For 21 years the Friday after Thanksgiving meant lighted boats on the causeway. What fills that night in Ocean Isle Beach now? A few blocks of Second Street take the day after Thanksgiving, and the boats pass the Commercial Canal boat ramp eight days later.
The season starts today. The Museum of Coastal Carolina's 7th Annual Festival of Trees opens Thursday, Nov. 12, and runs through Dec. 31. It's the one event that lasts the whole stretch, so the rest of this calendar is built around it.
The Boats Had a Long Run on the Causeway
The OIB Holiday Flotilla ran for 21 years, and the Brunswick Beacon reports it was a major fundraiser for Brunswick Family Assistance. Its route was short. In 2024 the boats left Inlet View at 6 p.m. and ran past Ocean Isle Fishing Center, Sharky's and 59 Causeway. That route kept the whole night in a tight cluster at the foot of the bridge.
The flotilla won't run in 2026. Two new events fill its place on the water, and neither one runs on Black Friday. So the Friday after Thanksgiving moves onto land.
Friday, Nov. 27, Is a Second Street Day
Three free or low-cost events stack up along Second Street that Friday, so you can spend the whole day there.
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Le Volte Oceanfront Dining, 417 West 2nd Street. The Pure Markets Black Friday Holiday Market. Admission is free, and everything for sale is handmade, homemade or homegrown by area artisans.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Museum of Coastal Carolina, 21 East 2nd Street. HoliDAY at the Museum has snow science, hands-on activities and a return visit from White Beard the Pirate Clause, all inside the Festival of Trees galleries. Vicki Paints does face painting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Kofe Cup Truck serves hot chocolate and coffee. Face painting and the food truck cost extra on top of museum admission.
- 6 to 8 p.m., Town Center Park, 11 E Second Street. Letters to Santa and the Christmas Tree Lighting includes a visit with Santa, a letter-writing station, a mailbox to the North Pole, and sweet treats from Chocolate & S'more. It's free.
The museum and the park sit next door to each other on the east end of Second Street, so the afternoon flows straight into the evening. The town's tree goes up the same night as Sunset Beach's, which lights its tree in Sunset Beach Town Park on Nov. 27. Holden Beach waits until Dec. 3, and Oak Island and Southport light theirs on Dec. 4.
If you have houseguests who want something indoors between the market and the tree lighting, Ingram Planetarium at 7625 High Market Street in Sunset Beach shows Mystery of the Christmas Star from 1 to 2 p.m. that day. In the evening it runs a Trans-Siberian Orchestra laser show at 6 p.m. and The Nutcracker at 7 p.m. Those two evening shows repeat on Fridays and Saturdays through December, except on Christmas Day.
Saturday, Nov. 28, Stays on the Same Two Blocks
The Ocean Isle Property Owners Association has asked the town for permission to hold its 2026 Christmas Parade on Saturday, Nov. 28. The town board took up the request at its Sept. 8 meeting. The application blocks out 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the parade itself from 1 to 2 p.m.
The proposed route is short and close to home. Floats would line up at Town Center Park, Gatha Lane and the museum parking lot. The parade would step off at E. Second Street and Halifax, head east to Southport Street, turn right, and break up at Southport and E. First Streets. The application asks to close part of E. Second Street, which needs sign-off from the affected businesses and NCDOT. If you live on those blocks, check the town's website that week before you plan to drive out.
That same Saturday evening, the Holden Beach Flotilla runs for the first time. Visit NC Brunswick Islands describes it as "taking the torch" from the Ocean Isle Beach Flotilla. Boats leave Sailfish Park on Holden Beach, run down the Intracoastal Waterway to The Wharf restaurant, then turn around and finish at Holden Beach Marina.
The Boats Return on Dec. 5, Coming From the West
The new Sunset Beach, OIB, Shallotte Christmas Boat Parade runs Saturday, Dec. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. Boats leave Sunset Beach Town Park, travel east along the Intracoastal Waterway past Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach, and finish in front of The Links at Brick Landing Clubhouse. Visit NC says residents put this parade together after hearing the flotilla was ending.
Rhonda Bunker is the organizer. Life in Brunswick County describes her as an award-winning local photographer who organized the Pompano Beach Boat Parade for six years and started the America 250 Boat Parade out of Sunset Beach. She told the magazine why she moved the parade off Thanksgiving weekend:
"The parade is a tradition for locals, and to ask our hard-working volunteers to sacrifice their Thanksgiving holiday struck me as unfair. Plus, having it on the Saturday following allows those who wish to participate more time to decorate their boats, and on a day that likely does not interfere with their work schedules."
She has done this before. In the same article she says the America 250 parade "fielded about 35 boats in our first attempt" and that "about 800 people showed up in Sunset Park to watch the event." The magazine also describes the new route as longer than the old Inlet View run.
A longer route changes where you watch. The causeway was the center of the old flotilla. On Dec. 5 the listed viewing points are:
- Sunset Beach Town Park, 206 Sunset Boulevard N, where the boats start
- The Ocean Isle Beach Commercial Canal NC Wildlife Boat Ramp, the stop inside town
- Waterway Tavern at The Links at Brick Landing Clubhouse, where the parade ends
Standing room and non-reserved seats are free. Guaranteed waterfront seats at Sunset Beach Town Park cost $15 for preferred and $25 for VIP. To buy them, email Bunker at [email protected]. Free viewers are asked to donate to her chosen charities: Those Who Served Foundation, Empowering Pawz, and the Old Bridge Historical Society of Sunset Beach. Captains can enter their boats for free through the same email.
For dinner before the parade, Tuscan Sunset Restaurant and Lounge at 925 Seaside Road SW opened in August. The StarNews describes it as an Italian-American restaurant with a bar and dining room. It serves dinner Monday through Saturday from 4:30 to 9 p.m., so it's open on parade night.
The Trees Hold the Season Together
The flotilla used to raise money for Brunswick Family Assistance. This year, some of that holiday giving happens inside the museum. Every tree in the Festival of Trees is sponsored by a local organization or cause, and every tree goes into a silent auction. The sponsor gets 100% of the winning bid to give to the cause of its choice. Brunswick Family Assistance sponsors a tree, along with the Ocean Isle Sea Turtle Protection Organization, the Ocean Isle Property Owners Association, the Old Bridge Historical Society, Brick Landing Women's Club, Sunset Vision, Spill Resin Art, Coastal Carolina Lighting, the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce and others.
Each paying guest gets one ballot for Favorite Tree, and you can buy extra ballots to give your pick a better chance. The winner is announced at 2 p.m. on Dec. 28. Brick Landing Women's Club took Guest Favorite in 2024.
During the festival, the museum is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. It adds extra days in the last week of December and closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission on the museum's ticket page is $12 for adults ages 13 to 61, $10 for seniors 62 and up, $8 for children 3 to 12, and free for children 2 and under. Military and SNAP discounts are available with ID. Through Museums for All, SNAP EBT cardholders pay $2 each for up to six family members.
Tomorrow Night Is a Preview
You don't have to wait for Thanksgiving to see Town Center Park dressed for the holidays. The town's Merry & Bright Movie Night is Friday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at 11 E Second Street, showing Arthur Christmas. It's free. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, and Johnny Cheesehead and Zen Wizard Kettle Corn will be selling food. With the museum open next door since Thursday, you can see the trees before the movie on the same block.
Holiday guests often ask what owning a place here is really like, and we're happy to give an honest local answer. If someone in your house starts wondering what your Ocean Isle Beach home would be worth, the team at Steve Adams & Associates can walk you through it over coffee on Second Street. Get Your Free Home Valuation whenever it suits you, even after the parade boats have gone by.
