The Beach Community Week Rings In Music, Toy and Ugly Sweaters
Jessica Taylor • December 2, 2024
Local holiday events kick off the 1st week of December
The first week of December on the Gulf Coast promises a whirlwind of holiday cheer, community festivities, and seasonal delights. From toy drives and musical performances to creative workshops and parades, residents and visitors alike can immerse themselves in the spirit of the season. Each day brings a unique opportunity to give back, create memories, and celebrate the holidays in true coastal fashion.
Highlights include a free concert and toy drive with the Baldwin Pops, the annual Orange Beach Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, and the much-anticipated Snowball Drop in Gulf Shores. Whether it's crafting mini nutcrackers, enjoying live music at Flora-Bama, or embracing the "ugly Christmas sweater" tradition, there's something for everyone in this week’s festive lineup.
Monday, December 2nd - Get ready to spread Holiday cheer with a free concert toy drive for Toys for Tots this season. Start December off in the spirit of giving by contributing to a seventy - seven-year-old charitable effort adopted by the Marine Corps which later became the nonprofit we all know and love today. The heartfelt history of Toys for Tots and the societal need to bring a smile to every child's face makes this an easy choice if looking for a way to share in the gift of giving. The Baldwin Pops, an instrumental musical group with over 80 members, have partnered with the South Baldwin chapter of the charity. Concert material performed with different members of the Pops offer a wide range of quality music from “classical, Broadway, big band, dixieland”, to jazz and sometimes marches. The show is set to start at 7PM at the Foley Civic Center, plan to arrive early with your unwrapped toy to get in and find your spot for a Christmas special Baldwin Pops treat.
Foley Civic Center-Free Concert -Toys for Tots
407 E Laurel Ave
Foley, AL 36535
Tuesday, December 3rd - It’s FUEL night at Orange Beach Public Library where whimsical wonders await. Registration is required for this free event open to 4th-6th graders from 6-7PM and 7th up to all ages from 7-8PM. This week participants get to decorate Mini Nutcrackers with paint, paint markers and other craft supplies. Each group will have an hour to explore the imagination designing and creating the character of their nutcrackers. Possibilities are endless as supplies allow for various accessories of craft that are sure to bring a theme to life. Not feeling crafty but festive, dash over to the Wharf instead or after crafting for the annual City of Orange Beach Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. The Wharf store will be open with a North Pole photo set up with Santa following his arrival shortly after 5:30PM through to 9:30PM. Watch as Main Street becomes Reindeer Lane with “cups of toasty hot chocolate, a holiday SPECTRA Laser Light Experience show”, Christmas musical performances and much more. Walk the shops, stand or bring a chair and kick back with the community as they deck the halls and light the tree.
The Wharf - Annual OB Christmas Tree Lighting
23101 Canal Rd
Orange Beach, AL 36561
Wednesday, December 4th - Grab some friends to celebrate making it to hump day after the Thanksgiving break by kicking it back at Flora-Bama where every day is a holiday. Music on the line is year round and comes in all shapes and sizes sprinkled throughout the many rooms offered throughout the bar. Holding down the Mainroom on Wednesdays is Grammy nominated songwriter and entertainer, Rhonda Hart, the Smokey Otis Band, Bob Ravenscraft, and Joe Engel. This is one musically comical line up you’ll keep coming back to time and time again. If you haven't yet come out, start a tradition and become a part of the Bamily joining in on the fun-filled talent highlights that brighten your midweek day with a very merry night.
