 6:30 p.m.; new miniature train rides | Sat., Dec. 7, 10 a.m. |
| 2025 | Fri., Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m., Martin Family Park | Santa's Workshop at DuBois Park pavilion; "Arthur Christmas" at 6:30 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 6, 10 a.m. |
| 2026 | Fri., Dec. 4, 5:30 p.m., Martin Family Park | Santa's Workshop at DuBois Park pavilion; "The Muppet Christmas Carol" at 6:30 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m. |
The 2025 announcement in the Hilton Head Sun covered the tree lighting and the parade, and nothing else. The town's year-end release for 2025 likewise covered the tree lighting and the parade, and listed no December events at New Riverside.
The Park Helene Held Back in 2024
New Riverside's small role in earlier Decembers comes down to timing and a storm. In his November 2024 Mayor's Memo in Bluffton Today, Mayor Larry Toomer wrote that New Riverside Barn Park "won't be able to participate fully this year" because Hurricane Helene had damaged its electrical system. He wrote that town staff would still add lights to the park's fencing.
The park opened to the public on Feb. 22, 2025. According to the town's 2025 year-end release, it is the Town of Bluffton's largest park. It sits near the intersection of May River Road and Okatie Highway and has large open spaces, perimeter trails and a restored barn. The barn, at 30 Red Barn Drive, holds 200 guests. The town began taking 2026 reservations in September 2025 and confirmed more than 50 bookings for weddings, reunions and other large events within two months.
In December 2026, the town is using the park to stage something Old Town's two pocket parks have no room for. The event lawn next to the barn has open grass, restrooms, a walking path and accessible power outlets, and that is the kind of space a ten-day rink with food trucks needs.
Ten Days on Synthetic Ice
"Bluffton on Ice" is free. The rink uses synthetic ice on the New Riverside Event Lawn, skates are available to borrow in all sizes, and food trucks will be on-site whenever it is open. The rink is not open around the clock. Mayor Toomer's Oct. 4 column in Bluffton Today lists the sessions:
| Date | Hours | Also Happening |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 11 | 4–10 p.m. | DJ "T-Bone" Taylor |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | 4–10 p.m. | DJ "T-Bone" Taylor |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Holiday Craft Fair |
| Mon., Dec. 14 | 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | |
| Tue., Dec. 15 | 4–10 p.m. | |
| Wed., Dec. 16 | 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | 4–10 p.m. | |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | 4–10 p.m. | DJ "T-Bone" Taylor |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | 4–10 p.m. | "The Nutcracker" performance and a DJ |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. |
The schedule follows a pattern. Most weekdays run from late afternoon into the evening. The Monday and Wednesday sessions are daytime only, and both weekend Sundays close at 5 p.m. If you want to skate after dinner on Dec. 14 or Dec. 16, the rink will already be closed.
What Shares the Lawn
The town has scheduled its other mid-December events around the rink. On several days, a skating session and a second event happen at the same place at the same time.
- Santa at New Riverside Barn, Friday, Dec. 11, 4–7 p.m. This overlaps the rink's opening night. The town asks families to bring their own cameras.
- Merry & Made Holiday Craft Fair, Sunday, Dec. 13, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., on the New Riverside Event Lawn, with handmade crafts from local vendors. The mayor's column describes local artists, craftspeople and hobbyists set up around the rink, and the fair's hours match that day's skating session exactly.
- The Nutcracker and Sugar Plum Fairy's Sweet Soirée, Saturday, Dec. 19, at New Riverside Barn. The Okatie Youth Ballet performs selected scenes from 5 to 6 p.m., and the Sweet Soirée follows from 6 to 7 p.m. with photos with the ballerinas and light refreshments. Bring chairs or blankets.
The barn itself is enclosed and air-conditioned, with 2,664 square feet of event space, a patio, a courtyard and a firepit. If the weather turns, some of the Dec. 11 and Dec. 19 programming has a roof.
Opening Weekend Still Belongs to Old Town
New Riverside adds to the Old Town weekend without changing it. The mayor's column notes that the tree lighting and parade are always held on the first weekend of December. The town's Oct. 20 release sets this year's rules:
- Rain or shine. The town cancels the tree lighting or the parade only if conditions are unsafe. If the parade is canceled, it will not be rescheduled.
- No thrown candy. Nothing can be thrown from floats or vehicles. Walkers alongside an entry may hand candy directly to spectators, and spectators must stay out of the roadway.
- 125 entries, first come, first served. Applications are due Friday, Nov. 13. Paper copies are available at the Town of Bluffton Welcome Center, 111 Calhoun St.
- Donations instead of entry fees. Entrants are encouraged to give to the Mayor's Stay Safe, Bluffton! Scholarship Fund, which the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry manages. The fund supports scholarships for Bluffton students and the town's safe-driving campaign.
- A broadcast option. If you can't be on the route, the parade airs live on Beaufort County TV.
This year Old Town also has active construction. Work on the Bridge Street streetscape project began Sept. 14, and Bridge Street closed to through traffic between Calhoun Street and Wharf Street, with access kept open for residents, property owners and guests whose destinations are inside the work zone. Bluffton Today reported that the town expected through traffic to return in about eight weeks and construction to continue through April 2027, with dates subject to change. Before you pick a parking spot for the morning of Dec. 5, check the posted signs and the town's latest notices.
November Has Two Dates First
Before any of this, the town has one more evening outdoors. The third and final Concert in the Park of 2026 is Friday, Nov. 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Buckwalter Place Park Amphitheater, with live music by Groove Town Assault. Nov. 13 is also the deadline for parade entries.
After the rink opens, the season's last town Santa visit moves back toward Old Town, at the Welcome Center on Calhoun Street on Thursday, Dec. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. The Welcome Center is in the Squire Pope Carriage House at Wright Family Park. The rink is open that evening too, so a family could see Santa on Calhoun Street and skate at New Riverside the same night. The final skating session ends at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20, and the town posts schedule updates at townofbluffton.sc.gov.
If you're thinking about how life in your part of town is changing, from Old Town to the May River Road corridor, The Agency Hilton Head would be glad to talk it through. Request a Complimentary Market Valuation, and we'll show you how your home fits into Bluffton today.
