It’s the best time of the year! A time filled with lights, festive fun, and lots of cheer. Every day of the holiday season is filled with joy and merriment, so whether you’re visiting Jekyll Island for the day or the month, we have a holly jolly line-up for you.
Happening all season long.
BEST WAY TO SEE THE LIGHTS
Take a ride on Jekyll’s jolliest trolley to see more than half a million lights around the island. The whole family can sit back, relax and view the lights from Beach Village to the Historic District. Trolley riders will enjoy festive holiday beverages, and music to sing along to!
Enjoy our mini-golf courses while surrounded by life-size gumdrops, peppermint sticks, gingerbread characters, and more.
Dine with Santa and enjoy his favorite breakfast, plus a hot chocolate bar.
Pick up your ‘Holly Jolly Jekyll’ holiday gifts of the season and enjoy Christmas candies and warm holiday beverages.
You won’t want to miss.
TAKE THE PLUNGE
Take a cold-stunned plunge into the chilly Atlantic in support of sea turtles on the Georgia coast! This is the newest fun and a little frigid fundraising event for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.
November 27
December 4
Join the fun of the Holly Jolly Jekyll Light Parade, jingling across the island.
December 4
See emergency vehicles up close, and don’t miss Santa on his big red fire truck!
December 11 & 18
Watch the night sky light up as we celebrate the season with two nights of fireworks.
December 12 & 19
Find your parking spot for a special movie presentation of Frosty the Snowman.
More Holly Jolly
View the calendar of events for a full list of seasonal events and programs.
For 2021, the Jekyll Island holiday season officially kicks off on November 26, 2021, and runs through January 2, 2022.
The health and safety of our visitors are always our top priority. Due to the pandemic, many of our traditional holiday activities have been reimagined to ensure families can feel safe while enjoying the spirit of the season. This year, our Holly Jolly Jekyll Light Parade will return beachside, with special spectator viewing locations for visitors to watch from many of our public parking areas near their vehicles. Additionally, the season returns our popular Drive-In Movie experiences for visitors to enjoy, two Fireworks shows, and of course more than half a million lights that can be experienced on a self-guided tour. All of our events have been evaluated to ensure ample social distancing and minimal gathering of crowds, so guests can enjoy activities amongst their family unit.
Jekyll Island is home to more than half a million lights during the Holly Jolly Jekyll season. The Great Tree alone has more than 35,000, which is more per square foot than the NYC Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Visitors can also enjoy the Twelve Days of Christmas light displays that run from Great Dunes Beach Park to the Historic District, along Shell Rd. Count the days until Christmas in this coastal wonderland! Those looking to sit back and relax with the whole family can experience all of the island’s lights from our Holly Jolly Light Tours.
As soon as you drive onto Jekyll Island, you’ll set your sights on thousands of glimmering lights. Most displays are located in the National Historic Landmark District, along Shell Road, and in Great Dunes Beach Park to Beach Village. View a map of lights and attractions to view them on your own.
The Great Tree will join the hundreds of thousands of other lights on the island, turning on Friday, November 26 at sunset to kick-off the start of the season!
Yes! Not one, but two nights during the season, families can enjoy free fireworks show to watch the night sky light up in celebration of the season! Fireworks will take place at Great Dunes Beach Park near the Beach Village on December 11 & 18. Grab yourself some takeout and enjoy them from your vehicle or one of our many picnic areas. (pending weather conditions).
On a Holly Jolly Light Tour! These guided trolley tours are available at Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum, and tickets can be purchased online. Tours take place on select nights throughout the season to enjoy the lights around the island. Reservations are required and fill up quickly. Guests will enjoy free festive beverages, holiday music, and access to the museum gallery. For those looking to view them from the safety of their vehicle, you can follow our self-guided map of lights and attractions to view them on your own.
In addition to our signature events like the Holly Jolly Jekyll Light Parade, there will be dozens of events taking place during the season. Families can enjoy Holiday High Tea at the Jekyll Island Club Resort, Breakfast with Santa at the Jekyll Island Convention Center, The North Pole Bake Shop at The Westin, the Merry Artists Holiday Market at Goodyear Cottage, as well as many more. For a complete list, visit our calendar of events.
Yes! There will be Santa sightings at many of our holiday events leading up until his busiest night of the year! Santa will make an appearance and wave to families from a safe distance. You can find him at the following events:
To ensure the health and safety of our visitors, the Jekyll Island Skating Village will not return this year. However visitors can enjoy many other activities throughout the season, including mini golf under the lights at Peppermint Land!
Of course! Take the plunge and raise some funds at our new Cold-Stunned Plunge event, supporting the Jekyll Island Authority’s Georgia Sea Turtle Center! You also won’t want to miss the return of the popular Drive-In Movies and Fireworks, each happening on two nights of the season! For a complete list, visit our calendar of events.
Yes, Peppermint Land at Jekyll Island Mini Golf has extended holiday hours through the evening, or you can join one of the many Holly Jolly Light Tours (select nights) to see the lights island-wide. Families can also enjoy many other activities in the evenings, including our returning Drive-In Movies, Christmas Carriage Rides by Three Oaks Farms, and the 6th Annual Christmas Concert in December. For a complete list, visit our events calendar.
Yes! If you are looking for that special holiday card moment, we recommend these local photographers who can work with you to capture your time here: Bobbi Brinkman Photography, Chris Moncus Photography, The Darkroom, John Krivec, Studio Pixel Pop, and Tamera Gibson Photography.
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