Crews have been working at Jones Park since October 13, turning the waterfront into the Gulfport Harbor Lights Winter Festival, WLOX reported. The show opens November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. Tickets went on sale November 1.
Harbor Lights is the big ticketed event of Gulfport's holiday season. Downtown has a free calendar that starts a week before the lights come on and keeps going until a week before Christmas. City Hall, the Depot District and Main Street are just inland from Jones Park and share the same parking garage. If you live here, the season costs you very little, as long as you choose your Harbor Lights night carefully and fill in the rest from the free downtown events.
The season on one page
Here is Gulfport's 2026 holiday calendar in order, from the city, Gulfport Main Street and the festival's own listings.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Depot District at Dusk | Downtown Depot District, 4:30 p.m. until dusk | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 27 into early January | Gulfport Harbor Lights Winter Festival | Jones Park | Ticketed |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Deck the Halls tree lighting | Gulfport City Hall, 2309 15th Street, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. | Free |
| Fridays and Saturdays from Dec. 4 | TrainTastic Holiday Lights | TrainTastic museum, Gulfport | Check with the museum |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Sugarplum Christmas Parade | Downtown Gulfport, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. | Free |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Depot District at Dusk | Downtown Depot District, 4:30 p.m. until dusk | Free |
| Fri. and Sat., Dec. 18 and 19 | Mistletoe & Main Street Christmas Street Fair | Main Street, downtown Gulfport | Free |
All the free events cluster downtown. Two weekends in particular stack events back to back. The first runs from the Thursday tree lighting through the Sunday parade, December 3 to 6. The second starts on Friday, December 18, when Depot District at Dusk and the first day of Mistletoe & Main Street fall on the same evening.
What the ticket buys, and when it costs less
The official festival site lists the Harbor Lights season as November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Island View Casino & Resort and the City of Gulfport present it, and it has been running since 2015. In its holiday roundup, Coastal Mississippi calls it the state's largest Christmas light show. It covers more than 40 acres with carnival rides, a holiday train, Santa's Village and the signature Dancing Trees show. Coastal Mississippi's event listing puts the display at 1.5 million lights and the nightly hours at 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. The activities page lists a stuffed-animal-making station as new.
It is a walking show, and vehicles aren't allowed in the park. The festival FAQ breaks the cost into three layers:
- Admission: $14 to $22 for general admission, depending on the day of the week and whether you buy online or at the box office. Ages 4 to 12 pay $5 to $7. Children 3 and under get in free.
- Rides: Carnival rides cost $4 to $6 each. On Mondays through Wednesdays until December 16, a $20 armband covers every ride.
- Getting around inside: An enclosed, heated trolley runs inside the park every evening at no extra charge. The train ride and carnival rides are ticketed separately.
Admission is a fixed cost, but rides add up quickly for a family with children. The armband deal makes a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday the better choice. There are three of those weeks before the December 16 cutoff: November 30 to December 2, December 7 to 9, and December 14 to 16.
Last year, the festival's discounts also fell on weeknights. The FAQ still shows the 2025 schedule: $5 entry on Monday through Wednesday, December 1 to 3 and December 8 to 10, for teachers and education professionals, for military, first responders and medical professionals, for seniors 65 and older, and on a "Gulfport Night" for city residents. Those discounts were sold on-site with proof of eligibility and applied to individuals, not whole groups. Those were 2025 dates. Check the FAQ for this year's schedule before you plan a night around one.
If you plan to pay full price, buy online. The festival recommends it so you can skip the box-office line, and the 2026 ticket page is open now. If weather wrecks your planned night, the FAQ directs questions to [email protected].
The second light show runs on weekends
Gulfport has a second light show this year, and it keeps a narrower schedule. Starting December 4, TrainTastic Holiday Lights runs Fridays and Saturdays only. According to Coastal Mississippi's 2026 holiday release, more than 2 million lights cover the museum's outdoor train ride, with crafts, hot chocolate and s'mores inside.
Harbor Lights is open on those weekend nights too, but its ride armband applies only Monday through Wednesday. A household that saves Harbor Lights for an armband weeknight leaves its Fridays and Saturdays open for TrainTastic. On a lights count, the smaller venue lists more bulbs, 2 million against Harbor Lights' 1.5 million. The two shows are built differently: one is a train ride, the other a 40-acre park you walk.
The first week of December is the free stretch
The free calendar is busiest the week the ride armband applies.
On Thursday, December 3, Gulfport lights its city Christmas tree at Deck the Halls from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 2309 15th Street. Coastal Mississippi's release lists holiday music, refreshments and a visit from Santa. Three days later, on Sunday, December 6, the Sugarplum Christmas Parade runs through downtown from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., and admission is free. It's also listed on the city's December calendar.
Put those together with a Harbor Lights weeknight on December 7, 8 or 9 and a household gets a tree lighting, a parade and the city's biggest light show in one week. Only the light show needs a ticket.
The calendar picks up again just before Christmas. Gulfport Main Street's Mistletoe & Main Street Christmas Street Fair fills Main Street on December 18 and 19. It's a free fair with local arts and crafts vendors, live music, holiday shopping and free photos with Santa. That Friday is also the season's second Depot District at Dusk, starting at 4:30 p.m., with live music, local vendors and drink and dinner specials at downtown restaurants and bars. The first Depot District at Dusk, on November 20, starts the free calendar a week before Jones Park lights up.
One garage serves the whole season
Downtown and Jones Park work as one trip because of where the free parking is. Harbor Lights lists two free lots, and both have accessible spaces and assistance:
- The Coast Transit Authority garage at 2015 15th Street, at the corner of 20th Avenue. A CTA shuttle runs to and from the show every 15 to 30 minutes.
- The Jones Park west entrance at Highway 90 and 49.
The garage is on 15th Street, the same street as City Hall, where the tree lighting happens. If you park there, you're downtown for dinner or a street event and a shuttle ride from the lights. The west-entrance lot suits a night when Harbor Lights is the only stop.
Where to eat around it
Downtown's restaurants keep different hours, so they suit different events.
- Neighbors Tap & Table, 1307 25th Avenue, is a restaurant and bar serving evening dinner, and WLOX covered its May 2026 soft opening. It's the dinner stop before a shuttle to Harbor Lights or after the tree lighting.
- The Downtowner, 2429 14th Street, opened in June 2026, WXXV reported. It serves breakfast and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., so it fits a late lunch before the 3:30 p.m. parade.
- Perks Coffee Shop & Cafe, 1309 25th Avenue, opens at 6 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends and closes at 3 p.m. daily. It's a good coffee stop on a Mistletoe & Main Saturday.
That gives you a lunch spot for the parade, coffee for the street fair and dinner for the lights. Harbor Lights also sells carnival-style food inside the park.
The team at Charlotte Johnson follows Gulfport's holiday calendar as closely as its home sales. If this season has you thinking about what your Gulfport home is worth, we'll give you a straight answer before the lights come down. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
