Seacrest Beach sits between Alys Beach and Rosemary Beach, and this year its holiday season looks a lot like its map. Nearly every dated event between now and early December happens in the town on one side, the town on the other, or at The Big Chill on 30A. Seacrest's own village stays the place you leave from and come back to. Laid out by date, the borrowed calendar doesn't spread evenly across six weeks. It bunches into two short peaks: Crafted week in mid-November, then Thanksgiving week, when all three calendars land on the same four days.
That bunching shapes the season more than any single event does.
The Season, Laid Out by Date
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 30 | Halloween Bash, 5 to 9:30 PM | The Big Chill and The Shops |
| Fri, Nov 6 | Karaoke Night with DJ Dan Davis | The Big Chill |
| Wed, Nov 11 to Sun, Nov 15 | Crafted | Alys Beach |
| Tue, Nov 24 | Family dance party, 6 to 9:30 PM | The Big Chill |
| Wed, Nov 25 | 30A 10K packet pickup, 11 AM to 6 PM | The Big Chill |
| Thu, Nov 26 | 30A 10K Thanksgiving Day Races | Rosemary Beach start and finish |
| Fri, Nov 27 | Alys in Winter Wonderland, 4 to 6:30 PM | Alys Beach Amphitheatre |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Holiday Tour of Homes | Rosemary Beach, check-in at North Barrett Square |
After the Big Chill Halloween Bash closes out October, the next three weeks carry a single karaoke night and then Crafted's five days. The real crowding starts the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, with four events across four days from three different hosts.
The First Peak Belongs to Alys Beach
Crafted runs November 11 through 15. Alys Beach bills it as a multi-day celebration of chefs, distillers, designers and craftspeople from across the country. The schedule builds from small rooms toward open lawns over the week:
- Wednesday, Nov 11: a 30A Songwriters Session at 5:30 PM in the Red Loggia at Caliza.
- Thursday, Nov 12: three experiential dinners at 5 PM. Foursquare Rum Distillery pairs with Chef Rob McDaniel in the Red Loggia at Caliza. Brown Forman Spirits pairs with George's at Alys Beach. Menagerie Wines, Yarrow Art and Alys Beach Culinary share The Summerhouse at the Silva.
- Friday, Nov 13: the Holiday Makers Market opens at the Alys Beach Amphitheatre from 2 to 4:30 PM, and the Firkin Fête, built around rare firkin cask ales and bites from local chefs, takes over Central Park from 6:30 to 9 PM. Cocktails & Clay at The Summerhouse is already sold out.
- Saturday, Nov 14: the Makers Market from 10 AM to 2 PM, then the Spirited Soirée along the North Sea Garden Walk from 1 to 4 PM.
- Sunday, Nov 15: a final Makers Market morning, 10 AM to 2 PM.
If you want one Crafted hour that doesn't need planning, go to the Makers Market. The Friday market page describes it as free and open to the public, though the same page also carries a "sold out" label, so check that listing before you head over on Friday. The weekend market mornings make for a short, easy trip from Seacrest.
Crafted is also an excuse to try Alys Beach's newest dining room. Indaco, the modern Italian restaurant from Indigo Road Hospitality Group, opened this summer at 40 Mark Twain Lane, Suite 101, with Dakota Watson as chef. It serves dinner daily, lunch on weekdays, brunch on weekends and aperitivo every day. On a Crafted afternoon with no ticket in hand, that daily aperitivo hour fits neatly between a market morning and the Firkin Fête.
Thanksgiving Week, When the Calendars Overlap
The second peak needs actual planning, because it's the one week the neighbors' events touch daily routines on 30A itself. In order:
- Tuesday, Nov 24. The Big Chill hosts a family dance party with DJ Dan Davis from 6 to 9:30 PM.
- Wednesday, Nov 25. Packet pickup for the 30A 10K runs at The Big Chill from 11 AM to 6 PM. There is no race-day pickup.
- Thursday, Nov 26. The 10K starts at 7:30 AM, the one-mile fun run at 7:35 AM, and the 5K at 9:30 AM. Awards and the post-race party follow in Barrett Square at Rosemary Beach.
