PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer) — Palm Bay’s holiday season starts this Saturday, October 31, with Fall Fest at Fred Poppe Regional Park, 1951 Malabar Road NW. The event runs from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and admission is free. The city bills it as a celebration of the fall season, and the published lineup fills the evening: trunk-or-treating, a costume contest, a haunted hayride, inflatables, games, crafts, BMX, and spooky scares, with local vendors, food trucks, and music on site. One gap to know before you go: the city has not published parking details for Fall Fest, so allow a little extra time to get in and settled.
Veterans Day Parade: Saturday, November 7
One week later, Palm Bay marks Veterans Day with a parade on Saturday, November 7. The parade begins at 10:00 AM at the Tony Rosa Community Center and travels along Port Malabar Boulevard to Veterans Memorial Park. Port Malabar Boulevard closes beginning at 9:00 AM, and the city published a closure map with its parade notice. If your Saturday morning route crosses Port Malabar, plan a detour. The parade is the city’s published Veterans Day observance this year.
Veterans Day itself is Wednesday, November 11, and it changes your trash week. Veterans Day is one of only five holidays Republic Services observes: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. There is no collection on November 11. Palm Bay recycling is collected on Wednesdays, and that week’s recycling run shifts to Saturday, November 14. When a collection day falls on one of the five holidays, Republic’s published rule is that collection moves to your next scheduled service day.
Thanksgiving week
Thanksgiving week brings two changes. City offices are closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, and on Friday, November 27, so take care of city business before the holiday. On trash, Republic Services does not collect on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26. Friday, November 27 collection runs as scheduled, so Friday households should set their carts out as usual. If your normal collection day is Thursday, your pickup moves to your next regular service day. That is the whole list for the holiday week: two closed days at City Hall, one skipped trash day, and everything else on its normal schedule.
Christmas Tree Lighting: Friday, December 4
The city’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is Friday, December 4, at 5:00 PM at Palm Bay City Hall, 120 Malabar Road. The city calendar lists the event running until 8:00 PM. Students from local elementary and middle schools will perform. Bring an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots and you will receive a free light-up wand. After the ceremony, the evening continues inside City Hall with photos with Santa and holiday crafts.
One caution on the date: the city’s first newsletter listed the lighting on December 5 at 5:30 PM, and some listings still show that date. The city corrected it. Friday, December 4, at 5:00 PM is the city’s confirmed listing.
Holiday Light Parade: Saturday, December 5
The very next night brings the biggest event of the season. The Holiday Light Parade steps off Saturday, December 5, at 6:00 PM, and the city bills it as the biggest holiday parade on the Space Coast. Road closures begin at 5:00 PM. The parade covers 3 miles: it kicks off at Eastern Florida State College, travels north on San Filippo Drive, heads west along Malabar Road, and finishes at Minton Road in front of City Hall. The published lineup includes brightly lit floats, high school marching bands, cheer squads, and motorized vehicles. If you are driving across town that evening, give Malabar Road a wide berth after 5:00 PM.
Christmas week
City Hall is closed on Thursday, December 24, and Friday, December 25. Take care of city business, permits, and payments before Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is also a Republic Services holiday, so there is no collection on Friday, December 25, and that pickup moves to your next regular service day.
One more gap to plan around: the city has not published holiday hours for its recreation facilities, including the community centers, the Palm Bay Aquatic Center, and the Senior Center. If a holiday swim or a senior center visit is in your plans, check with the facility before you go.
New Year
The trash calendar ends the season quietly. New Year’s Day is not one of Republic’s five observed holidays, so collection runs as scheduled on Thursday, December 31, and Friday, January 1. Set your carts out on your normal days.
City offices are the one open question. The city has not published New Year’s Eve hours, so whether City Hall is open on December 31 is unannounced as of this writing. If the city publishes New Year’s Eve hours or holiday hours for its recreation facilities, this guide will be updated.
The season at a glance
- Saturday, October 31: Fall Fest, Fred Poppe Regional Park, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, free.
- Saturday, November 7: Veterans Day Parade, 10:00 AM. Port Malabar Boulevard closed from 9:00 AM.
- Wednesday, November 11: no trash collection. Recycling moves to Saturday, November 14.
- Thursday, November 26: no trash collection. Friday, November 27 runs as scheduled. City Hall closed both days.
- Friday, December 4: Christmas Tree Lighting, City Hall, 5:00 PM.
- Saturday, December 5: Holiday Light Parade, 6:00 PM. Road closures from 5:00 PM.
- Thursday, December 24, and Friday, December 25: City Hall closed. No trash collection December 25.
- Thursday, December 31, and Friday, January 1: trash collection runs as scheduled. City Hall hours for December 31 are not yet published.
