Saturday, December 12 starts with a 6:30 a.m. race on Pier Road. A Grinch breakfast begins in the Club Ballroom at 9, a free Santa fishing event at 10, and the Jekyll Island Club Resort's holiday market stays open until 6 that evening. Holly Jolly Jekyll runs from November 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027, but the season isn't spread evenly across those weeks. Most of the scheduled activity lands on two stretches: the four days around Thanksgiving and one Saturday in mid-December. If you live here, those are the dates to look at closely, whether you plan to be in the middle of it or just want to avoid the Historic District at the wrong hour.
The season opens on a Friday that's already full
The Jekyll Island Authority lists the season's start as November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. By then the island is already busy. Thanksgiving Day itself has two holiday meals at the resort: the Thanksgiving Feast in the Grand Dining Room, from $60, and Coastal Thanksgiving at 80 Ocean, from $45.
Then the weekend fills up quickly:
- Monday, November 23. The Jekyll Island Greenhouse poinsettia sale opens, with plants listed at $6 to $25. Sale days run on select weekdays through December 18.
- Friday, November 27. The season opens. Holiday Cookie Decorating runs from 10 to 11 a.m. in the resort's Lanier Ballroom for $15 and up, and the Oyster Roast on the River starts at $40.
- Saturday, November 28. The Cold-Stunned Plunge sends people into the Atlantic to raise money for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The resort also has a Christmas and Holiday Ceramic Painting event that day, from $25.
- November 27 through 29. The resort's current holiday market listing has the market open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. all three days at 371 Riverview Drive.
The market timing stands out. When the resort introduced the Holiday Market in its November 6, 2025 announcement, it ran only in December, from noon to 6 p.m. in the Hall of Mirrors, on December 4, 11 and 12, 18 through 20, and 26. The current listing begins on Thanksgiving weekend, opens three hours earlier, and runs on weekend pairs through December 20. That pushes one of the season's regular draws into its opening days.
December 12, hour by hour
Thanksgiving weekend has a lot going on across four days. December 12 fits a similar amount into one Saturday, and nearly all of it is in or near the Historic District. Here's the day as currently listed:
| Time | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:30 a.m. | Sandy Claus 5K start | Pier Road and Hopkins Avenue | $40 |
| 7:00 a.m. | Mistletoe Fun Run start | Pier Road and Hopkins Avenue | $30 |
| 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. | Breakfast with The Grinch | Club Ballroom, Jekyll Island Club Resort | $55++ adults, $30++ ages 4 to 12, free 3 and under |
| 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Holiday Market, per the resort's current listing | 371 Riverview Drive | No price listed |
| 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | Merry Fishmas with the Kids Can Fish Foundation | Listed on the JIA calendar | Free |
The race is run by Q Running Co., and the Sandy Claus 5K registration page says the course passes the island's Christmas light installations. That's why it starts before full daylight. The Jekyll Island Authority's event listing blocks off 6 to 9 a.m. for it. The course was also in the Historic District in 2025, starting and finishing at the same Pier Road and Hopkins Avenue corner, and that race was held on December 13.
Breakfast with The Grinch is the event that moved. The resort's 2025 announcement put it on December 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Morgan Center Ballroom with a "Green Eggs & Ham" themed buffet. For 2026 it's a shorter two-hour seating in the Club Ballroom. The base prices are the same $55 for adults and $30 for children, and the listing now shows them with "++" and adds a free rate for children 3 and under. A 9 a.m. seating means families coming from the race can walk over and still beat the late-morning arrivals.
Merry Fishmas, run by the Kids Can Fish Foundation, is the free part of the day. The JIA describes it as a meet-and-greet with Santa, and it runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Altogether, December 12 has organized activity from before sunrise through early evening. If you're hosting family that weekend, plan the day around the race morning and the market afternoon.
Why the fireworks matter more this year
The second half of the season has less on the calendar than in past years, which makes those two busy stretches more important.
The JIA's Holly Jolly Fireworks show is listed for one night, Monday, December 21, from 6 to 6:30 p.m. at Great Dunes Beach Park. It's free. In 2025, the resort's holiday announcement listed fireworks on December 22 and 29. The 2024 to 2025 season also had two fireworks nights, on December 23 and 30, according to The Brunswick News' season preview. On the current schedule, there's no fireworks night between Christmas and New Year's. If you've hosted a late-December fireworks night in years past, the 21st is the only date currently listed.
The Winter Carnival & Big Truck Roundup moved up a day and spread out. It's on Saturday, December 5, from noon to 4 p.m., and it's free. Carnival rides and music are on the Village Green, and the emergency-vehicle displays are at Great Dunes Beach Park. The 2025 version was on December 6, and the resort described it as being on Great Dunes Beach. With two sites, families with young kids will likely end up going back and forth between the Village Green and the beach park instead of staying in one place.
A few traditions from earlier years don't have 2026 dates on the JIA's feature list yet. One is the Holiday Light Parade with Santa, which the resort's 2025 announcement listed for December 20. Another is the drive-in movie nights, which The Brunswick News' preview of the 2024 to 2025 season put on December 22 and 29. The resort's Holly Jolly page still mentions drive-in movies as part of the celebration. Until dates are posted, check back before marking anything on your calendar.
The Light Tours are still pending
The trolley is the main way people see the lights. The JIA describes Holly Jolly Light Tours as a ride past more than a million lights in the Historic District on "select nights throughout the season." For now, the Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum site says Light Tour tickets aren't available yet and offers a sign-up for notice. Holidays in History, a tour of the season as Jekyll Island Club members celebrated it, and the Holly Jolly Scavenger Hunt that starts at Mosaic are both listed as running on "select dates."
There are a lot of lights to see. The resort's Holly Jolly page counts more than 1.5 million lights, over 350 displays, and a Great Tree with more than 45,000 lights. If trolley seats sell out before you get one, the JIA also posts a self-guided light tour map.
The quieter weeks in between
Between Thanksgiving weekend and December 12, and again after the 21st, the season runs mostly on things you can do any day. Peppermint Land, the holiday mini golf course with life-size gumdrops and gingerbread characters, is open all season. Santa holds visits and photos at the Skeet House on Pier Road on select dates. North Pole South is open all year for holiday gifts. Mosaic charges $10 for ages 4 and up, is free for ages 3 and under, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, so plan around those two dates if you're bringing guests.
The resort has more on these in-between weeks. Holiday Cookie Decorating returns on Friday, December 18, from 4 to 5 p.m., and there's a Snowman Making Workshop on December 19. Holiday High Tea is on the schedule at $75++ for adults and $45++ for ages 4 to 12. That's $10 more for adults than the $65 the resort listed in 2025, and the children's price is unchanged. The current page doesn't list 2026 seating dates yet.
If you want poinsettias, buy them early. The Greenhouse sale opens Monday, November 23, ahead of the Thanksgiving crowds, and ends December 18, three days before the fireworks.
Many of these schedules are still being filled in, and official pages can change before the season starts. The Holly Jolly Jekyll page and the Jekyll Island Club Resort events listing are the places to check before you put a date on the fridge.
At GK Real Estate Advisors, we follow island calendars like this one because they shape everyday life here, from when the Historic District gets crowded to which weekends work for hosting family. If you're curious what your Jekyll Island home is worth heading into the holidays, start with a complimentary home valuation.
