Bluffton's tree lighting and Christmas Parade are still held during the first weekend in December, as they have been for decades. This year the Town has added a second center for the season. From Dec. 11 through Dec. 20, most of the Town's holiday events move to New Riverside Barn Park at the intersection of May River Road and Okatie Highway. A free outdoor ice rink sits at the middle of that stretch. In his October column in The Bluffton Sun, Mayor Larry Toomer wrote that "for the first time, the Town will bring a free outdoor ice-skating experience to New Riverside."
So the 2026 holidays come in two parts. Old Town gets one big weekend. The ten days after it happen at a park whose barn has been open for less than a year.
Old Town Still Opens the Season
The kickoff happens in the Historic District. According to the Town's Oct. 20 news release, the Tree Lighting begins Friday, Dec. 4, at 5:30 p.m. at Martin Family Park. Santa's Workshop follows at the DuBois Park pavilion, and "The Muppet Christmas Carol" plays outdoors at 6:30 p.m. The 55th Bluffton Christmas Parade steps off Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. and winds through the Historic District.
The parade has a few rules to know before Dec. 5:
- Entries are capped at 125, accepted first come, first served. Applications are due Friday, Nov. 13. Paper applications are available at the Town of Bluffton Welcome Center, 111 Calhoun St.
- There is no entry fee. Instead, the Town encourages participants to donate to the Mayor's Stay Safe, Bluffton! Scholarship Fund, which the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry manages.
- No candy is thrown from floats or vehicles. Walkers alongside an entry may hand candy to spectators, and spectators stay out of the roadway.
- Both events go on rain or shine. If unsafe weather cancels the parade, it will not be rescheduled. The parade also airs live on Beaufort County TV.
In past years, that weekend was most of the season. This year it is the opening act.
Why the Second Act Is in New Riverside
New Riverside Barn Park is new to the holiday calendar because the park itself is new. Bluffton Today reported that the playground and grounds opened at a Park Party and ribbon cutting on Feb. 22, 2025. The renovated barn followed with its own ribbon cutting on Feb. 6, 2026. Bluffton Today described the barn as a structure that "has acted as a landmark for the New Riverside area for years." It also reported that the park project began in July 2019 on a 37-acre site that includes the barn, a lawn and a music pavilion.
That makes December 2026 the barn's first holiday season as a public venue. The address to use is 30 Red Barn Drive for the barn. The Event Lawn, where the rink and craft fair will be, is listed at 38 Red Barn Drive. The Town lists a walking path, restrooms and greenspace at the lawn. Parking is limited to designated areas, which is useful to know on a night when the rink, a DJ and Santa all draw a crowd at once.
Ten Days, Four Kinds of Sessions
"Bluffton on Ice" uses synthetic ice. Skating is free, skates in all sizes are available to borrow, and food trucks will be on site whenever the rink is open. Every session runs six hours. When those six hours fall changes a lot over the ten days.
| Date | Rink hours | Also happening |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 11 | 4–10 p.m. | DJ "T-Bone" Taylor; Santa at New Riverside Barn, 4–7 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | 4–10 p.m. | DJ "T-Bone" Taylor |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Merry & Made Holiday Craft Fair, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| 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. | Santa at the Welcome Center in Old Town, 4–7 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | 4–10 p.m. | DJ "T-Bone" Taylor |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | 4–10 p.m. | Nutcracker excerpts and the Sugar Plum Fairy's Sweet Soirée in the barn; DJ |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Final day |
Six of the ten sessions are evenings. Four of those six come with a DJ, and the Saturday, Dec. 19 session pairs its DJ with the ballet. The two Sundays run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Only Monday the 14th and Wednesday the 16th open at 9 a.m., and those sessions close at 3 p.m.
Opening night stacks three things at once. On Friday, Dec. 11, the rink opens at 4 p.m. and Santa is at New Riverside Barn from 4 to 7 p.m. The Town asks families to bring their own cameras for photos. The first DJ night is the same evening.
The first Sunday is a shopping day. The Merry & Made Holiday Craft Fair takes over the Event Lawn from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 13, matching the rink's hours exactly. Mayor Toomer's column describes local artists, craftspeople and hobbyists "surrounding the ice rink."
Thursday, Dec. 17 has events in both Old Town and New Riverside. That afternoon, Santa is back in Old Town at the Welcome Center from 4 to 7 p.m. The Thursday markets at Martin Family Park, 68 Boundary Street, run from noon to 4 p.m. The rink opens in New Riverside at 4. A family can shop the market, see Santa on Calhoun Street and still have several hours of skating before the rink closes at 10.
The second Saturday ends with the ballet. On Dec. 19, the Okatie Youth Ballet performs selected scenes from "The Nutcracker" at New Riverside Barn from 5 to 6 p.m. The Sugar Plum Fairy's Sweet Soirée follows from 6 to 7 p.m., with photo opportunities with the ballerinas and light refreshments. The Town asks guests to bring chairs or blankets. The rink stays open until 10 p.m. that night.
Monday and Wednesday have no other events scheduled. The Dec. 14 and Dec. 16 sessions run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Town has scheduled nothing else alongside them. They are the only sessions that open before 11 a.m.
Eating Around Red Barn Drive
The food trucks on the lawn cover rink hours. For a sit-down meal before or after skating, New Riverside already has a cluster of restaurants along Parkside Commons, a short drive from the park.
- Before a weekday morning session: Eggs Up Grill at 349 Hope Pond Way is open daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast there fits before the 9 a.m. opening on Dec. 14 or Dec. 16.
- For a Sunday brunch before the craft fair: Cafe Al Dente of New York at 303 Parkside Commons, Suite 103, serves weekend brunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and takes reservations online.
- For a casual dinner around an evening session: Local Pie is at 135 Parkside Commons. Nom Nom Poke Shop, whose opening The Island Packet covered, is at 267 Parkside Commons, Suite 102.
- After the rink closes at 10: Frosty Frog Cafe at 147 Parkside Commons lists hours until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. By those listed hours, it is still open when the DJ nights end.
- For dessert between sessions: Bluffton Ice Cream at 267 Parkside Commons, Suite 103, notes that its hours are seasonal.
Meanwhile, Old Town keeps its weekly routine all month. The Bluffton Farmer's Market and The Bridge Collective Market both list Thursdays from noon to 4 p.m. at Martin Family Park. The December calendar includes Dec. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. The market on Dec. 10 falls the day before the rink opens. The Dec. 24 market, on Christmas Eve, comes four days after the rink closes.
When the season is over, I'll be curious which session worked best for your family. If you'd like to talk about any part of Bluffton's December, from the parade in the Historic District to the new barn on Red Barn Drive, Kim McElman would love to hear from you. Let's Connect.
