Between Thanksgiving weekend and mid-December, Ormond Beach's biggest holiday events all happen on or near Granada Boulevard. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, antique cars head east from the Granada Bridge toward the beach where racing started in 1902. Two weeks later, the city's nighttime parade comes down Granada from U.S. 1 and ends at Beach Street, by the Halifax River. In between, the Ormond Memorial Art Museum holds two Saturday art walks a few blocks from both routes.
Plan the season as one road traveled twice. The dates below run in calendar order, along with which side of the bridge each event is on and where to eat nearby.
Thanksgiving Weekend Starts Where the Speed Records Did
According to the Crankin' A's Model A club's upcoming-events calendar, the Gaslight Parade is on Friday, November 27, 2026, at 7 p.m., the night after Thanksgiving. Cars line up at the east end of the Granada Bridge, head east on Granada and then turn south on A1A toward Belair Plaza. The same calendar lists the Birthplace of Speed Car Show for Saturday, November 28, presented by the Volusia County AACA, also at the east end of the Granada Bridge.
Last year's events were set up differently. The 2025 parade, billed as the 67th Birthplace of Speed Gaslight Parade, registered cars at The Casements and started at 7 p.m. The 2025 car show was at Fortunato Park, 2 John Anderson Dr., from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you're planning around the Saturday show, check the final hours and location with the Volusia Region AACA closer to the weekend. The 2026 calendar entry lists hours that don't match a typical show day.
The route has a history behind it. The City of Ormond Beach's History of Speed in Ormond Beach lays out how the beach became a proving ground:
- 1902: Racing on Ormond Beach begins.
- 1903: The Winton Bullet beats the Olds Pirate in a Challenge Cup by two-tenths of a second.
- 1904: Glenn H. Curtiss sets a motorcycle record of 67.36 mph.
- January 26, 1906: Fred Marriott drives F.E. Stanley's Rocket to 127.659 mph.
- 1910: Barney Oldfield's Lightning Benz breaks that mark at 131.72 mph.
So when the Gaslight Parade turns onto A1A, it's driving cars older than 2000 along the stretch of shoreline where those records were set. The Motor Racing Heritage Association looks after that history at Birthplace of Speed Park, at A1A and Granada Boulevard, which includes a model of the Ormond Garage. In 2025, the association held an open house there before the parade, and its most recent posted open house was August 28, 2026. If you want a Thanksgiving-weekend visit, check the Motor Racing Heritage Association site for a 2026 date.
The Museum Fills the Saturdays Between
The Ormond Memorial Art Museum sits between the two parade weekends, and its calendar is the most fully published part of the season.
| Date | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | "The Gilded Age of Ormond Beach" program | 2 to 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | First Saturday Ormond Art Walk | 3 to 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Masquerade Ball & Thou Art Evening Performance, $75 to $95 | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Nov. 24 to Jan. 31 | "Brilliant Fiber: The Art of Akiko Sugiyama" | Exhibit run |
| Dec. 4 to 6 | Amy Discepolo pop-up | Weekend run |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | First Saturday Ormond Art Walk, featuring the Discepolo pop-up | 3 to 7 p.m. |
November 7 makes a good afternoon. The Gilded Age program starts at 2 p.m. and lets out just before the art walk begins at 3, so you can stay for both without a gap. The November calendar is posted on the museum's November 2026 calendar, and the Masquerade Ball details and tickets are on its event page.
The Sugiyama exhibit opens two days before Thanksgiving and stays up through January 31. You can see it any time during the holidays, including when guests are in town. The Discepolo pop-up and the December 5 art walk come a week before the city parade, as the museum's December 2026 calendar shows.
December 12: The Parade Comes the Other Way
The Thanksgiving cars head east toward the ocean. The city's parade goes the other way, toward the river. According to the City of Ormond Beach's announcement, the 35th Annual HOme for the HOlidays Nighttime Parade is on Saturday, December 12, 2026:
- 6 p.m.: Tree lighting at City Hall
- 6:30 p.m.: Parade start
- Route: Division Avenue to U.S. 1, right turn, then Granada Boulevard to Beach Street
- Theme: "Stars, Stripes, and Holiday Lights"
The tree lighting comes first. The schedule leaves 30 minutes between it and the parade start, so you can see both in one evening by arriving early. Last year's parade fell on December 13, 2025, at 6 p.m., with City Hall listed as the location. This year's announcement lists the tree lighting as its own item ahead of the parade.
The route ends at Beach Street, by the Halifax River and a few blocks from The Casements, where the season's last event takes place.
December 17: The River End of Granada
The city's Holidays at The Casements listing has a free concert on Thursday, December 17, 2026, at 6 p.m., at The Casements, 25 Riverside Drive. It's a weeknight, five days after the parade, and the last dated event on the city's holiday schedule.
The Casements also hosts Breakfast with Santa. The city's notice says advance tickets are required and go on sale in November 2026. The breakfast date hasn't been posted yet, so watch for the ticket release next month.
The Casements Guild's Christmas Gala doesn't have a 2026 listing on the city calendar so far. In 2025, the 47th Annual Christmas Gala ran December 5 through 7 at 25 Riverside Drive. It opened with a tree lighting and Santa's arrival at 6 p.m. on Friday and continued from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Ormond Beach Observer's 2025 holiday guide placed that tree lighting in Rockefeller Gardens. If you went in past years, keep checking the city's community events page through November.
Where to Eat Between the Two Parades
Several places along the parade routes are new since last holiday season.
New Orleans Original Creole/Cajun Cafe is at 188 E. Granada Blvd., on the beachside stretch the Gaslight Parade uses. The Ormond Beach Observer reported that it planned to open August 29, with po'boys, charbroiled oysters, beignets, sno-balls and king cakes on the menu. The cafe's own hours page lists 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., so a 7 p.m. parade on Friday night means getting there for an early dinner.
Fletcher's Irish Brewery & Scratch Kitchen at 393 W. Granada Blvd. is the new name for Fletcher's. Its brewery moved to that address in December 2025, and the Ormond Beach Observer reported in October that it brews 18 to 22 of its own beers on average. It's on the mainland side of Granada, which is the side the December 12 parade uses.
Mimi's Cuban Bakery opened August 24 at 1220 Hand Ave., with handmade pastries, desserts, sandwiches and coffee, according to the Ormond Beach Observer. It's a short drive from Granada and an easy stop for coffee and pastries before the Saturday car show or the morning after the parade.
Antique cars head east toward A1A on November 27. The city's parade reaches Beach Street on December 12. The free concert at 25 Riverside Drive starts at 6 p.m. on December 17.
If the season has you looking at homes near Granada, on the beachside or by the river, Michael Fiscina knows how each stretch of Ormond Beach lives day to day, parade nights included. Schedule a Free Consultation and we can talk through which side of the bridge fits the way you'd like to spend your weekends.
