We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you ... you're just helping re-supply our family's travel fund.
Holiday cheer does not require frosted roofs or numb fingers. Across the Sun Belt and the islands, December arrives with palm shadows, warm evenings, and festivals built for light rather than snow. These destinations keep the season feeling special with boat parades, glowing parks, lantern-lined rivers, and downtown streets wrapped in music. The mood is still cozy, just in a different key: hot cocoa next to ocean air, twinkle lights over patios, and sunsets that linger long after the tree is lit.
Key West, Florida
Key West leans into the holidays with salt air and boat lights instead of snowdrifts. Holiday Fest season centers on the lighted boat parade at the Historic Seaport, where vessels glow like floating ornaments and the route turns the harbor into a moving ribbon of color. Many visitors arrive early to wander the Harbor Walk of Lights, grab conch fritters, and pick a spot along the Key West Bight Marina before the first horn sounds. It feels festive without feeling staged, because the best part is simple: warm night breezes, live music spilling from nearby bars, and reflections shimmering across black water.
Miami, Florida
Miami keeps December bright after dark, especially at Zoo Lights, where the humid air carries music and the walkways glow with more than one million tree lights. The vibe is playful instead of formal, with themed photo spots, animal presentations, and a 26-foot LED holiday tree that gets a full lighting moment on opening night, plus Santa appearances through Dec. 23. A warm-weather holiday works here because the city offers easy, walkable extras when plans shift: art deco facades on Ocean Drive lit like movie sets, palms wrapped in string lights at bayfront parks, and a late café cubano that tastes like comfort even in a T-shirt.
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine turns holiday lighting into an atmosphere, not a single event. Nights of Lights runs from Nov. 15, 2025, through Jan. 11, 2026, wrapping rooftops, palms, and the Plaza de la Constitución in millions of tiny white lights that make coquina walls and bayfront views glow. The tradition nods to old Spanish customs of candlelit windows, and the mood stays gentle: businesses keep later hours, couples linger with hot chocolate, and the historic lanes become a long, mostly free evening walk after dusk, with shuttles and trolley tours helping people trade downtown parking stress for an easy ride in.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans does holiday cheer with brass-band swagger and the kind of soft Gulf night that lets people stay outside without thinking twice. In City Park, Celebration in the Oaks runs Nov. 27 through Jan. 1, a long-running light festival and major fundraiser that turns ancient live oaks into glowing tunnels and frames lagoons with reflections that look painted. The rest of town keeps the season warm and social: reveillon dinners, carols drifting from bars, streetcars rattling past decorated balconies, and a steady sense that the holidays here are less about hibernation and more about gathering, eating well, and walking slowly under lights.
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio’s River Walk looks made for December, because the holiday lights turn water, stone, and cypress branches into a glowing corridor. The official lighting arrives with the Ford Holiday River Parade on Nov. 28, 2025, and the lights shine nightly through Jan. 11, 2026, surrounding the bends of the river with roughly 200,000 bulbs. It feels festive without winter weather, and the city makes it easy: the view is free on foot, boat cruises add a floating vantage point, and restaurants along the walkway keep the night lively long after dinner, when the crowd thins and the reflections sharpen.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale trades snow for desert clarity, where winter nights cool down just enough to make lights feel crisp instead of sweaty. Scottsdazzle spreads holiday energy across Old Town with signature events and glowing streets, so the season shows up in shop windows, patios, and walkable blocks rather than a single venue. The best part is how easy it is to stack small moments: a sunset hike that ends in pink mountains, then dinner under string lights, then a relaxed stroll past decor that looks extra sharp against palm silhouettes and clean desert skies, with hotel guests and locals mixing like it is a neighborhood party.
San Diego, California
San Diego keeps the season bright without pretending it is winter, and Balboa Park is where the city proves it. December Nights, the city’s largest free holiday festival, lands on Dec. 5 and 6, 2025, turning plazas and museum courtyards into a mix of lights, performances, and food stalls that feel like a neighborhood street fair at a grand scale. Because the air stays mild, families linger, museum steps become bleachers, and the walk between Spanish Revival buildings feels cinematic, especially when the big tree is lit and the crowd sound softens into music, laughter, and the steady shuffle of people enjoying a warm night outside.
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston’s holiday mood is more coastal than alpine, and it shows in the way people treat winter nights as time for strolling, not hiding indoors. At James Island County Park, the Holiday Festival of Lights runs Nov. 14 through Dec. 31, 2025, open nightly from 5:30 to 10 p.m., with millions of lights arranged as a driving tour plus walkable displays and seasonal stops. It works for travelers who want festive energy without snow, because the city pairs it with candlelit streets, waterfront breezes, and dinners that stretch long, then end with a last loop past glowing shapes reflected in marsh water and lagoon edges.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu delivers a holiday season that feels genuinely local, not imported, with warm air and civic pride doing the heavy lifting. Honolulu City Lights is a free, month-long December celebration centered on Honolulu Hale, where displays spill across the civic grounds and indoor exhibits like decorated department trees and a wreath contest add detail beyond the outdoor glow. Because evenings stay comfortable, families treat it like a casual tradition: grab dinner in Chinatown, walk to the lights, linger for photos, and head home without the rush that cold weather creates, with palm fronds and trade winds making every sparkle feel island-made.