Deck the Chairs Has a New Steward This Year, and Its Calendar Now Runs on Sundays

"Deck The Chairs is our tradition, and Students in the Arts Alliance is our future." Founder and executive director Kurtis Loftus said that in a release this spring, when Jacksonville Today reported that the nonprofit behind the lifeguard chairs had formed a new organization to oversee the exhibit and build year-round programming for student artists.

The chairs go up at Latham Plaza and SeaWalk Pavilion on Wednesday, November 25, the night before Thanksgiving. The 2026 schedule runs differently from last year's. It is organized as five themed weeks, each with a named partner. The stage is full of student performers. The Christmas Market, which was a two-day experiment in 2025, now takes up every Sunday of the season. If you live in Jacksonville Beach, the useful question this year is which day of the week to go.

Same Plaza, Different Organizer

Deck the Chairs started in 2013. The idea came from the lifeguard chairs that dot the sand a few steps away. Loftus and his staff began with 18 local business partners and raised money for the Volunteer Lifeguards. Over the years, the displays spread across Latham Plaza and the SeaWalk Pavilion lawn.

The organizer changed this year. Jacksonville Today reported that the board launched the Students in the Arts Alliance to give teens chances to learn, perform and grow, and that Deck the Chairs is the alliance's flagship program. The event's purpose isn't new. Last year's Action News Jax coverage described the nonprofit as raising money during the event to benefit students in the arts. What changed is how the season is built. The 2026 event guide opens with "Five Weeks. Countless Reasons to Return." It says every week celebrates student creativity through the arts, community partnerships and holiday experiences. Publix is listed as presenting sponsor.

Here are the details that changed from 2025 to 2026.

The light show change matters most for weeknights. The 2026 schedule lists the chair displays and musical light show nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. That window starts an hour earlier and ends an hour later than last year's hourly shows. It also lines up better with an early December sunset and a school-night bedtime. The detailed schedule lists one exception: Worship Night on Friday, December 18, is marked "No Light Show."

Each Week Has a Partner and a Main Event

Once the season is split into weeks, each week gets a reason to come back. The event guide pairs every week with a sponsor and a featured event:

1. Nov. 25 to Dec. 1, Opening Week Celebration with HFG Wealth Advisors. The Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Florida opens the stage Wednesday, November 25, from 7 to 8 p.m. On Saturday, November 28, the lineup runs from Ray of Sunshine Theatre at 2 p.m. to The Big Orange Chorus at 7:30 p.m.
2. Dec. 2 to Dec. 8, Students In The Arts Week with the City of Jacksonville Beach. The Florida Ballet's The Nutcracker, presented by the city, plays Friday, December 4, at 6 p.m. Saturday, December 5, is a full afternoon and evening of school and studio groups, from The Jacksonville Suzuki Strings at 1 p.m. to BLA Dance Academy at 8:10 p.m.
3. Dec. 9 to Dec. 15, Tuba Christmas Music Week with IQ Fiber. The guide promises "Holiday Favorites with 150 Tubas." Tuba Christmas plays Saturday, December 12, at 1 p.m. Two nights earlier, on Thursday, December 10, a Pier Dance with John Miller and the Baystreet Band runs from 5 to 8 p.m.
4. Dec. 16 to Dec. 22, Chair Decorating Awards Week with Artistic Contractors. The Chair Awards take the stage Sunday, December 20, from noon to 2 p.m.
5. Dec. 23 to Dec. 30, Christmas to New Year's Week with the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Pep Rally runs Tuesday, December 29, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Look closely at the lineups and the student focus shows up everywhere. Saturday, December 12, alone brings the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville, Fletcher High School Dance Team, North Florida Twirling Academy, Jacksonville Country Day School and a run of local dance studios before Showtime USA! closes the night from 8:40 to 9:10 p.m. The Friday before features The Discovery School Band, Beaches Chapel Handbell Ensemble, First Coast Center for the Arts and the University of North Florida Dance Team. Schools and studios from all over the First Coast fill the stage, including The Bolles School, Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Palm Valley Academy and Landrum Lions Dance Team.

The new chair voting works the same way. The guide lists a New Chair Voting Experience and puts Community Chair Display Voting in all five weeks. Students also get their own Student Decorating Challenge.

Sunday Is When the Most Happens

Sundays carry the most this year. Last year, the Times-Union's guide to the 2025 event said the holiday market would run only on November 29 and December 6, with around 50 vendors. In 2026, the Deck the Chairs Christmas Market runs five Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Latham Plaza and SeaWalk Pavilion, 11 1st Street North.

Every market Sunday also has programming on the stage schedule. Here is how the five Sundays line up:

• November 29. Market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., plus the Kids Holiday Craft Shop and the Deck The Jaguar Chair Arts Activity from 1 to 4 p.m.
• December 6. Market, plus Greenlight Theatre Company's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and the craft shop in the afternoon.
• December 13. Market, plus the Cathedral Arts Project from 1 to 3 p.m. and the Global Academy of Jacksonville Choir and Orff Ensemble at 3:30 p.m.
• December 20. Market, plus Greenlight Theatre's second "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" at 10:30 a.m., the Chair Awards from noon to 2 p.m., and the craft shop.
• December 27. Market, plus the Kids Holiday Craft Shop from 1 to 4 p.m.

That makes the Sunday market the only daytime anchor that repeats every week. The weekday nights are lighter. They have the light show and the occasional special evening, such as the Thursday Pier Dance or St. Paul's Night on Thursday, December 17. On Christmas Eve, the stage hosts a service with Ocean City Church from 5 to 7 p.m., and the schedule lists SITAA concessions closed during it. The alliance's concessions and merchandise stand runs on its own posted schedule across the season.

Every page of the 2026 schedule says dates and times are subject to change. Check the current schedule on the morning you plan to go.

How Busy Each Day Will Be

A season built on themed weeks and five market Sundays brings people downtown on more days than a two-weekend market did. Sundays will carry the market crowd plus families coming for the craft shop and the stage. Saturdays, especially December 5, 12 and 19, have performer lineups that run from early afternoon to about 9 p.m. Weeknights after 5 p.m. are the lightest times on the calendar, with the chairs, the light show and few scheduled performances.

Parking near 1st Street North changes with the season, so check the City of Jacksonville Beach's posted parking rules before a Sunday visit. For an evening visit, the published schedule doesn't list a shuttle or trolley, so plan your own way there.

The Block Next Door Is Also in Play

The plaza is changing under a new organizer, and the land just south of it is on the city's agenda too. On March 17, 2026, the City of Jacksonville Beach announced a request for proposals for a public-private partnership to redevelop the city-owned parking lot south of Latham Plaza. The city wants a mixed-use project that adds new public parking along with commercial uses that support the downtown area. The city expected review to take several months, followed by public meetings where top candidates would be presented to City Council. The city's bid record lists the project as pending council award.

The 2026 chairs, stage and Sunday market all sit on Latham Plaza and the SeaWalk Pavilion lawn, as they have since the exhibit grew beyond its first 18 partners. When the city brings proposals for the lot to council, those meetings will be on the city's calendar, alongside the Community Redevelopment Agency meeting set for Monday, November 23, two days before the chairs light up.

Hosting out-of-town family over the holidays, especially relatives weighing a move to the Beaches? A Sunday at the Christmas Market and an evening at the light show make a good first look at downtown Jacksonville Beach. When the conversation turns to neighborhoods, Tonya O'Quinn Group can help. Request your free home valuation or relocation consultation, and we'll walk you through the First Coast communities.