- Friday, Nov 27. Alys in Winter Wonderland fills the Alys Beach Amphitheatre from 4 to 6:30 PM with a concert, Santa and holiday activities, ending in a tree lighting at 6:30 PM. The Merchants of Alys Beach present it.
Thanksgiving morning is the one to plan around. The 30A 10K race site states the closure plainly:
"Highway 30A will be CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC on Thursday, November 26th, 2026 from 7:00AM to 10:30AM. The road closure will begin at East Water Street (Start/Finish line) in Rosemary Beach and extend to the 10K turn around at Bridge Lane just east of The Big Chill."
Watersound Parkway also closes for the 5K route, from its intersection with 30A north to the Camp Creek Inn entrance. The start and finish sit in Rosemary Beach, and the turnaround is beside The Big Chill. Anyone driving to a Thanksgiving dinner, picking up family or making an early grocery run should be on the road before 7 AM or after 10:30.
The race itself is a big community production for one morning. The 30A 10K series runs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and says it has raised more than $1 million for local charity partners. Its post-race celebration includes a DJ, local vendors, breakfast and a mimosa and Bloody Mary bar. For 2026 it is also the RRCA Florida State Championship 10K. If you aren't running, Barrett Square after 9:30 AM is a good place to catch the finish.
The Big Chill Ties the Week Together
The Big Chill at Prominence, formerly The Hub 30A, keeps turning up in the Thanksgiving calendar. Tuesday's dance party is there. Wednesday's packet pickup is there. Thursday's 10K turns around at Bridge Lane, just east of it. Its address is 20 Hub Lane, Watersound Beach.
The site was laid out for this sort of week. It has a large lawn, an outdoor firepit, a covered patio and a stage with a 25-foot LED Jumbotron used for sporting events and family movie nights. It has also been the place to watch Sunday football this fall, with NFL games on the Jumbotron through the season's early weeks. For a quick bite between events, The Big Chill lists Nectar for coffee, breakfast and smoothies, and Duos for all-American food. Other food stalls have been changing, and at least one is listed as closed for renovations, so check before you count on a particular counter.
Before Thanksgiving, The Big Chill also has the season's two smaller dates. The Halloween Bash on Friday, October 30, runs 5 to 9:30 PM at The Big Chill and The Shops next door, with trick-or-treating. Karaoke Night with DJ Dan Davis follows on Friday, November 6.
Rosemary Beach Takes December
When the Thanksgiving rush thins out, the calendar swings back east. Rosemary Beach holds its Holiday Tour of Homes on Saturday, December 5, from 8 AM to 6 PM, with check-in at North Barrett Square.
Rosemary's tree lighting is the one major date that hasn't been posted yet for 2026. Last year it took place on Friday, November 28, the day after Thanksgiving, in South Barrett Square from 6 to 6:30 PM, with carolers, Santa and carriage rides. If it returns to that slot this year, it would land on Friday, November 27, the same evening Alys Beach lights its tree at 6:30 PM, which would put both of Seacrest's neighbors lighting trees within about half an hour of each other. Until Rosemary posts a 2026 date, keep that Friday evening loosely open.
Home Base Stays Open the Whole Time
Most of these outings start and end in Seacrest's own village. Peddlers Pavilion at 10343 E County Hwy 30A anchors it, with Peddler's Pub, Kickstand Bar, Sweet Peddler, Charlie's Donuts, Ticheli's Pizza and Beachside Burger Co. all listed by Peddlers 30A. The Peddlers bike shop has been open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM since August 2, 2026. Those hours suit a Crafted Saturday or a Thanksgiving morning when 30A is closed to cars.
Two more village fixtures cover the before and after. Seacrest Sundries, at 10343 E County Hwy 30A, Unit F108, is open 9 AM to 9 PM daily, late enough for a stop on the way home from Winter Wonderland. LaCo, the restaurant at the same address that was formerly known as La Cocina, serves daily and describes itself as sitting right between Alys and Rosemary.
Seacrest also has a gathering spot of its own. The community's lagoon amphitheater hosts concerts, movies and weddings. No holiday dates are posted for it this season, so this year's bigger events are all next door.
If the busy weeks next door have you curious how Seacrest's own homes are holding their value, Corcoran Reverie knows this stretch of 30A well. Get an Instant Valuation before the December quiet sets in.
