Port St. Lucie Festival of Lights, Saturday, Dec. 5: Parade of Lights 6 p.m., tree lighting 7 p.m., Elton John tribute 7:30 and Zambelli fireworks at 9. Free.

Last checked Nov. 1, 2026. This page is updated each year. Sources: the City of Port St. Lucie’s Festival of Lights page and PSLinLights page, the county’s Visit St. Lucie calendar and Tradition’s events page.

Port St. Lucie’s Christmas parade and tree lighting happen on one night: the city’s Festival of Lights on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, from 2 to 10 p.m. at the MIDFLORIDA Event Center. The Parade of Lights steps off at 6 p.m., followed by the tree lighting at 7 p.m. and Zambelli fireworks at 9 p.m. Admission is free. A midway carnival, a holiday market and food trucks fill the afternoon.

Updated Nov. 1: the city posted the full schedule, with the Port St. Lucie Soccer Club as grand marshal, an Elton John tribute concert and Zambelli fireworks. The parade route and road closures are still not posted.

Who to call

  • City Special Events Department: 772-344-4139, specialevents@cityofpsl.com
  • City service line (1PSL): 772-871-1775
  • Festival address: MIDFLORIDA Event Center, 9221 SE Event Center Place

Festival of Lights: Saturday, Dec. 5

The city calls it its signature holiday tree-lighting ceremony. The schedule on its Festival of Lights page, which the city says is subject to change:

  • 2 p.m.: a holiday DJ, festive contests, a holiday market, the midway carnival and food trucks.
  • 6 p.m.: the Parade of Lights, with the Port St. Lucie Soccer Club as grand marshal.
  • 7 p.m.: the tree lighting, right after the parade.
  • 7:30 p.m.: a concert by Greggie and the Jets, an Elton John tribute band.
  • 9 p.m.: fireworks by Zambelli Fireworks.

Admission is free. The city asks guests to bring a new, unwrapped toy for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s local Toys for Tots program. Questions go to the Special Events Department, 772-344-4139.

The tree at the event center is a 34-foot multicolor LED panel tree with a snowburst topper, one of the city’s holiday photo spots. The city had not posted the 2026 parade route, road closures or parking on Nov. 1; we will add them when it does. Our getting around and road construction and closures pages cover the routes to the event center. The county’s listing describes the same program.

Tradition’s tree lighting: Friday, Dec. 4

Tradition holds its Annual Tree Lighting at Tradition Square from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Tradition’s page still read “Details coming soon” on Nov. 1. Questions: Tradition, 772-207-0057.

PSLinLights: the city’s holiday lights

Each season the city strings what it calls more than 2 million lights across Port St. Lucie. The city’s PSLinLights page still read “Coming soon” on Nov. 1. In 2025 the displays ran dusk to dawn from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31, including:

  • The Port District, 2454 SE Westmoreland Blvd.: a free walk-through of sea- and nature-themed lights from the Event Lawn to the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, dusk to 9 p.m. nightly, with a $5 Pioneer Express train ride for kids and a holiday food court by the historical homes.
  • The Community Center, 2195 SE Airoso Blvd.: a pixel light show of more than 6,000 lights synced to music, dusk to 9 p.m. nightly, free.
  • Photo spots at the Botanical Gardens, the MIDFLORIDA Event Center, the Community Center, McChesney Park and City Hall, plus patriotic lights at Veterans Memorial Park.
  • A home decorating contest, a holiday lights map of decorated homes and a scavenger hunt for glowing sandhill cranes.

Santa visited the Botanical Gardens pavilion and the Port St. Lucie History Museum on set December dates in 2025, and the Grinch made a pavilion appearance.

Parking for The Port District: the city sends visitors to Veterans Park at Rivergate, 2100 SE Veterans Memorial Parkway; Tom Hooper Park, 2300 SE Rivergate Parkway; and the post office lot at 2255 SE Veterans Memorial Parkway. There is no event parking at the nearby business plazas.

Nearby parades

Date Event Where
Friday, Dec. 4 Tradition’s Annual Tree Lighting, 5 to 9 p.m. Tradition Square, Port St. Lucie
Saturday, Dec. 5 Festival of Lights and Parade of Lights MIDFLORIDA Event Center, Port St. Lucie
Sunday, Dec. 6 Sights & Sounds on Second Christmas Parade Downtown Fort Pierce

River Nights in December

The city’s free River Nights concert on Thursday, Dec. 10, features country singer Tom Jackson at The Port District, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., per the River Nights page.

What this means for you

  • Parade and tree lighting: Saturday, Dec. 5, parade at 6 p.m., fireworks at 9. Bring an unwrapped toy.
  • Tradition’s lighting is the night before.
  • Plan to park at Rivergate or Tom Hooper Park for the lights at The Port District.

Related: things to do this month, parks and trails and trash and recycling for Christmas week pickup.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Port St. Lucie Christmas parade?

The Parade of Lights starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, during the city’s Festival of Lights at the MIDFLORIDA Event Center, 9221 SE Event Center Place.

When is the Port St. Lucie tree lighting?

At 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, right after the Parade of Lights, the city says, with fireworks at 9 p.m. Tradition holds its own tree lighting at Tradition Square from 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4.

What is at the Port St. Lucie Festival of Lights?

A holiday DJ, contests, a holiday market, a midway carnival and food trucks from 2 p.m., the Parade of Lights at 6 p.m., the tree lighting at 7, Greggie and the Jets, an Elton John tribute band, at 7:30 and Zambelli fireworks at 9. It is free and runs until 10 p.m.

Where can I see Christmas lights in Port St. Lucie?

The city’s PSLinLights displays at The Port District and the Community Center ran free, dusk to 9 p.m. nightly, from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31 in 2025, with a holiday lights map of decorated homes.

When is the Fort Pierce Christmas parade?

The Sights & Sounds on Second Christmas Parade in downtown Fort Pierce is Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, according to the county’s Visit St. Lucie calendar.