Baytowne on Ice Sits Beside the Village's Free Holiday Stage. Here's How to Time Your Skate.

According to The Village of Baytowne Wharf's own 2026-27 listing, Baytowne on Ice opened Friday, Oct. 30, and runs through Sunday, Feb. 7, 2027. The rink is set up in the Village's Events Plaza. Through December, most of the Village's free programming happens on that plaza and its lawn: tribute bands, a family movie night, Santa's arrival, a nightly light show and a lantern parade.

That changes how to plan a skate. On many nights from now through New Year's Eve, the skate itself is the only thing you pay for: $15 for a 90-minute session, plus $3 if you rent skates. The concert, the movie or the light show happens a few steps away at no cost, and the garage is free. So the planning comes down to picking which free night to build the skate around.

What one session costs, and what's included

Admission is posted on the official Baytowne Wharf events page for the 2026-27 season:

• $15 for 90 minutes on the ice
• $3 for skate rental
• Skaters must be at least 3 years old and fit into appropriately sized skates
• Children under 6 must be accompanied by a parent or adult family member
• A waiver is required, and the Village has an online waiver you can fill out before you arrive

That's $18 per skater with rentals, and parking adds nothing to it. Baytowne's FAQ says the public parking garage and several auxiliary lots are free to the public. During the summer and for special events, a shuttle runs from the lots to the Village, and valet is available first come, first served. On a busy event night, the shuttle and valet are worth knowing about before you circle the garage.

Hours are the one thing that changes day to day. The 2026-27 rink calendar uses five daily session windows: noon to 8 p.m., 4 to 9 p.m., 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., 4 to 10 p.m. and 1 to 9 p.m. Four of the five stay open until 9 p.m. or later, so on most dates a session can follow an early-evening event on the lawn. Check the calendar for your date before you head over.

November: the plaza fills on weekends and around Thanksgiving

November's free events land on a few clear dates, and the season starts this week. Here's the month as the Village and its neighbors have posted it:

Tribute Weekend is the first test of the plan. The Village asks people to bring blankets and lawn chairs to the Events Plaza Lawn both nights. Pandora's Box covers Aerosmith on Friday, and The 77 Experience plays the music of 1977 on Saturday. Both shows end at 9 p.m., so a later session works for whoever in your group wants to skate after the music.

The Friday of Tribute Weekend overlaps with another Miramar Beach event. The 30A BBQ Festival runs Friday, Nov. 6, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Grand Boulevard's North Lawn at 495 Grand Boulevard, with VIP entry starting at 5 p.m. Saturday is the easier night to give the Village your full attention.

The Tuesday, Nov. 10 concert is the quietest date on the list. Vocal coach Alissa Steffens and her students, from kids through adults and across all genres, perform on the lawn at 7 p.m. It's free and open to the public.

Thanksgiving week, from the marina to the lawn

The week of Thanksgiving is when the rink and the lawn line up best. The Sandestin Turkey Trot starts at Baytowne Marina on Sunday, Nov. 22. Packet pickup begins at 6 a.m., the 1-mile walk starts at 7 a.m. and the 5K follows at 7:30 a.m. On Thanksgiving Day itself, the SOLARIS yacht offers a lunch cruise from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a dinner cruise from 6 to 8:30 p.m., both leaving from Baytowne Marina at 8330 Mike Hayes Dr.

The two nights after Thanksgiving are the ones to plan around if you have family in town. On Friday, Nov. 27, The Polar Express plays free on the Events Plaza Lawn at 6 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 28, Santa makes his way down Baytowne Lane to the Event Plaza Lawn to light the Village Christmas tree. The evening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. with face painting, balloon making, a brass band and a fireworks display. Both happen right next to the rink, and both are free. For a houseful of guests, the only cost either night is skate time for whoever wants it.

Grand Boulevard holds its own holiday kickoff a week earlier. The Hometown Holiday Parade runs Friday, Nov. 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Grand Boulevard Town Center, 585 Grand Boulevard. Between that parade and the Village tree lighting, Miramar Beach has two separate holiday kickoffs eight days apart, each within a short drive of home.

The one ticketed night

Sparkling Wine & Holiday Lights returns for its 14th year on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 4 to 6 p.m. Guests walk the decorated streets of Baytowne Wharf tasting more than 30 champagnes, with appetizers at featured Village restaurants and carolers along the way. The evening ends with Baytowne Wharf's choreographed light show, Nights of Lights. Presale tickets are $75 and day-of tickets are $85. The Village says the event typically sells out. Because it ends at 6 p.m., there's still time for a skate afterward on most of the calendar's session windows.

December: one free show, on a fixed schedule

In December, the Events Plaza runs on a set nightly schedule. Nights of Lights plays every night from Tuesday, Dec. 1, through Thursday, Dec. 31, at 6, 7 and 8 p.m., on the Village tree and the Event Plaza Lawn. This year the shows play on what the Village calls a new tree, and they're free.

With three showtimes a night, December is the easiest month to plan a skate. A 90-minute session can end just before a show or start right after one, every night of the month. The other December events are built around particular groups:

• Wednesday holiday concerts with Visits with Santa, 6–8 p.m.: Niceville High School Chorus on Dec. 2 and Fort Walton Beach Choir on Dec. 16. Santa visits on Dec. 2, 9 and 16.
• Lantern Parade, Saturday, Dec. 5, 5 p.m.: Created by artist Chantelle Rytter and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons, with a dozen giant lantern puppets. Anyone with a lantern can join. To register a decorated golf cart for the parade, email [email protected]. After the parade, the puppets gather by the Christmas tree.
• Grinchmas, Dec. 11 and 18, 5–7 p.m.: Free photos with the Grinch and a showing of The Grinch, the 2018 movie, on the big screen.
• Tuba Christmas, Saturday, Dec. 12, 5–7 p.m.: Visits with Santa run from 5 to 7 p.m. during the event.

A simple order for a skate night

On almost any date through New Year's Eve, the same order works:

1. Pick the free event first from the November or December listings, since those times are fixed.
2. Check the rink calendar for that date's session window, then plan a 90-minute skate before or after the event.
3. Fill out the waiver online before you leave home, especially for kids. Remember that skaters must be 3 or older and children under 6 need an adult with them.
4. Park in the free public garage or an auxiliary lot. On big event nights, look for the event shuttle or use valet, which is first come, first served.

Nights of Lights ends Dec. 31, but the rink stays open through Feb. 7, so January and early February sessions are still on the calendar after the holiday shows wrap up.

At Emerald Coast Properties, Howard B. Dolgoff and our team follow the Sandestin calendar as part of what owning on the Emerald Coast is like from one week to the next. If friends or family are thinking about a place of their own near Baytowne Wharf, we'd be glad to talk it over. Schedule Your Complimentary Consultation.