Daphne calls itself the Jubilee City, but this year none of its holiday events are on the water. Six of the seven dates on the November and December calendar are at three inland addresses: Daphne City Hall at 1705 Main Street, the Daphne Civic Center at 2603 U.S. Highway 98, and the Al Trione football fields at 8600 Whispering Pines Road. The seventh is the Christmas parade, which follows an Olde Towne route. Down the hill, Bayfront Park is fenced off while crews build the amphitheater the city plans to open in April 2027, and that opening is the first event of Daphne's 100th birthday year.
This year's routine is the familiar one. City Hall gets the tree, Olde Towne gets the parade, and U.S. 98 gets the indoor events. Next year the center of the city's celebrations moves to the shoreline.
Seven Dates, All Inland
Here is the full holiday calendar from the City of Daphne's events listing and the gift show's own listing.
| Date | Event | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21 | 16th Annual Daphne Christmas Extravaganza Gift Show | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Daphne Civic Center, 2603 U.S. Hwy 98 |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Daphne's Annual Tree Lighting | 5 to 8 p.m. | Daphne City Hall, 1705 Main St. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Daphne's Christmas Parade | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Olde Towne Daphne route |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Baldwin Pops Christmas Concert | 7 to 9 p.m. | Daphne Civic Center |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Movie Night in the Park | 4 to 8 p.m. | Al Trione football fields, 8600 Whispering Pines Rd. |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Skating with Santa | 4 to 8 p.m. | Daphne Civic Center |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Skating with Santa | 4 to 8 p.m. | Daphne Civic Center |
The Civic Center hosts four of the seven dates. The other big week pairs the tree lighting at City Hall with the parade through Olde Towne, two days apart.
One Big Week, Two Days Apart
For the Thursday, Dec. 3 tree lighting, the Daphne City Council agenda carried a motion to approve the event and to close Main Street from Belrose Avenue to Trione Avenue. If you usually drive Main Street home in the early evening, that Thursday is the one to plan around. The event runs 5 to 8 p.m.
The city hasn't posted a 2026 program yet, so last year's version is the best guide. Gulf Coast Media's 2025 holiday roundup listed train rides, caroling, children's activities and food trucks at 1705 Main Street. Activities started at 5 p.m. and the program began at 6 p.m. The 2025 tree lighting was also pushed from its original Thursday, Dec. 4 date to Tuesday, Dec. 9. Check the city calendar on the day before you head over.
The parade follows on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 11 a.m. The 2026 calendar lists only an "Olde Towne Daphne route." Last year the city's 2025 parade application laid it out street by street:
- Start at Main Street and Santa Rosa Avenue.
- Head south on Main Street.
- Turn west on College Avenue.
- Turn north on Sixth Street.
- Finish behind Christ the King Catholic School.
That is the 2025 route, and the city hasn't republished it for 2026. Treat it as a strong guess for where to set up chairs, not a promise. Groups that want to march go through City of Daphne Events & Marketing, the office named on the application.
U.S. 98 Carries the Rest
After the parade, the season moves indoors to the Civic Center. The gift show starts things off on Nov. 21. Its listing names Mobile Bay Events as the organizer and puts the show at 2603 U.S. Highway 98. This is the 16th year, so plenty of Eastern Shore households already know the Saturday-before-Thanksgiving shopping run.
In December, the Civic Center hosts the Baldwin Pops Christmas Concert on Thursday, Dec. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. Skating with Santa follows on two weeknights, Dec. 17 and Dec. 18, from 4 to 8 p.m. each night. Between those, on Friday, Dec. 11, Movie Night in the Park moves out to the Al Trione football fields on Whispering Pines Road, running 4 to 8 p.m.
If you have kids, the most crowded stretch is Dec. 10 through Dec. 18: two venues across four evenings in nine days, with the Civic Center as home base.
What's Happening at the Water Instead
Bayfront Park has been closed since construction began. The city's May 2026 notice said it would stay closed until the project wraps up in spring 2027. FOX10 reported in August that work was on schedule for an April opening.
One piece of the old waterfront routine is still open. According to FOX10, the pier can still be reached from Village Point Park, though the rest of the park no longer matches its old layout. A walk to the end of that pier on a clear December afternoon is about as close to the bay as the season gets this year.
The project itself is a big one. FOX10 put it at $16 million, paid for with the state's share of federal offshore oil and gas lease money. Gulf Coast Media's October report gave an estimated $15 million, including a $7.2 million Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act grant the state awarded to the city. Either way, it's in the $15 million to $16 million range. The amphitheater and stage sit on the north side of the property. Elevated, air-conditioned restrooms with a covered pavilion next to them were nearly finished in August, and a boardwalk and ADA-compliant path will run from the upper parking area down to the shoreline.
Troy Strunk, the city's Executive Director of City Development, connected the project to the anniversary when he spoke to FOX10. "With our centennial coming up in 2027, this is just an outstanding project for the city of Daphne," he said.
The Centennial Calendar Starts at the Bay
Daphne unveiled its centennial branding on the front lawn of City Hall on Oct. 7, at the same address that hosts the Dec. 3 tree lighting. The logo came with a mascot named Clawdius the crab. Mayor Robin LeJeune told Gulf Coast Media that the timing of the amphitheater worked out well. "People have talked about an amphitheater for 30 years," he said. "To open it as part of the centennial celebration, I mean, God has blessed Daphne and continues to bless Daphne."
Here's what the city has announced for 2027 so far, according to the same report:
- April 2027: Grand opening of the rebuilt Bayfront Park and Bayfront Amphitheater, the first centennial event.
- May 6 to 8, 2027: Eastern Shore Repertory Theatre's "The Little Mermaid," the amphitheater's first scheduled show.
- July 10, 2027: Centennial Gala at the Daphne Civic Center, two days after the 100th anniversary of Daphne's incorporation on July 8, 1927.
- Sept. 25, 2027: The "Spirit of Daphne" Parade, which the mayor described as Disney-esque. He said Disney Imagineers who grew up in Daphne volunteered to help design it.
- October 2027: A Centennial Concert at the Bayfront Amphitheater, with the date and artist still to be announced.
LeJeune also said local restaurants and businesses will offer special centennial items throughout the year.
In 2026, every holiday date is at City Hall, the Civic Center, the Trione fields or on the Olde Towne parade route. In 2027, the year opens at the shoreline and its last announced event, the October concert, is back at the shoreline. The Civic Center still has a role with the July gala, but the new stage on the bay is where the year begins and ends.
For this December, the dates to save are the Dec. 3 Main Street closure from Belrose to Trione and the 11 a.m. parade start on Dec. 5.
If someone in your circle is thinking about a Daphne address before the centennial year starts, The Beach to Bay Group is glad to walk them through Olde Towne, the bayfront and everything in between. We keep up with the Eastern Shore calendar as closely as the market. Start Your Beach to Bay Search.
