The 49th Annual Tree Lighting and Snowfall on Third Street South is set for Monday, November 23. This is the fourth year in a row the lighting has fallen on the Monday of Thanksgiving week. In 2023 it was November 20. In 2024 it was November 25, according to a Naples Daily News preview. Last year it was Monday, November 24, when the Naples Daily News photo gallery showed hundreds of people gathered for music, food, artificial snow and Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Once the Third Street tree is lit, the rest of Naples' holiday calendar runs on a weekly schedule. Third Street South has its nights, Naples Botanical Garden has its nights, and Fifth Avenue South gets one weekend. Knowing which nights belong to which event makes it easy to plan the season one evening at a time.
Lighting night closes Third Street to cars
On November 23, Third Street South closes to traffic for the evening. The district's Christmas on Third page lists the celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. The City of Naples event listing describes the program. Santa arrives on a vintage fire truck, the official tree is lit, and the Naples Snowfall follows. Restaurants and shops stay open late, and local vendors line the street selling North Pole Treats and Sweets. The city recommends dinner reservations.
In past years the tree has been lit at Third Street South and Broad Avenue South. In 2023 the city's listing placed it in the courtyard in front of Tony's Off Third. That year, the tree lighting and first snowfall came at 6:20 p.m., with a second snowfall at 8 p.m.
Thanksgiving week runs on a 7 p.m. snowfall
From Tuesday through Saturday of Thanksgiving week, Third Street South has live music from 5 to 8 p.m. and snowfall at 7 p.m. Shops are listed as open until 7 p.m., so on these nights, shopping on Third Street ends when the snow starts. Thanksgiving Day itself has no programming.
Here is how the first week of the season falls:
| Date | Third Street South | Elsewhere in Naples |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Tree Lighting and Snowfall, 6 to 9 p.m. | |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Music 5 to 8 p.m., snowfall 7 p.m. | |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Music and snowfall; Letters to Santa available | |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | No programming on Thanksgiving Day | |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Music and snowfall | Night Lights in the Garden opens |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Farmers market 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.; music and snowfall | Night Lights, 6 to 10 p.m. |
The Third Street South Farmers Market has moved back onto the street for the season. From November through May it fills Third Street South between Broad Avenue and 13th Avenue South every Saturday from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. From April through October it sets up in the parking lot behind Tommy Bahama. On Saturday, November 28, that means the same block hosts the market in the morning and the snowfall that evening.
The Santa mailboxes are new for 2026
This year's new tradition starts two days after the lighting. Third Street South has been named a North Pole Delivery District. From November 25 through December 23, children can pick up an official Letter to Santa at participating shops, write their wishes, and drop the letter in one of two mailboxes. One is at Fleischmann Plaza near Gattle's. The other is at Santa's Workshop near Sea Salt. Santa's Elves will choose one child to receive a special surprise.
Letters are available at select retail stores throughout the district, so picking one up fits into any visit to Third Street, with or without a snowfall.
In December, Third Street keeps Thursday through Saturday
After Thanksgiving week, Third Street's schedule narrows. In December, live Christmas music runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. Snowfall is at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Shops are again listed as open until 7 p.m., and there is no programming on Christmas Day.
The 2024 Naples Daily News preview described the street's holiday programming as lasting five weeks. In December, that schedule leaves Sunday through Wednesday open, and those are the nights Naples Botanical Garden's event fills.
Night Lights takes the weeknights
Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden runs from November 27, 2026, through January 3, 2027. It is closed on December 24, 25 and 31. From November 27 through December 17, hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Garden's own pricing also favors early-week visits. This year it is taking group bookings, and qualifying reservations made for Monday through Thursday nights between November 30 and December 17 get a 10% discount. It has also added a Night Lights Sunset Tram Tour for groups of up to 12. The tour starts at 4:45 p.m., and only one tour is booked each night. If you're hosting family between Thanksgiving and mid-December, a Monday or Tuesday at the Garden doesn't overlap with anything on Third Street.
December 4 puts a tree lighting and a snowfall on one evening
Fifth Avenue South's Annual Christmas Walk and Tree Lighting is on Friday, December 4, from 5 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The tree lighting begins at about 6 p.m. on Friday, according to the district's Christmas page. Visit Naples' event listing places the lighting in Sugden Plaza. Last year's walk was December 5 and 6, so it comes one calendar day earlier in 2026.
December 4 is a Friday, which is also a Third Street snowfall night. That evening you can see the Sugden Plaza lighting at about 6 p.m. and the 7 p.m. snowfall on Third Street, with Night Lights open at the Garden until 10.
For dinner on the Avenue during the walk, Fifth Avenue South lists the participating restaurants and asks that reservations go directly to each restaurant. The list includes BhaBha, BICE, Bistro 821, Bonta Bakery, Caffe Milano, Casa Neri, Chops City Grill, DelMar, Keewaydin's, La Pescheria, La Trattoria, Le Colonial, Medi and Molto. Details on the day-long Christmas Market for Saturday were still to come when the page was last updated.
December 12 fills a whole Saturday on Third Street
The busiest single day on Third Street's calendar comes a week after the Fifth Avenue walk:
- 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. The farmers market on Third Street South between Broad and 13th Avenue South.
- 1 to 3 p.m. Santa Paws returns near Sea Salt. Bring leashed pets, whether furry, feathered or four-legged, for photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, taken by the PawTographers.
- 7 p.m. Saturday snowfall.
Parking for the season's evenings
Lighting night and the Christmas Walk bring the biggest crowds downtown, and parking near both districts helps:
- 8th Street South garages. Fifth Avenue South's parking and transit page lists public garages at 8th Street South and 6th Avenue South and at 8th Street South and 4th Avenue South, plus a public lot at Park Street and 6th Avenue South.
- 1st Avenue South garage. The city's 1st Avenue South Public Parking Garage opened in 2025. Gulfshore Playhouse lists its entrances on 1st Avenue South and 12th Street.
- Trolley hours. The Naples Trolley runs daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., per Fifth Avenue South, so its regular hours end before the evening events start.
- Beach access near the pier. If you'd like to watch the sunset before the snowfall, the city lists the 12th Avenue South beach access as closed for the Naples Pier rebuild. The Broad Avenue South access and the 1st through 11th Avenue South accesses are listed as open.
If you're starting a holiday tradition this season with family, whether it's the Monday lighting, a Night Lights evening or the walk on Fifth, we're glad to share the downtown evenings we enjoy most and how we plan around them. MJ Team loves celebrating this season with our Naples neighbors, and we hope to see you on Third Street on November 23.
