On Friday, Nov. 27, the lines for cookie decorating and Santa photos at the Alys Beach Amphitheatre close at 5:45 p.m. That's 45 minutes before the tree lights up. The event page says the cutoff gives vendors time to serve everyone already in line. Alys in Winter Wonderland is presented by the Merchants of Alys Beach, and its listing ends by asking people to come back the next morning and shop.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, the one evening open to anyone is presented by the businesses around Somerset Street. Everything else on the town calendar that week is either a morning workout or an event for owners and rental guests. The shops the evening points to are also different from last year.
A Free Evening With a Next-Day Ask
Alys in Winter Wonderland runs from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Amphitheatre. The listing includes a holiday concert at 4 p.m., letters to Santa, face painting, cookie decorating at $3 a set, Santa photos for $3, and holiday photos by EPIC on the splash pad. It ends with the tree lighting with Santa at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.
The listing closes with this line.
"This event is free and open to the public and is presented by the Merchants of Alys Beach. Please join us the following day to support our merchants on Small Business Saturday."
The page also says more details are coming and that information may change. Check the listing again the week of the event. Put the two days together and Friday works like an opening night for Saturday's shopping. Families who come for the tree end the evening a short walk from the shops and restaurants that will welcome them back the next day.
The Rest of the Week Runs on Different Access Rules
The rest of the holiday calendar has two kinds of events: a few public ones and several for owners and rental guests only. Here's how the week lays out on the Alys Beach events calendar:
- Wednesday, Nov. 25: Pumpkin Decorating, for Alys Beach owners and rental guests only.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: The 30A 10K is on the Alys calendar for Thanksgiving morning, but its race page puts the start and finish in neighboring Rosemary Beach.
- Friday, Nov. 27, 9 to 10 a.m.: The Thanksgiving Turkey Burn at the Amphitheatre, with a $20 fee.
- Friday, Nov. 27, 4 to 6:30 p.m.: Alys in Winter Wonderland, free and open to the public.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to noon: Sweets with Santa at Caliza Pool, for homeowners and rental guests only.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday across the town's shops and restaurants, as the Winter Wonderland listing asks.
The calendar also lists the Sunday Social for Owners & Rental Guests on Nov. 21 and Nov. 28 and again on Dec. 5, when it runs from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
The Turkey Burn and Winter Wonderland share the Amphitheatre on the same Friday, with seven hours between their start times. The morning event costs $20 and the evening event is free. On Saturday, Sweets with Santa at Caliza Pool ends at noon, so owners and rental guests are free in time for lunch in town on Small Business Saturday.
The Storefronts Changed This Year
Small Business Saturday depends on the shops, and the shop lineup has changed since last Thanksgiving. SoWal reported on Oct. 7 that Alys Beach Town Center is adding a new restaurant and two retail tenants to the Merchants of Alys Beach.
Indaco is the restaurant. It's an Italian concept from Indigo Road Hospitality Group that started serving guests in Alys Beach in July 2026. The same group opened O-Ku in Alys Beach in 2024. On its Alys Beach page, Indaco describes its food as hand-crafted pastas, wood-fired pizzas and shared plates. Its menu also has antipasti, seafood and mains.
Indaco's posted hours match Thanksgiving weekend well. It lists weekday lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., a daily aperitivo hour from 2:30 to 4 p.m., and dinner every night from 4 to 10 p.m. On weekends, brunch runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. On Black Friday, dinner service starts at 4 p.m., the same time as the holiday concert at the Amphitheatre. On Saturday, brunch opens an hour after Sweets with Santa starts and stays open well past its noon finish.
Rowan is a California menswear brand that SoWal says is expanding outside its home state for the first time. SoWal reported in early October that its Alys Beach menswear store was expected to open that month, and the town's merchant directory lists it as opening in fall 2026. SoWal describes the brand as clothing that "balances ruggedness with softness and luxury with responsible production."
KREWE, the New Orleans eyewear brand, has sold in Alys Beach for years through the Alys Shoppe and its Tiny House. SoWal reported that it is opening its first Florida brick-and-mortar storefront here this fall. The new store is set to carry a larger collection with optical frames, lens cutting and other services. KREWE's own store directory lists the Tiny House at the Alys Amphitheater, which is the stage where the tree lighting happens.
The Established Lineup Around the Amphitheatre
The new names are joining a group of merchants who have been here for years. The town's merchant directory lists these regular hours. Holiday-week schedules can differ, so call ahead before planning a meal around them.
| Merchant | Published hours |
|---|---|
| Fonville Press Market & Café | Daily, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Raw & Juicy | Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; dinner Wed. to Sun., 5 to 8 p.m. |
| George's | Lunch daily, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner daily, 5 to 9 p.m. |
| The Citizen | Lunch and brunch Wed. to Sun., 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; oyster happy hour daily, 2 to 5 p.m.; dinner daily, 5 to 10 p.m. |
| NEAT Bottle Shop | Daily, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
Compare those posted hours with the Friday schedule. Fonville Press opens at 7 a.m., well before the Turkey Burn starts at 9. The Citizen's oyster happy hour runs from 2 to 5 p.m., so it overlaps the first hour of Winter Wonderland. George's, The Citizen and Raw & Juicy all list dinner starting at 5 p.m., which falls between the start of the concert and the 6:30 tree lighting. On Black Friday, the town's restaurants post hours that run through the whole Amphitheatre evening.
Where the Season Goes After the Tree
Once Thanksgiving weekend is over, the public calendar gets quiet and the owner-focused one keeps going. The Dec. 5 social for owners and rental guests is the next listing. The Fall 2026 Alys Insider lists the annual New Year's Eve "Eve" Sales Celebration at the Beach Club on Dec. 30, for homeowners and their guests.
For anyone who owns here or comes back to Alys Beach every holiday, Nov. 27 and 28 are the two days the whole town is set up for. The tree goes up on Friday at the Amphitheatre, the KREWE Tiny House sits beside it, and on Saturday the merchants who presented the evening open their doors.
At Atwater | Henderson, we follow the Alys Beach calendar closely because the town's year-round character shapes how owners use their homes and how guests choose their stays. If you're thinking about what owning on this stretch of 30A would look like through the holidays, we're happy to walk you through it. Receive Exclusive Listings and we'll keep you updated on the Alys Beach homes that come up.
