Which Saturday this season closes New Haven Avenue to cars?
Only one does, December 5. The other three have their own setups. Melbourne Main Street groups four Saturdays under the Candlelight Shopping name: Small Business Saturday on November 28, the Tree Lighting on December 5, the Cookie Crawl on December 12 and the Holiday Wine & Art Walk on December 19. They share a name, but the start times, street setups and main draws are different each week. The holiday window displays tie them together. They go up on the first Saturday, and the winner is named on the second.
Over the four weeks, the action moves from daytime shopping toward evening events. Here's each Saturday at a glance.
| Saturday | Event | Hours | New Haven Avenue | Main draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 28 | Small Business Saturday | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Open all day | Shop deals, Santa from noon to 4 p.m., window debut |
| Dec 5 | Tree Lighting | 4 to 8 p.m. | Closed, Municipal Lane to the railroad tracks | Campbell Park tree at 6 p.m. |
| Dec 12 | Parade, then Cookie Crawl | 10 a.m. parade, 4 to 8 p.m. crawl | $25 cookie tins | |
| Dec 19 | Holiday Wine & Art Walk | 4 to 8 p.m. | Free wine sips and live painting |
The Saturday before, in Eau Gallie
The season actually starts a week earlier and a few miles north. The Junior League of the Space Coast holds its 42nd Annual Festival of Trees on Saturday, November 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Eau Gallie Civic Center. It's a daytime family event, with decorated trees and wreaths, shopping, treats, Santa photos, and Mrs. Claus crafting for kids ages 4 to 12. All proceeds support the Junior League's community-improvement work.
That same night, Derek Hough brings Dance for the Holidays to the King Center. At the Henegar Center, Disney's Frozen runs through December 13, with Olaf's High Tea & Hot Chocolate on select dates.
So the season opens in daylight, with a 9 a.m. start. By the last Saturday, the downtown events don't start until 4 p.m.
November 28 runs in daylight, then the crawl takes the evening
Small Business Saturday runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and it's the only one of the four that's mostly a daytime event. Streets stay open all day, and Main Street points visitors to the free public lots. Santa and Mrs. Claus stroll downtown from noon to 4 p.m. Their photo spot is in La Galerie, between Strawbridge Art League and the Teahouse. There's holiday music along New Haven all afternoon, and the holiday windows go up that day.
Just as the shopping day wraps up, Mad Hatter Promotions starts its 11th Annual Holiday Pub Crawl, known locally as the Krampus Crawl. It runs from 5 to 10 p.m. and starts at The Creek, 829 E. New Haven Ave. The posted route:
- The Creek, 5 to 7 p.m.
- Debauchery, 7 to 8 p.m.
- Meg O'Malley's, 8 to 9 p.m.
- County Line Saloon, 9 to 10 p.m.
Tickets cover five drinks for $18 in advance or $25 on the day. You have to be 21 or older to buy one, and there are costume contests. Across town that night, the Brevard Symphony Orchestra performs The Most Wonderful Time at the King Center.
So the first Saturday is really two events. Shopping fills the daytime, and the crawl takes over after 5 p.m.
December 5 is the night the avenue closes
The Tree Lighting is the first fully evening Saturday. It runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at Campbell Park and along New Haven Avenue, and New Haven is closed between Municipal Lane and the railroad tracks. The tree in Campbell Park lights at 6 p.m. The Indialantic Chamber Singers and Melbourne BandWorks perform, and shops stay open until 8 p.m.
This is also when the window displays that went up a week earlier get their winner. The Holiday Window Decorating Contest result is announced at the tree lighting. With the avenue closed to traffic, Main Street's advice is to use the free public lots and arrive early.
Several other big events land on the same day. Battle Bros' 3rd Annual Space Coast Holiday Food Fest & Craft Fair runs from noon to 9 p.m. at Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Drive. It has $1 to $5 tasting items, a craft marketplace, a kids' zone and a train ride. Part of the proceeds benefit The Children's Hunger Project. Space Coast Ballet's The Nutcracker is at the King Center on December 5 and 6. The food fest starts at noon, so a family could eat at Wickham Park first and still reach Campbell Park before the 6 p.m. lighting.
December 12 has a gap in the middle
On the third Saturday, the two events are hours apart. American Air, Plumbing & Electric brings A Very American Christmas Parade downtown at 10 a.m. Downtown Melbourne's event listing places it on E. New Haven Avenue from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Cookie Crawl doesn't start until 4 p.m. Main Street's ticket page pitches the full day:
Make a day of it! The Great American Christmas Parade presented by American Air & Plumbing steps off at 10am.
That leaves almost three hours between the end of the parade listing and the start of tin pickup. Crawl tickets are $25, and each one gets you one keepsake tin plus a map of every cookie stop. If several people want tins, each needs a ticket. Tin pickup starts at 3:45 p.m. at the Melbourne Main Street office, 2004 Vernon Place. Santa and Mrs. Claus are back at La Galerie from 4 to 8 p.m. The Grinch and strolling entertainers will be around, and shops stay open until 8 p.m.
If you'd rather stay out later, Brevard Community Chorus performs Handel's Messiah at the King Center the same evening.
December 19 moves the evening indoors
The last Saturday, the Holiday Wine & Art Walk, runs from 4 to 8 p.m. It's free and open to everyone. Participating businesses pour wine sips and serve light bites. Local artists show work, there's live painting, and the Grinch makes one more appearance. Wine is for guests 21 and older and has to stay inside the participating businesses. Parking is again in the free public lots.
The first three Saturdays center on outdoor spots like the photo spot, the park and the parade route. This one happens mostly inside the shops. The Henegar Center's Holiday Spectacular: Merry & Bright runs December 17 through 20, so it overlaps the walk.
Two places on New Haven that weren't open last December
This year's Saturdays include two downtown spots that weren't part of last year's holiday season.
- Lynora's, 529 E. New Haven Ave. This family-owned Italian brand has roots in South Florida and serves wood-fired pizza, Italian classics and craft cocktails. Florida Today reported on October 28 that it was open and serving guests. It's a sit-down dinner option on the evening Saturdays, especially December 5, when the avenue outside is closed to cars.
- Okay* Coffee, 909 E. New Haven Ave. Florida Today's November 3 dining roundup lists it as one of the new coffee shops that opened in October. The roundup describes a café serving specialty coffee in a modern, minimalist setting. The menu has espresso drinks along with an Americola and an espresso tonic. It's a short walk from The Creek at 829 E. New Haven Ave., so it's near both the Small Business Saturday shopping and the start of the Krampus Crawl on November 28.
Lynora's is a dinner spot and Okay* Coffee is a daytime café, so between them they cover the daytime Saturday and the evening ones.
At our office in Indialantic, we hear a lot of holiday planning start with "which Saturday?" If you're also wondering what your own place is worth heading into the new year, Island Pineapple Realty is happy to walk you through it over coffee, maybe at Okay* Coffee. Request a Free Home Valuation and we'll set it up.
