This Year, Dana Point Harbor's Holidays Start at the Parking Structure

"It's a place where my customers come and enjoy and make friends with one another. Customers know customers. It's their happy place." Steve Zdrakas, owner of Proud Mary's, said that to the Dana Point Times about the restaurant, which has been in the harbor since 1977. The paper reported that Proud Mary's was expected to close on Oct. 31, the same day the other remaining Wharf businesses, including Turk's and Frisby Cellars, were expected to end operations. Dana Point Harbor Partners announced that the Wharf would close to the public on Nov. 1 so Phase 4 of the $600 million Harbor Revitalization Project could begin. Wind & Sea closed on Sept. 15, after 54 years in the harbor.

Every holiday season until now could count on the Wharf's restaurants, shops and boat counters. This one can't, so the 2026 calendar moved to two other places. The new parking structure at Golden Lantern and Dana Point Harbor Drive now handles the logistics: parking, ticket counters and the new night market. The Island and the new harbor entrance now carry the lights and the big gatherings. Once you know which job each place does, the whole season makes sense.

The Garage Took Over the Wharf's Practical Jobs

The parking structure was finished in 2025 as part of Phases 1 and 2, with 984 stalls. For most of the year it was simply where you parked. This fall it also became the harbor's front desk.

Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching and Catalina Express used to sell tickets from Wharf storefronts. Both were set to move into temporary trailers next to the structure for the construction. Dana Point Harbor Partners said in an Aug. 7, 2026 notice that whale watching, fishing trips, ferry service and private charters would keep running without a break. The harbor's 2026 parking guidelines list the details for anyone heading there this season.

• Address: 799 Harbor Way, at the corner of Golden Lantern and Dana Point Harbor Drive
• Rates: first four hours free, then $6 an hour, with a $24 daily maximum; special event rates may apply
• Boat customers: Dana Wharf and Catalina Express passengers must park on the third level, and surface lot parking isn't allowed for them
• EV charging: ChargePoint stations on the first floor, with a $5 surcharge after three hours in a charging stall

The fourth piece is new for 2026. Harbor After Dark is the harbor's first holiday night market, run with Modern Makers Mart. It's held at the parking structure on select Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m., with rotating food trucks and seasonal drinks from Coco Bloom Coffee. In past Decembers you could get dinner and a drink at the Wharf's restaurants on a weeknight. This winter the harbor's weeknight food comes from food trucks at the garage.

On Thursday, Nov. 12, the Lights and the Market Start Together

The first Harbor After Dark on the calendar is Thursday, Nov. 12. The harbor's holiday lights, more than 700,000 LEDs, switch on that same evening. Because both start on the same night, the garage is the natural place to begin. Park, shop the market, then walk out to the lights.

The lights' locations follow the construction. Dana Point Harbor Partners says the 2026 displays cover the new harbor entrance, the Island, and Bump Out Park near Baby Beach. The familiar pieces are back: the whale sculpture, the #happyharbordays sign, the harbor VW bus and Merry Kiss Me. All three spots sit outside the fenced Wharf. You enter the harbor through the lights at the new entrance, and the rest of the displays lead you toward the Island and Baby Beach.

One planning note: the downloadable map on the harbor's holiday page is still labeled as the 2025 guide. Go by the page's 2026 text over the PDF.

Thanksgiving Morning Brings the Biggest Crowd of the Year

Two weeks after the lights go on, the 49th Dana Point Turkey Trot fills the harbor on Thursday, Nov. 26. Races include a 5K, a 10K, a 15K combo, and the children's one-mile Gobble Wobble. The race schedule starts the 10K at 7 a.m., sends 5K waves off at 8:30, 9:30 and 10 a.m., holds the costume contest at 9 a.m. between waves, and finishes with the 10:30 a.m. kids' race.

This is the first Turkey Trot with the Wharf closed, and the organizers haven't posted the new route yet. The official course map page still says "2026 COURSE MAP COMING SOON." It describes the event as a harbor course, with part of the 10K running through Doheny State Beach. The race-day logistics are already posted. Free shuttles run from Dana Hills High School and Costco between 5:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. and drop off at Del Prado and Golden Lantern. Organizers also list public street parking, Lantern District lots, and an e-bike corral in the harbor lot. If you live near the harbor, riding an e-bike in avoids the shuttle line. Just remember the garage itself doesn't allow e-bikes, bicycles or scooters under Dana Point Municipal Code Section 4.02.012.

The Season, Sorted by Where It Happens

The calendar below groups each event by location. Nearly everything lands in one of three places: the garage, the Island, or the water.

Daytime events and parade viewing go to the Island, while the market and boat check-in stay at the garage. The boat events still run because Dana Wharf Sportfishing moved into a trailer instead of shutting down for the construction.

Two Saturdays Pack in Most of December

Saturday, Dec. 5. Dana Wharf Sportfishing runs Boat Rides with Santa aboard the Dana Pride from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are required, and proceeds go to Soroptimist of Capistrano Bay. That afternoon the City of Dana Point holds its free La Plaza Park Tree Lighting from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at 34111 La Plaza. Visit Dana Point says Santa's Jolly Trolley will make stops around the city that day, though it hasn't posted a schedule. That evening is also one of the Harbor Holiday Lights Cruise dates, which lets you see the harbor displays from the water. If you plan around it, Dec. 5 can mean a morning on the boat, the tree lighting in the late afternoon, and the lights cruise after dark. Tickets for the Santa ride and the lights cruise are sold through Dana Wharf.

Saturday, Dec. 12. Santa Paws returns to the Island near the Richard Henry Dana Jr. Statue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., run with the Pet Project Foundation. Holiday pet photos with Santa and the harbor VW bus cost a $15 donation, and all proceeds go to the foundation. At 6:30 p.m. that evening, the second night of the 51st Boat Parade of Lights passes the same Island park areas. This year's theme is "Dana Point's HARBORITAVILLE," and the public can watch from the Island parks or the boardwalk. So you can spend the afternoon at Santa Paws and stay on the Island for the parade.

The parade dates are worth checking again if you go by habit. Last year's 50th-anniversary parade, "CAROL OF THE BOATS," ran Dec. 12–14. This year it runs Dec. 11–13, one calendar day earlier, and keeps the three-night, 6:30 p.m. format. The harbor lists charters from Dana Wharf and Captain Dave's and warns that they sell out. Neither operator has published a boarding point for the Wharf closure period, so confirm your departure dock directly when you book.

What Comes Back After the Construction

Some of the departing businesses plan to return. Turk's has been a harbor fixture since 1984, and owner Candy Varteresian told the Dana Point Times that Turk's plans to come back to the Wharf after construction and is looking at other local options until then. Frisby Cellars, which moved in 2025 into the building that once housed Waterman's Harbor, will serve customers at its Rancho Mission Viejo location for now. Dana Point wine club members will keep their benefits there, and talks about returning to the harbor are ongoing. Zdrakas told the same paper he would consider reopening Proud Mary's if he finds an existing restaurant space. Until then, the harbor's holiday crowds will gather at the garage and the Island, and the Wednesday farmers market keeps running in the Harbor Village lot.

The team at Alcove Collective is following each phase of the harbor project because it changes how weekends work across Dana Point. If you'd like to talk about how the revitalization affects your own corner of town, Connect with the Collective.