Last October, Jupiter HarbourFest made its debut at the Plaza Down Under on the Riverwalk. Its ticketed Tastings kickoff ran the night before a short walk away at Harbourside Place. This year the whole festival happens at Harbourside Place on Oct. 16 and 17.
On its own, the move looks like a venue change. On the calendar, it fits a pattern. From early October through mid-December, many of Jupiter's best-attended public evenings happen along the same stretch of the Loxahatchee River near the inlet: the Riverwalk, Harbourside Place, Sawfish Bay Park and the grounds of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. The best way to plan the season is to treat that shoreline as one venue that keeps changing its program.
The Season at a Glance
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sundays, Oct. 4 to Dec. 20 | The Market at Harbourside Place, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Harbourside Place |
| Oct. 10 | Els for Autism FALLoween Festival, 9 a.m. to noon | 18370 Limestone Creek Road |
| Oct. 16 to 17 | Jupiter HarbourFest | Harbourside Place |
| Oct. 17 | Halloween Spooktacular, 4 to 7 p.m. | Jupiter Community Center, 200 Military Trail |
| Oct. 27 to Nov. 8 | Orphans | Maltz Jupiter Theatre |
| Nov. 6 to 7 | Jupiter Golden Jubilee | Harbourside Place, Jupiter Dog Beach, Ocean Cay Park |
| Nov. 6 to 8 | Feast of Little Italy | Downtown Abacoa |
| Nov. 14 | Rendezvous at the Light, 6 to 9 p.m. | Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum |
| Dec. 1 to 13 | Ain't Misbehavin' | Maltz Jupiter Theatre |
| Dec. 5 | 32nd Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade | Intracoastal Waterway, finale at the Jupiter Lighthouse |
| Dec. 13 | 50th Jupiter/Tequesta Christmas Parade, 1 p.m. | Abacoa |
Five of these events take place on or right beside the water at the inlet. The inland events cluster on two weekends: Abacoa on Nov. 6 to 8 and again on Dec. 13. That leaves most fall weekends to the river.
HarbourFest, Year Two
When the Palm Beach Post reported on the first HarbourFest in October 2025, the festival had been in development since early that year. The Jupiter Town Council had approved $60,000 for it in January 2025, with backing from the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce and Jupiter Medical Center. WPTV's coverage named Chamber president and CEO Noel Martinez and Harbourside Place developer Nicholas Mastroianni III among the organizers. It also reported an expected attendance of about 5,000.
The second edition is shaped a little differently from the first:
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Main festival | Plaza Down Under on the Riverwalk, Oct. 18 to 19 | Harbourside Place, Oct. 16 to 17 |
| Tastings | Friday at Harbourside Place, $75, included one day of festival entry | Friday 5 to 7 p.m., $50; a $100 VIP ticket adds one festival day and a VIP hospitality area |
| General admission | Free | Free |
The Tastings list overlaps heavily with last year's: Wyndham Grand Jupiter at Harbourside Place, Mana Greek Fusion, Calaveras Cantina, The Jupiter Grill, Tommy Bahama, Gelato&Co. and Ruth's Chris Steak House. In 2025, most of these restaurants poured and plated at Harbourside on Friday, and then the crowd walked to the Riverwalk on Saturday. This year, the restaurants and the music stages share one footprint for both days.
Harbourside Place's event feed lists two stages and a coastal country lineup. Bryant Thomas Band and Jutt Huffman Band play Friday, and Boxelder and RJ Preston Duo play Saturday. Food trucks, local vendors and kids' activities round out the weekend, and more acts are still to be announced.
A few practical points before you go:
- Hours. The organizer's ticket page lists Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. The Town's October to January magazine prints noon to 8 p.m. for both days. The organizer's schedule is the more detailed of the two, but check it again the week of the festival.
- Parking. The FAQ calls nearby retail parking limited and suggests ride-share or carpooling. It also says paid and free garages are within walking distance. Shuttle details are promised closer to the event.
- Rules. The festival runs rain or shine, all ticket sales are final, and selfie sticks and professional photography equipment are not allowed.
