Ozona's Holiday Golf Cart Parade runs on Sunday, Dec. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m., and for the first time it is limited to actual golf carts. The Ozona Village Improvement Society says the Sheriff's Office asked that only "true" golf carts register, after a couple of years in which off-road vehicles and roadsters joined the line. Those vehicles will no longer be permitted, and anyone who registers one by mistake will be asked to leave, with the registration donation refunded.
The Sheriff's Office is part of the parade because OVIS contracts with it. The OVIS parade page explains that the parade grew to well over a hundred carts, so the society now pulls the permits, buys the insurance and contracts with the Sheriff's Office for support. Last year it began collecting donations to cover those costs. Your $20 helps pay for the deputies, and this year the deputies asked for the new rule.
What the Ozona parade costs to enter, and what the fee buys
OVIS calls the entry fee a registration donation. It works like a ticket with conditions attached:
- $20 if you pay online in advance. Online registration stays open through Thursday, Dec. 10.
- $30 if you pay at the event, cash only. Carts that pay on parade night can still ride but cannot enter the best-decorated cart contest.
- A printed cart number. After your payment is confirmed, the OVIS Village Treasurer emails a PDF with your golf cart number. You print it and attach it where it's clearly visible on the front of the cart. The number shows you're registered, and the judges use it for the contest.
- Contest details later this month. OVIS says it will send the best-decorated cart rules with its November newsletter.
On parade night, carts gather around Molly Goodhead's and the Ozona Pig by 5:30 p.m., and registration happens between Molly's and the post office. The parade starts and ends at the Orange Street gathering area. OVIS's Fall 2026 newsletter says a Sheriff's vehicle will lead the procession north on Orange Street at 6 p.m. and a second one will follow the last cart, so spectators can see where the parade begins and ends. OVIS points riders to the same route map it has used in past years.
If you're decorating a cart, Dec. 10 is the deadline that matters. Registering after that still gets you into the parade, but your cart can't compete for the prize.
Downtown Palm Harbor's parade has a price list, too
The Palm Harbor Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting is set for Saturday, Dec. 5, at 1190 Georgia Ave. The Palm Harbor Chamber of Commerce listing gives the event window as 3 to 7 p.m. and lists Blue Collar Home Services as the parade sponsor.
The Chamber's registration form prices parade spots by size:
| Entrant | One space | Multiple spaces |
|---|---|---|
| Business | $50, up to two car lengths | $100, up to five car lengths |
| Team, club or group | $50 | $100 |
| Nonprofit | $25 | Not offered |
A nonprofit pays half of what a business pays for one space. If your business, team or club wants a spot, contact the Chamber directly about registration.
The parade ends at a tree lighting at the corner of 11th Street and Georgia Avenue. In a Patch calendar listing posted under the name ParksandRec, the lighting runs from 4 to 7 p.m., with Santa, local vendors, entertainment, games and free activities. The tree is lit at sundown, and food and drink are for sale. The listing calls it "the annual tradition that keeps growing each year." The Palm Harbor Library calendar puts the lighting at Harbor Hall on that same corner. In 2025, the parade started at 4 p.m. and the tree was lit at 6 p.m. For this year's exact parade time, check with the Chamber that week.
The season in order
Here's every date in order, starting with the library lecture on Nov. 17.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Master Gardener's Lecture: Festive Holiday Plants, with Linda Smock | Palm Harbor Library | 2 to 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Downtown Palm Harbor Community Market: It's Local Gift Season | Pop Stansell Park, 797 Florida Ave. | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Sponge Docks Tree Lighting | Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks | 5 to 6 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Nutcracker Story Time with Gulf Coast Ballet Theater | Palm Harbor Library | 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | The Local Christmas List night market | Pop Stansell Park | 4 to 8 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Snow Place Like Tarpon Springs | Downtown Tarpon Springs, 1 E. Tarpon Ave. | 5 to 10 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Tarpon Springs Holiday Boat Parade | Anclote River to Spring Bayou | 6 to 9 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Palm Harbor Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting | 11th St. and Georgia Ave. | 3 to 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Ozona Holiday Golf Cart Parade | Orange St., Ozona | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Downtown Palm Harbor Christmas Market: The Holiday Finale | Pop Stansell Park | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
The library programs are the quiet stretch before the busy part. Linda Smock's Festive Holiday Plants lecture on Nov. 17 is part of the Master Gardener's Lecture series. The Nutcracker Story Time on Dec. 4 combines a holiday story with a ballet performance by Gulf Coast Ballet Theater and is meant for ages 3 and up.
Dec. 3 through Dec. 5 is the busy stretch
Five of the season's events land within about 48 hours. The Sponge Docks light their tree on Thursday evening. On Friday, Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs both run evening programs at the same time, and downtown Palm Harbor's parade follows on Saturday.
On the Palm Harbor side, Friday's event is The Local Christmas List, a night holiday market at Pop Stansell Park from 4 to 8 p.m. with snow machines, a station for writing letters to Santa, and holiday shopping. The Nutcracker Story Time ends at 4:30 p.m., so families can see the ballet first and walk over to the market for the rest of the evening.
Tarpon Springs is bigger and later that night. The city's free Snow Place Like Tarpon Springs runs from 5 to 10 p.m. on Tarpon Avenue, with snow slides, Santa, children's activities, street performers and live entertainment. The Tarpon Springs Yacht Club lists its Holiday Boat Parade from 6 to 9 p.m. According to Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, the boats leave Tarpon Landing Marina and travel down the Anclote River to Craig Park and Spring Bayou. Craig Park, Spring Bayou and Whitcomb Bayou are the recommended places to watch. The event's promotion says the boats leave the marina around 7 p.m. and reach Spring Bayou around 8 p.m. If you'd rather catch the boats than the start of the night, plan your arrival around those times.
Saturday's downtown Palm Harbor parade and tree lighting come next, the third night in a row of holiday events within a short drive.
The finale on Dec. 19
The market series at Pop Stansell Park opens on Nov. 21 with It's Local Gift Season, which promises 55-plus local businesses along with food, live music and family activities. It ends on Saturday, Dec. 19, with the Downtown Palm Harbor Christmas Market: The Holiday Finale. According to Visit Palm Harbor, the finale will have 75-plus vendors, real snow, Santa, the Grinch and Elsa, plus a toy drive. Entry and parking are free. Both listings give minimums: 55-plus businesses for the opener and 75-plus vendors for the finale, both at the same park.
The finale is also the last date on the calendar. Ozona's carts roll six days earlier, and the Dec. 10 registration deadline comes before either one.
If you're getting a house ready to sell after the holidays and want to work around these dates, or you'd just like a straight answer on what your place could bring this winter, Julia Horton is glad to talk it through before the season gets busy. Get a Free Home Valuation, and enjoy the parades.