Flora-Bama Lounge and Package
17401 Perdido Key Dr
Perdido Key, FL 36561
Thursday, December 5th - Get ready to be dazzled by a man made blizzard aka 8,000 ping pong balls for Community Christmas with the 9th Annual Snowball Drop. Thanks to some never naughty, always nice and generous sponsors, this event is not only free but also comes with prizes. As the snowballs drop and the furry begins, you’ll find some blank and some that are marked with a number for the win. Various local sponsors have all graciously donated the wrapped in happiness and tied with love prizes in an effort to generate community and light up that yuletide spirit that sparks the season into gear. The main event is not all that's in store for attendees, with plenty of Christmas activities and fun for the whole family. Santa will be available for photos and to hear those wish lists, holiday sweet treats, crafts and more. Coolers, chairs, blankets and other comforts from home are welcomed especially if planning to stay a while enjoying the music on a night under the stars with family and friends.
Johnnie Sims Park
348 W 19th Ave
Gulf Shores, AL 36542
Community Christmas at Sims Park | Gulf Shores, AL - Official Website
Friday, December 6th - Are you ready to unleash your inner fashion disaster? Look no further, it's ugly Christmas sweater season. Tacky Jacks in Orange Beach is throwing a party that's all about embracing the tacky, the gaudy, and the downright ridiculous. The rules are simple: show up in your most heinous holiday sweater, and you'll be in the running for some amazing prizes. But wait, there's more. They’ll have happy hour from 4PM to 7PM, complete with appetizer specials, music, and dancing. And, of course, the bar and full menu will be open for business as usual. Bring your crew, and get ready for a night of laughter, cheer, and some of the worst fashion you've ever seen. The contest kicks off at 5PM, so don't be late.
Tacky Jack’s
27206 Safe Harbor Dr
Orange Beach, AL 36561
Locations - Orange Beach — Tacky Jacks Seafood Restaurant and Tavern
Saturday, December 7th - Buckle up Saturday’s Polar Express is sprinkling Christmas magic around town in celebration of the most wonderful time of the year. First stop Foley for the Annual Parade hosted by The Kiwanis Club, proudly bringing joy and merriment to the community and its guests since 1963. The next express stops for “Let it Snow,” a beach kid’s dream come true when snow comes to Heritage Park each December. The marketplace will open and set up before the parade, decking the halls all day long. Kids will not only have the opportunity to dive and roll in the Alabama Gulf Coast snow, they may also dabble in other merry activities all while listening to live entertainment until 2PM. The Coastal Ballet Academy has done it again, bringing the fantastical world of wonder to the Land of Sweets, with a full-scale performance of the Nutcracker. The last chance to see the curtain call for this timeless Holiday favorite starts at 2PM at Orange Beach Performing Arts Center, tickets are on sale now and will be sold at the door until capacity is met. All aboard the sparkle isn't over yet next stop, Graham Creek Christmas Trail where memories will be made on foot traveling down the wooden boardwalk to visit the Snow Princess and the jolly fellow himself, Santa Claus. Tickets to this event come at $5 sold upon arrival for photos with the special guests, hot chocolate, coffee, and sweet delights and for added ambiance “snow” and “fobbles” or (bubbles + fog). What better way to get in the swing of the season than coastal snow, ballets, and so much more. Full details on these events below.
The Graham Creek Christmas Trail
Sunday, December 8th - Have you heard the buzz, BuzzCatz Coffee and Sweets that is. Gaining accolades like best breakfast in Alabama for those sweet little made fresh cinnamon buns it’s no wonder they dubbed Sunday ‘Cinnamon roll Sunday’ making it the perfect brunch location to satisfy any sweet tooth. Other popular menu items include the Hollah’s a savory section, waffles both savory and sweet, quiche, another consumer favorite, the ‘KittenHead biscuit,’ and last but not least, a southern style breakfast with eggs, a side, meat and bread. Be sure to try fresh coffee, also sold in bean bags to take home or perfect for stocking stuffers and teacher gifts. The baristas can whip up whatever you’d like, and the serving team will take care of the rest, no matter if you are dining inside, out on the deck, or taking your Sunday brunch goodness home for the carry-out, this is one local gem you won't regret spending your time at.
BuzzCatz Coffee and Sweets
25753 Canal Rd Suite B
Cosmo’s Courtyard
Orange Beach, AL 36561
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