Families with young children should know the Town's Halloween Spooktacular runs from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Jupiter Community Center. That's the same afternoon as HarbourFest's second day. The community center sits on Military Trail, so you can fit trick-or-treating in before an evening set by the river.
Sundays Keep the Waterfront Busy Between Festivals
HarbourFest is the big weekend. The Market at Harbourside Place is what keeps the waterfront busy the rest of the fall. Its season opens Oct. 4 and runs Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with local vendors, treats and live music. The Harbourside series lists dates through Dec. 20.
A newer weekday stop sits on the same property. Mana Greek Market now sells imported Greek and Mediterranean groceries and opens daily at 11 a.m. It's a small addition, but it brings people to the waterfront on ordinary days when nothing is scheduled.
November Splits Between the Inlet and Abacoa
The first weekend of November pulls in two directions. The Feast of Little Italy takes over Downtown Abacoa from Nov. 6 to 8, with evening hours Friday and programming all day Saturday and Sunday. The ninth annual Jupiter Golden Jubilee keeps to the coast on the same weekend. A golden-retriever parade at Harbourside Place opens it on Friday, Nov. 6. On Saturday, Nov. 7, there's a morning gathering at Jupiter Dog Beach and an evening picnic at Ocean Cay Park.
Down the road, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre at 1001 E. Indiantown Road runs Orphans from Oct. 27 through Nov. 8. If you're planning a long weekend for visiting family, that's three different kinds of evening within a few miles of each other.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, the focus returns to the inlet. Rendezvous at the Light runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum. The museum describes it as the start of its holiday season, with the grounds decorated in lights. Proceeds support preservation of the landmark and the museum's community programming. It also lights up the lighthouse grounds three weeks before the boat parade ends there.
Dec. 5: The Whole Waterway as the Stage
The 32nd Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade is where the season along the river has been heading. The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County organizes it. The parade starts at 6 p.m. in North Palm Beach and heads north up the Intracoastal Waterway behind a traveling Zambelli fireworks display. It's expected in Jupiter around 8 p.m., and the finale is at the Jupiter Lighthouse. The parade doubles as a toy drive for Toys for Tots and Little Smiles, and the association asks spectators to bring a new, unwrapped toy.
The bridge schedule works as a clock for the night. The association's estimates, based on past parades:
- Parker Bridge, around 6:00 p.m.
- PGA Bridge, around 6:15 p.m.
- Donald Ross Bridge, around 7:00 p.m.
- Indiantown Road Bridge, around 7:30 p.m.
- Jupiter Federal Bridge, around 7:45 p.m.
The association notes that wind, tides and currents change the timing, and its permits allow each bridge to stay open for one hour. Plan any drive across the Indiantown Road or U.S. 1 spans that evening around those windows. Even small delays add up over the route.
The association's public viewing list for Jupiter includes Sawfish Bay Park, Lighthouse Park, Waterway Park, the Riverwalk and Harbourside Place. It also lists several restaurants: Charlie and Joe's at Love Street, Square Grouper Tiki Bar, U-Tiki and Jetty's. Spots closer to the lighthouse see the finale. The Riverwalk and Harbourside put you on the same stretch of shoreline that hosted HarbourFest in October. If you're staying home, the association says WPBF will stream the parade live on its app and Facebook page.
If you have a boat, entering costs nothing. Boaters who register by Nov. 19 have the refundable $50 deposit waived and are entered to win $500 and PBIBS Winward VIP passes. Judges score lights, enthusiasm and themed decor. Best of Parade wins $500, Fan Favorite wins $500, and a Rookie of the Year award goes to a first-year boat.
Eight days later, the season moves inland one last time. The JTAA's 50th annual Jupiter/Tequesta Christmas Parade steps off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, in Abacoa. It runs north on Central Boulevard and ends at Abacoa Community Park. That's the same park where the Town expected playground upgrades to reopen in early October.
Watching the boat parade from your own dock depends on more than a map shows: which bridges sit between you and the inlet, how the light falls across the water, and whether the dock is built for a crowd on a December night. Ryan Watley and the Watley Coastal & Club Group spend much of the year looking at Jupiter's waterfront homes from that angle, as places to live through every season. If a home on the parade route is on your mind for future holidays, Contact Us.
